by Henry Pham
2026 is a huge year for Anne Hathaway. She has appeared in five films this year, including this new one and The Odyssey, released back in July. Verity is a psychological erotic thriller that focuses on a struggling writer, Lowen Ashleigh, who accepts a lucrative offer to ghostwrite the remaining books in a series for renowned author Verity Crawford. However, Verity is incapacitated and unable to write following a severe accident. While living at the remote Crawford estate to review Verity’s notes, Lowen discovers a hidden, chilling autobiographical manuscript. She struggles to distinguish reality from manipulation as she grows dangerously close to Verity’s husband, Jeremy.
Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades film trilogy) stars as ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh, while Oscar winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables) plays the titular character. Johnson leads the film, but Hathaway’s sharpest role is central to the plot. Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, Oppenheimer) appears as Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford, providing strong support to both leads. Hartnett’s chemistry with Johnson is particularly notable and stands out in the film. Jeremy, as a Verity fan, is portrayed as more invested in Verity’s popularity than her work or success, shifting the film’s tone from psychological thriller to mystery. His love for Verity soon transfers to Lowen, leading her to further investigations.
The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s novel, is directed and produced by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Eyes of Tammy Faye), with a screenplay by Nick Antosca. Jim Frohna’s cinematography effectively builds suspense, drawing inspiration from recent David Lowery films and A24 productions. The setting of the Crawford estate is nice and peaceful, while Oscar winner Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front) composed a synthesizer-driven score that adds intensity. While the film succeeds in creating a psychological thriller atmosphere, the character development, sluggish pacing, and underdeveloped plot lean more toward murder mystery than psychological thriller. Occasional jump scares enhance the tension, but the ending is abrupt and may leave viewers confused, as Lowen chooses to keep a secret, mirroring Verity’s earlier actions.
With the film running about 117 minutes, Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway offer a light psychological thriller in Verity. It is not perfect, but not terrible, but at least it’s nice to see a film based on Colleen Hoover’s works that has nothing to do with romance for a change. However, there are small dashes of romance being shown on the side. I haven’t read the book, as I mostly focused on films, and I’m certainly not used to this genre. At least it’s not a controversial one like the infamous It Ends with Us, featuring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Regardless, fans of either Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, or Colleen Hoover would definitely appreciate this piece. Based on what you’re seeing between Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway, it really feels like The Devil Wears Prada meets Fifty Shades of Grey altogether.
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