Verity Review: Colleen Hoover's Twisty Thriller Gets a Big Screen Makeover
Images courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.
2026 has been a monumental year for Anne Hathaway. She’s played a mother fighting dinosaurs in The End of Oak Street, an iconic pop star in Mother Mary, while rounding out the all-star cast of The Odyssey and returning as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Before taking what will be a much deserved break from the big screen, her final film of the year, Verity, is hitting theatres.
This psychological thriller is based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover, who is Hollywood’s go-to author of the moment after adaptations of It Ends with Us, Regretting You and Reminders of Him. Dakota Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired to ghostwrite for renowned author Verity Crawford (Hathaway). After an accident that has left her paralysed and catatonic, Verity is no longer able to finish her successful book series, so her husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) asks Lowen to step in. In order to complete her assignment and go through Verity’s notes, Lowen temporarily moves into Verity’s luxurious and remote home with Jeremy and his son, Crew (Brady Wagner). One day, she stumbles upon what appear to be Verity’s autobiographical notes, which include disturbing confessions about her life and husband. As Lowen grapples with how to handle these revelations, she begins to find it difficult to separate fiction from reality.
If you are going into Verity expecting a deeply intelligent and thought-provoking thriller, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for something a little bit trashy, dramatic and pulpy, you will be very pleased. It is an entertaining venture that echoes the same campiness that similar films like The Housemaid feature and embrace. Hathway is clearly having a lot of fun relishing in the soapiness of it all, and it is great to see Hartnett continuing his little renaissance after Trap. While this isn’t Johnson’s strongest performance, her “resting bored face” (an actual quote from the film) does somewhat suit the subdued nature of her character. One of the standout elements of the film is its setting, with Verity’s modern lakehouse full of unique architectural features that are both stylish and creepy. There is a good mix of steaminess and suspense, and it is the kind of movie that has at least five different twists by the time the credits roll (which is more of a compliment than a criticism). Verity definitely has a one-up on the audience in never feeling obvious as to where it is going to head. While much happens in the final act, the ending itself remains open-ended, which may frustrate some viewers and leave them wondering who to empathise with.
While this is certainly no Gone Girl, Verity is highly watchable, and is best consumed by suspending reality and not taking it too seriously.
Verity is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more information, click here.
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