Spoilers for The Last Temptation of Becky
The Last Temptation of Becky, directed by Jenn Wexler, is the third installment in the Becky film series and sees Lulu Wilson return as the unforgiving antihero Becky Hooper. A sequel to The Wrath of Becky, we see Becky, now taken in by Agent Montana (Kate Siegel) and the CIA, struggling to adapt to the strategies and values of a government agent. A tumultuous relationship with the CIA Director leads Becky to be sent undercover to Poland to infiltrate an innkeeper family that started a tourist spot at The Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s WWII bunker, led by the father, Wilhelm Reuss (Neil Patrick Harris). Upon learning that Wilhelm has plans to revive the Fourth Reich, Becky takes this mission into her own hands, activating Plan C. The Last Temptation of Becky is a fun and wild ride that seems like an, albeit quick, love letter to the character of Becky and the tribulations she has faced over the years that we meet her.
The standout part of this film for me was the acting. Lulu Wilson embodies Becky and her wrath perfectly; as soon as she gives that wide-eyed glare, you know something is about to go down. She is able to portray Becky with the coldness of a killer but also the softness of a young girl who has been traumatized very young and doesn’t know how to respond to the world around her anymore. There are these moments where you can clearly see Becky doubting herself and her abilities because of the previous events, specifically her dad’s murder, which has had an obviously profound effect on her. Wilson is able to convey the traits of a coldblooded killer with the insecurities and comedy of a teenage girl that is so heartbreaking and charming all at once. I think it is safe to say that Becky Hooper would be very different if Wilson wasn’t portraying her. Kate Siegel is also a standout as Agent Montana, seemingly the only one who can break past Becky’s walls and see the confused and heartbroken girl inside. Siegel infuses Montana with a tough-love aspect that seems to mirror a pseudo-older sister, and while her morals are seemingly very different from Becky’s, we see that she isn’t past breaking them either for the ones she loves, just like Becky.
The biggest gripe I have about this story is how very little time we spend with these characters, only clocking in at a cool 89 minutes. The Last Temptation of Becky Hooper could have definitely had another forty-five minutes in it. The whole film felt rushed, like it could not ever catch its breath and allow the characters to breathe and actually interact with each other. Harris’ performance as Wilhelm Russ was frightening and intimidating to a degree, but it always seemed like the movie was telling me to fear him rather than I was actually afraid of his character. That could be just the characterization of Wilhelm, but I would have liked more time with the antagonist to decide that and actually feel scared of him and his actions. Spending more time with Wilhelm and his family of Nazi psychopaths would allow for the hatred in the audience to build so that way his death at the end is all the more satisfying, but I did enjoy the aspect of Becky killing off the family one by one, allowing for Wilson’s comedic acting to really shine. Another thing that did end up shocking me was when Wilhelm killed his own son, showing how depraved and horrible he really is for his plan to bring about the Fourth Reich. My main critique was that we could have spent more time with the family to actually feel the hatred for them as individuals rather than just a group of Nazis. I felt that a little with Wilhelm in the end, but I feel as though potential avenues to explore the psychotic characterization of his wife Helga (Catherine Walker) and their daughter (Aoife Hughes) would bring more satisfying deaths when Becky actually killed them.
Another aspect of this story I found lacking was Becky’s character arc in this film, another thing I believe is caused by the short run time. The only solid and strong connection that Becky has throughout this story is Agent Montana. A potential connection is established through another agent named Jordan Rigby (Brandon Flynn), though it is unclear whether it was romantic or platonic because Jordan is killed off at the end of the film to set off the final fight between Becky and Wilhelm. While I get they were trying to unleash Becky’s wrath for the finale, I feel like they could have done it in another way that didn’t traumatize Becky even more than she already is. That being said, Diego did not come back for this installment, just in a brief cameo explaining why, but I do think that this is an aspect that I am sorely missing because I think that connection shows Becky at her most vulnerable and human; I was sad to lose that.
2 out of 5 stars.
The Last Temptation of Becky is a wild and admittedly fun time that doesn’t stick out as long as it should have. While it knows what it is trying to accomplish as a film, it rushes too quickly to get there.
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