The mind is a wonderful – and terrible – thing. When it works properly we are capable of incredible acts of creation, altruism, and organization. But when something goes wrong…
“Borderline” introduces us to Paul Duerson (Ray Nicholson – “Smile 2”), a man who has a very real love for pop star Sofia (Samara Weaving – “Ready or Not”). Sadly, Sofia doesn’t know him and certainly doesn’t love him. Yet, in Paul’s mind, she does. He has become a stalker, intent on marrying the object of his affection.
The film opens with Paul approaching Sofia’s mansion, rose in hand. He’s come to propose, complete with imaginary ring. But instead of finding Sofia, he finds Bell (Eric Dane – “Americana”), her bodyguard. Bell tries to talk Paul into leaving. Instead, Paul sees Bell as Sofia, proposes to him, slips the ring on his finger, and stabs him.
The next thing we see, Bell has recovered from the stabbing and is back on the job. Sofia is in residence, with her latest “fling,” basketball star Rhodes (Jimmie Fails – “Nickel Boys”). Sofia turns out to be the self absorbed, shallow creature we might imagine pop stars to be, including the off-hand way in which she treats her boyfriends.
Oh, and Paul has just broken out of the mental facility where he’s been kept, thanks to the help of two equally unbalanced minions: Penny (Alba Baptista – “Amelia’s Children”) and the hulking J. H. (Patrick Cox – “Aquaman”). These two are real killers.
Prepare yourselves for a wild ride!
This is a hilarious dark comedy, based largely on the equally insane (in their own ways) characters of Paul and Sofia) leavened by the seriousness of bodyguard Bell.
Writer/director Jimmy Warden (“Cocaine Bear”) has created an alternate world in which stalker Paul can actually succeed in getting his love to marry him with the help of all the other characters, yet also deliver a happy ending (for the innocent ones). He’s gotten amazing performances from Nicholson (who steals every scene he’s in), and Weaving. He created a bedrock upon which the madness is built in Bell, and threw in a “Harley Quinn-esque” performance by Baptista.
While the script is not as rich in verbal gags as we might wish, the scenes themselves are beautifully madcap. This will not please all viewers, but for those who like their stalker flicks imbued with amusing twist and turns (the poor sighted J. H. asking his shooting victim whether he is dead or not) this is a gold mine.
Note: Director Warden has been married to actress Weaving since 2019 – which means Paul never had a chance.
Runtime: One hour, 35minutes
Availability: In the US now on Fandango and Peacock; digital in UK on Sept. 8
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