Sunday Movie Review

Sunday Movie Review: The Undoing #miniseries – #Whodunit

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Welcome to my Sunday Movie Review again. The Undoing is a mini series on HBO, an intense psychological thriller. For those of you who enjoy a good suspense whodunit, this series is for you.

 

My 5 Star Review:

I love a good character study movie. And with a cast of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland, what’s not to love? Except, when you are used to seeing certain stars in movies who are mostly typecast play someone out of their character realm. But in this series, it demonstrates a great example of what going against the grain is like with Grant’s personified movie image. Grant in this psychological suspenseful role plays an unlikely and unusual character. We get a glimpse of a darker side of Grant in this suspenseful family saga whodunit with Grant as one of the suspected murderers because of who the murder victim was.

So what’s the action? Grant and Kidman are a well-off – ‘seemingly’ happy couple. Grant is an oncologist and Kidman plays a psychologist. They lead busy lives and seem to have a great relationship. But does something sinister lurk in Grant’s head?

A young struggling artist comes into Kidman’s circle on the ‘mom’ board at her son’s preppy school, wanting to join the school board of a private school where she hopes to assimilate her young son into the preppy school and become part of the ‘mom board’. She ‘somewhat’ befriends Nicole and shows up in unpredictable places. Then suddenly the girl is murdered. The show progresses searching for and suspecting some unsuspecting characters – including Nicole and then Hugh. How could we possibly suspect a doctor of oncology who dedicates his life to saving people?

As Grant becomes the main targeted suspect, I, as the audience couldn’t buy it. But not until the last episode (of six), did my suspicion begin to grow. And not til the very end do we get a big surprise in this well written series with great characters and subject matter that will keep you guessing til the last minute.

End-game: there are so many clever possible theories and suspects thwarting guilt, who dunit? A cleverly woven tale to keep you guessing as you may begin to suspect each suspect as guilt continues shifting and had me changing my mind about whodunit. Is Hugh guilty? Was it his son? Was it the dead woman’s husband? The last court episode was like a tennis match of shifting blame. Who’s on your side? Who can you trust?

Grace (Kidman) taking the stand and the twisted last turn of interrogation was the final straw which determined the killer’s fate. Perfect name – Undoing of so much, of a child’s innocence, of a marriage, of trust, and undoing the facade behind people, exposing the farce.

 

 

“Grace Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. She’s a successful therapist, has a devoted husband and young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. Overnight a chasm opens in her life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.”

The above quote taken from below link to another few trailer scenes at IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2746007833?playlistId=tt8134470

 

***

This miniseries was based on a book originally titled – You Should Have Known. I presume once the series became a hit the cover was changed. I’ve read a few comments of almost 3000 4 star reviews, and I think my review is with the majority of 4 and 5 stars. Of course with that many reviews an author is going to take some 2 stars and most of what I read didn’t grasp the psychology of the story. At over 400 pages it became a 6 hour miniseries.

 

 

Blurb:

Read the “rollickingly good literary thriller” and New York Times Bestseller — and watch the most talked about TV series of 2020, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

Grace Reinhart Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. Devoted to her husband, a pediatric oncologist at a major cancer hospital, their young son Henry, and the patients she sees in her therapy practice, her days are full of familiar things: she lives in the very New York apartment in which she was raised, and sends Henry to the school she herself once attended.

Dismayed by the ways in which women delude themselves, Grace is also the author of a book You Should Have Known, in which she cautions women to really hear what men are trying to tell them. But weeks before the book is published a chasm opens in her own life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only an ongoing chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.

 

Has anyone here seen this series or read the book? What did you think?

 

©DGKaye2021

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60 thoughts on “Sunday Movie Review: The Undoing #miniseries – #Whodunit”

  1. Sounds my kind of series. Hope it comes our way! We’ve been watching a French series (with sub titles) called Spiral, which was very watchable and down to earth. No glam US detectives for them, Debs….Take care. Hugs xx

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    1. Hi Joy. I’m glad I was able to tempt your tastebuds. I do hope you get to find this series on one of your networks. The French series sounds inviting too, thanks for the tip! Hugs to you Joy ❤ xxx

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  2. Great review Debby… I thought the storyline was brilliant and Hugh Grant was an inspired choice as he almost played himself! My only niggle was that I am beginning to find Nicole Kidman’s youthful complexion at odds with the ages she is now playing and despite the harrowing circumstances, where we would normally throw all thought of hair, nails and makeup out the window, she remained immaculate throughout.

