'The Sleepover' Review: High-end thief Margot Finch's life is enjoyable with its action-packed hilarity
Spoilers for 'The Sleepover'
Netflix's 'The Sleepover' is an action-packed comedy of a regurgitated storyline that still manages to keep you interested in its almost two-hour duration. The Finch family consists of an aloof father, a strict mother, a teenage daughter consumed by angst, best friends that are part of the family, a goofy young son and a dog that never listens - all the ingredients for a family movie. While the beginning may feel like a coming-of-age comedy that we're sure you've seen before, the narrative is surprisingly a fun watch. Imagine finding out your mother was a former high-end thief? While other productions may have used the same narrative to deliver a riveting spy drama, this one doesn't get lost in the collection.
Margot Finch (Malin Åkerman) is a normal mother with a loving family living in what seems to be a small town. While her teenage daughter Clancy Finch (Sadie Stanley) may think her mother is only out to make her life difficult, she and her brother, Kevin Finch (Maxwell Simkins) along with two best friends, Mim (Cree Cicchino) and Lewis (Lucas Jaye) find out who the real mama Finch is. After finding out from Henry Gibbs, a US Marshall working for WITSEC that their mother had entered the Witness Protection Program 15 years ago and that they were in fact half Canadian, the juvenile quad took to an adventure to find the truth after their mom is kidnapped. Armed with a self-driving car and other cool gadgets they found through the clue their mother left behind, the kids were in for a wild ride. We have to say though Mim is the best friend anyone could ask for.
It is an adventurous film that has the children deal with dangerous people who have kidnapped their mother to do one last job for them. The storyline is a fun one as a normal family's life is disrupted after their mother is told to go back to her old life where she stole professionally. We don't think the hilarity is subtle and you'll catch yourself giggling more than a few times - especially when it comes to little Kevin. The cast was a diverse one, with Lewis who is Asian, Mim who is Latina and Henry Gibbs who is Black which always a wonderful aspect when done in Hollywood.
The film was fresh with its humor and definitely a breather from intense storylines, it reminded us a bit of the 2004 comedy/romance film 'Sleepover' where a group of teenagers had many things to complete on their adventure list during their sleepover. That movie was geared more toward the teenage crowd, although this movie seems to be a one for a family night in. It is geared toward the younger crowd of course, but we can tell you that the adults most likely won't be bored.
In the vast collection of family night movies, we thought that The Sleepover's remnant storyline may get lost in its genre, but that surprisingly isn't true. It may be a predictable narrative for adults, but for its targeted audience it's a film full of action, surprises, adorable family bonding and yes, highschool boy-girl drama just a bit. We enjoyed the movie, it was a well-written script, with sweet characters and impressive actors and definitely a product of a vivid imagination.
One last thing, Margot Finch aka Matilda Tremblay is a badass.
'The Sleepover' is now available to stream on Netflix.
