The Woman in the Window review: Should you watch it?

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The Woman in the Window falls into a genre this writer personally can't get enough of. I call it "drunk unreliable female protagonist, mostly played by Amy Adams and/or Emily Blunt, who has to piece together a traumatic event from her past and also solve a mystery/crime".

That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Netflix's twisty new thriller. Yes, you're going to bloody love it. No, it's not going to change your life.

Below, I unpack what the movie is about and deliver my verdict on whether you should watch it.

What is The Woman in the Window about?

The Woman in the Window is based on A.J. Finn's 2018 bestselling novel of the same name. Who is A.J.Finn, I hear you ask? He's a very problematic author who lied his way into publishing and a book deal with a huge advance. You can read more about him here.

Watch: The trailer for Netflix's The Woman in the Window. Post continues below.

The film (and the book) follows the story of Anna Fox (Amy Adams), a woman who lives in a multistory Harlem brownstone. Anna, a child psychologist, hasn't left her home in over a year because she lives with agoraphobia, an extreme anxiety disorder which makes the sufferer too anxious to leave the house.

She lives alone with a cat but recently rented out the basement apartment to a mysterious tenant named David (Wyatt Russell). Her groceries and medications are delivered and every day she talks to her ex husband Ed (Anthony Mackie) and their eight-year-old daughter on the phone.

She spends most of her time walking around the brownstone in a dressing gown and slippers, sipping big glasses of wine, and spying on her neighbours. So, really leaning into that 2020/2021 lockdown lifestyle.

Things begin to unravel for Anna after the Russell family moves across the road. One night she witnesses what she thinks is the husband Alistair (Gary Oldman) killing his wife Jane (Julianne Moore). Only... no one believes her.

Come for the...

Amy Adams drinking enormous glasses of wine in her dressing gown while trying to solve a crime.

Stay for the...

The twist! And the brief but brilliant performances by Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman.

What movies/TV shows will it remind you of?

Girl on the Train for the drunk, unreliable female narrator. Sharp Objects for the drunk, unreliable Amy Adams. Copycat for the agoraphobia. Disturbia for the spying on the neighbours. The Sinner for the psychological twist.

How long is it?

The running time is one hour and 40 minutes, making it the perfect movie to fit into your Friday night before you fall asleep on the couch after one too many glasses of wine.

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So, should you watch it?

Yes. Yes, you bloody should.

Like I said in my intro, The Woman in the Window isn't the kind of film (or book) that will change your life but it is a bloody good way to spend the better part of two hours.

There are plenty of twists and red herrings and a good smattering of Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman.

Plus, everyone is going to be talking about it and you want to be the smug person who can say they saw the twist coming/read the book/once was an agoraphobic who witnessed their neighbour's potential murder etc etc.

I give it four out of five drunk, unreliable female protagonists.

The Woman in the Window is streaming on Netflix from Friday, May 14.

Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram.

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