It took just two movies for me to become an Elizabeth Banks fan. She first caught my eye in The 40 Year Old Virgin, back in 2005. However, her next movie, the horror comedy Slither was the one that made me fall in love with her. From that moment on, every time I saw she was starring in some movie, I instantly gave it the benefit of the doubt. I do the same thing every time I see the name Clifton Collins Jr. Skincare is a highly entertaining and refreshing black comedy inspired by true events. We will be following Hope Goldman, a popular L.A. beautician who starts to suspect that her rival is out to get her. Things will quickly start to escalate and we’ll learn just how dangerous beauty salon owners can be.
As you can notice, the story is amusing and breezy. It provides a welcome break from all the big topics and current events. This doesn’t mean that the movie is superficial or amateurish, on the contrary. Skincare takes its characters, their occupation, dreams, and nightmares very seriously. After all, we could be talking about any type of small business in the United States. Why can’t we take beauty salons and their owners seriously, isn’t that some sort of discrimination? Moreover, place yourself in the shoes of poor Hope who’s on the verge of making her dreams come true when this happens. I mean, what would you do in that situation?
I’m not justifying her actions, not in the slightest, I’m just saying the story in Skincare made me think about these things. About people who are willing to grab good old toxic capitalism by the balls and go toe to toe with their competition using any means necessary. On the other hand, we can see just how big of a role looks play in the lives of certain people. How these things work and how the eternal pursuit of eternal youth can be a pretty profitable business. Skincare takes place in the city of dreams, Los Angeles and you can really feel that. In fact, most of the people we will meet have that L.A. vibe about them.
Whatever you might think about the place, you can’t deny its importance and authenticity. Especially when it comes to the entertainment industry and all the other businesses that rely on it to generate income. Is there a better place for a beauty salon for the rich and famous than in Los Angeles? We also should not forget that Skincare is inspired by true events and that real Hope had a pretty impressive client list. Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Michelle Gellar were among them. If you want to know more about the real Hope Goldman or Dawn DaLuise, in real life, you can read this spoiler warning article.
Dawn says that the production company went to great lengths to replicate not just her salon but also everything around it. In an interview, she said: “I was stunned and in awe of how precise everything (was), from the location (to) the mannerisms and the way in which our salons were both decked out. Somebody really did their homework and did it well.” Elizabeth Banks gave another stellar performance and Lewis Pullman was just as good as Jordan Weaver. His character is quite interesting exactly because it’s quite stereotypical. I’m sure that guys and girls like him are abundant in L.A. John Billingsley is always a welcome addition to the cast and it was good to see Nathan Fillion as a sleazy news anchor.
I wish they give him more of these morally questionable roles, he thrives in them going against the typecasting. Skincare does opt for the safe route, avoiding any graphic violence or scenes that would be too jarring. It’s just not that type of a movie. If you’re looking for something more hard-hitting, I suggest you take a look at 2020’s The Stylist. This horror comedy follows a hair stylist who goes on a murderous rampage. If, however, you’re looking for something easygoing and refreshing with a bit of mystery on top, stick with Skincare. It’s not going to disappoint you.
Director: Austin Peters
Writers: Sam Freilich, Deering Regan, Austin Peters
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Michaela Jaé (MJ) Rodriguez, Erik Palladino
Fun Facts: Dawn DaLuise threatened to sue the production company because of how they portrayed her in this movie. Eventually she decided she’s not going to do that although we do not know why.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28223926/
