Skincare

You will sometimes hear people say that they are “spinning many plates” when you ask them what they have going on. Elizabeth Banks is someone you can say is spinning all kinds of plates, as not only is she an actor who takes on both comedic and dramatic roles, but she also directs and even hosts a game show, for Pete’s sake. Needless to say, Banks is one busy woman, and whenever she adds her many talents to a project, it only gets better because she is involved. Now, in her latest role, she gets to show her acting chops in a story that highlights the dangers related to your skin.

Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) has had a pretty good career in the makeup world. Now, she is about to launch her own product—a product made in Italy, so you know it’s good. To help with the launch, she appears on a highly-rated morning show hosted by Brett Wright (Nathan Fillion), who shares in her excitement about the product’s debut. Everything is coming up roses for Hope, but one day at her shop, she notices someone moving into the spot across from her. Naturally, curiosity wins out, and Hope finds her way into the office, where she discovers some literature that bothers her and runs into the owner, a guy named Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez). It turns out Angel works some magic with skin as well, and let’s just say Hope is not thrilled about having competition. Around the same time, she meets Jordan (Lewis Pullman), who enters Hope’s life at the perfect moment. Things only go downhill after Hope meets Angel, and while her world seems to crumble, Angel’s world shines, making Hope suspect that Angel might be trying to sabotage her. As things start to get darker, Hope struggles to keep her world from caving in completely around her. Written by Sam Greilich, Deering Regan, and Austin Peters (with the latter also directing), Skincare is a “fictional story inspired by true events” from 2014. The story builds carefully, but after Hope receives a vicious email, things escalate quickly, culminating in an impossible mess to clean up. The writing excels in showing the panic and confusion, especially in Hope, who can’t for the life of her figure out what is happening. Things get grim, but no matter how dark it gets, the filmmakers ensure you feel what the characters are experiencing.

Skincare is a pretty wild true story that really shows the ambition and drive that can bring out the worst in people. You couldn’t ask for a better person to play Hope than Banks, who excels at portraying a complex, yet disingenuous character. You know someone is nailing their performance when the character turns you off because of how they are, yet Banks is so good that she never loses you. While Banks might stand out the most, the rest of the cast is a great ensemble that really brings all the elements of Skincaretogether.