The Desperate Hour Review: Karen Fantasy Thriller Exploits Real-World Tragedies

Clumsy, tasteless and deeply stupid, The Desperate Hour crosses the line between social commentary and exploitation, using a school shooting — something that happens far too frequently in America — as a cheap tactic to create stakes. Naomi Watts stars as Amy Carr, a character audiences are clearly meant to see as an empathetic “super mom,” one whose dedication to protecting her son is admirable and compelling. Unfortunately, director Phillip Noyce and screenwriter Chris Sparling fail to write a believable story. As a result, Amy comes across less like a loving mother caught in a horrible situation and more like a thoroughly entitled and self-centered “Karen.” Ultimately, The Desperate Hour is a thriller devoid of thrills that leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth.

The Desperate Hour is a story about a school shooting, but from the perspective of a worried parent. The movie opens with a brief sequence in Amy’s home introducing the family dynamic and establishing background information. Amy is the mother of a young daughter, Emily (Sierra Maltby), and a teenage son, Noah (Colton Gobbo). Their father died tragically the year before, and Noah is struggling with his mental health. After telling her son to go to school, Amy goes for a run, shifting the narrative to the woods, where the majority of the movie takes place.

There’s very little plot in The Desperate Hour, which brings attention to just how poorly developed the story and pacing are. The main conflict driving the narrative is that Amy is in the woods running when she learns about the school shooting, and she needs to determine where her son is and if he’s safe. She acts as though it’s not an option for her to go home and get her car, instead desperately calling anyone she can think of to ask for a ride, clogging up the phone lines (including to her daughter’s teacher and even, several times, 911). Not only is this not particularly enthralling cinematic action, but it defies all basic reasoning and common sense — why would anyone ever call a teacher’s personal cell during a shooting-related lockdown? Amy’s desire to have immediate knowledge trumps any other concern in this story, and from an outside perspective, this just makes her seem selfish (or at least very, very dumb).

The Desperate Hour is scene after scene of Watts running through the woods, pretending to talk to someone on an iPhone. This alone makes it very difficult to keep track of the implied passing of time. There’s no consistency with geography either, which makes this problem worse. At one point, Amy states that she’s five miles from home, despite already having been running for quite some time — was she running away from her house after learning about the incident? If so, why? If not, then the timing simply doesn’t work since she previously established that she had to be back for a repairman (who later calls her while she’s still in the woods).

The dialogue in The Desperate Hour isn’t any better than the story structure. Almost all of the dialogue is Amy talking to various characters on her cell phone, usually while also running. It’s a strange choice in terms of narrative, made worse by the noticeably bad voice direction and stilted delivery. The lines are unnatural, the characters are so thin that they’re not really characters, and the action lacks motivation. Repeatedly, Amy demands assistance, time, energy or simply attention from strangers and acquaintances, and bafflingly, they give her what she wants — even when there’s almost no reason for them to do so, including a few instances that involve breaking the law.

The Desperate Hour tries to frame Amy as valiant and plucky, stopping at nothing and going to increasingly outrageous means to “save” her son from the shooter — something she has no business doing. Watts is a talented actress, and she puts in a valiant effort to humanize Amy, but it’s not enough to counteract her entitled and privileged behavior in the film. There’s no arc, she doesn’t learn anything, and there are no negative repercussions for her extremely bad decisions throughout. No time is spent on developing the shooter into anything more than a plot device, or showing how traumatic the experience was for the teenagers held hostage at the school — it’s all about Amy. The Desperate Hour is a wish-fulfillment fantasy for those who feel that they should be the center of attention at all times.

Audiences should be willing to suspend disbelief and approach films with good faith, but to do that, the core premise needs to support the story. If the conflict doesn’t ring true on a very basic level, as in The Desperate Hour, the stakes feel forced and shallow. This is only made worse by any sort of attempt at social commentary or message. Amy is the main character in The Desperate Hour, so it’s not surprising that the events unfold from her perspective; however, the movie makes Amy the “hero” in a story about an active shooter on school grounds — a role she absolutely should not have.  Is The Desperate Hour tedious and dull? Without question, yes. The real issue, however, is that the subject matter is so inappropriate for this kind of story that the entire movie-viewing experience is tinged with a sickening hue.

The Desperate Hour released in theaters on February 25, 2022. The film is 84 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for thematic content and strong language.

About The Author

Sarah Bea Milner
(333 Articles Published)

Sarah Milner is the Weekend Lead Editor for Screen Rant’s Film/Television features (SR Originals) division. She is a writer, editor, and folk musician. She often watches movies — sometimes she reviews them too.

A graduate of Trent University, Sarah’s MA thesis examines Frankenstein adaptations and their relationship with popular culture. She has a fierce love of all things “spooky,” and a deep appreciation for classic cinema.

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