Dan Franzen (dfranzen70)
May is a horror film that was released in 2002. I know this only because I looked it up. Prior to adding it to my Netflix queue a short while back, I had never heard of the movie. And I wish I had! It's gross, unsettling, weird, and funny. Those are all qualities I look for in a horror film.The titular May (Angela Bettis) is an odd young lady who works as a veterinarian's assistant. She has a lazy eye that's mostly corrected by glasses and, later, contacts. And she also has an old doll in a glass case, a doll given to her by her mother when May was just a little girl who had just injured her subsequently lazy eye. That's quite a present, huh, a doll that you're not allowed to take out of the box.But fret not, viewers, this isn't about a possessed doll. It's about May, who's just plain not all there. May's coworker at the vet clinic is Polly (Anna Faris), who has intentions of her own with May. Meanwhile, May spots a mechanic she'd like to get more familiar with, Adam (Jeremy Sisto). But, you know, she's socially awkward and has no concept of personal space. So when her brief relationship with Adam ends and she runs into trust issues with Polly and her family-heirloom doll (made by mom, by the way) is irreparably damaged, May turns to her sewing skills to make do. Blood is then spilled.Love the acting. Bettis is essentially a grown-up Wednesday Addams (complete with an overabundance of forehead), and she embodies May with both innocence and a sort of civil evilness. Faris is stunning – and outstanding – as the promiscuous, amoral, and flighty Polly. Might be the best role Faris has ever had. And Sisto, looking a heck of a lot like a twentysomething John Travolta, also holds his own.I kind of think that if you like movies such as Re-Animator and Dead Alive, you'll go for this one as well. Seems like it should be better known, but it was sure new to me.
Akhil Balachandran
From childhood onwards May has a lazy eye which causes the other kids to avoid her completely. May has a doll which she considered as her best friend. She has a love interest in Adam, a mechanic and her co- worker Polly has an interest in May. May starts to lose her patience when she lost both Adam and Polly's love. Angela portraits the role of May in a way that we will feel bad for her at the same time we will hate that character. The film starts out a little slow but May will get into your head faster than you wish. Overall, it's a waste of time.
tiskec
This was a spectacular performance by Angela. "May" has a stew of different effects on the viewer (in my experience). "May" is dark, thrilling, creepy, and psychological. I thought it was a great horror to add to my collection. The only sad part about this movie, is this is probably actually occurring in society as you're reading this review. This film is very believable and shows how someone can snap very easily under pressure. This film is a classic example of someone going insane because she was always mistreated in life. Things just kept getting worse and worse for May throughout the film. In childhood, all this little girl has is her doll as a friend. Never has any meaningful social interaction. As she grows older, people just keep on crapping on her because of the things she does that aren't of the normal behavioral spectrum of society. This slowly drags May slowly into insanity as the film goes on. It's a shame to. She is very beautiful as Angela, and as May, the character she plays. Just to think this is actually happening to people right now due to social issues. Pretty and talented people at that.This movie is horror, with a lot of sadness. The perfect making of a psychopathic killer by society. I would recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates reality type horror/slashers.
Leofwine_draca
MAY is a low budget horror outing that occasionally shines but for the most part is rather tiresome, purely because we've seen all of the plot elements done before - and better. The central character is a kooky goth girl, always unlucky in love, who decides to improve her life by literally building herself a new friend.It's hardly a novel idea, having been done better in the Christopher Lambert serial killer flick RESURRECTION, but it's enough to just about sustain the narrative of this rather unwieldy little movie. The main problem with MAY is that the film feels rather unfocused and repetitive. There are too many scenes which feel repetitive, usually involving May getting rejected or building a grievance against those in her life.There are plus points here, not least some not-bad direction and a dedicated central performance from Angela Bettis, but the second half of a film turns into a predictable gore fest when it had the potential to be something much creepier and more unsettling. It's a pity because MAY has promise, but it's promise that is soon wasted. And the soundtrack is horrible.
AD