    However as you say a very clever whoddunit and very well written..Definitely one to watch…♥♥

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      1. We have actually seen the trailer which we check out before going to see new films and you are right she looks like she have been pulled through a hedge backwards (my father’s favourite description) in it.. seems like a dark one so might wait a while to watch…. I am all for us girls maintaining our girlish figures and relatively seam free faces but some of these actresses have gone a little far with the botox. She is a good actress and I know I shouldn’t be mean… hugsx♥

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  7. It certainly has a 5-star cast! We’re deep into pirates right now (Black Sails), but will be ready for something new soon. This sounds good, Debby. Thanks for the great tease!

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  11. Debby,
    I also would give this series 5 stars! It really kept me guessing until the end. I love psychological trillers such as these. I thought the acting was superb.
    Many Blessings
    ‘Lisa
    xoxo

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    1. Hi Lisa. Thanks for adding your thoughts here too. Sounds like so far, anyone who has seen this is on the same line of enjoyment and guessing game. Hugs. xoxo

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  12. I watched this series a month or so ago and found it absolutely spell bounding. In fact, I stayed up until the wee hours to watch the last three episodes. It’s a great who-done-it and I kept changing who I thought was the guilty party. I didn’t read the book, but now that I know the ending, I’m not sure I would go back and read it now. Thanks for the post. HUGS

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    1. Thanks for chiming in Chuck. So you too were switching your guesses on who is the suspect. Sign of a good series! Yes, I don’t often go back to read a book after the movie either. 🙂 xx

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  15. Hi Debby, I don’t watch series but I will recommend this to my mother. She will enjoy it. I can’t believe how old Hugh Grant looks, I prefer to remember him from Four Weddings and a Funeral.

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    1. Lol thanks Robbie. And yes, I agree, but at age 60, what do we expect when we haven’t seen much of Hugh around since Bridget Jones’ Diary LOL 🙂 x

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  16. Great review, Deb. Yes, I watched this eagerly awaiting each new episode on Sunday nights. The finale was a nail biter. I think Donald Sutherland’s character as (Nicole’s) her father, had a bit of a sinister or mysterious quality that kept me wondering if he was hiding something. So many amazing actors in the show but of course, Nicole Kidman is in a category all her own.
    I’ve never heard of the author of the book. I’ll be looking her up now!

    p.s this is my second try at leaving a comment. Hope it goes through. WordPress doesn’t like me.

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    1. Hi Lis. Yes, each character added an element of curiosity. By mid-movie, we had quite a few suspects lol. I thought it was fantastic! And thanks for fighting the gremlins of WordPress. I too have been having grief with WP these past few days getting into my own blog. Hey, it’s Mercury Retrograde and full moon – SNAFUs abound! ❤

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  17. I started wtaching it, loving both main actores. Sadly, like the producing teams prior effort Little Big Lies, I just couldn’t get past the slow build up and never started watching the second episode.
    Maybe I should stick with it.

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  23. I binge-watched this one it was brilliantly acted although my money was on Hugh most of the time…I am now watching ” The Drowning” with Jill Halfpenny which promises to be good 🙂 xx

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  24. Great review, Debby, and I haven’t heard of this series. But it sounds really good, so I’ll check it out. I also read in your other comments that it’s not super graphic which is good. 🙂 xo

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  25. Thanks for the recommendation, Debby. For some reason, I find it easier to concentrate on books than on movies or TV series these days, but this one sounds like a good one. I’ll check it out. Stay well.

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  26. Great review, Debby. The series sounds very interesting and what a line up. I just ordered the book from my library and am eager to read it! I appreciate knowing about this series and the book. Thanks. ❤

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  28. Hi Debby – it does sound such an interesting series … and one I’d like to see – an excellent cast … I’ll keep an eye open for it … thanks for recommending it – stay safe! … all the best – Hilary

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