There is a moment in Verity when a character says she doesn’t read books you can buy at an airport. I could just as easily say the same about movies based on books you can buy at an airport. These pulp thrillers based on bestsellers have become hugely popular over the years (The Housemaid, The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl), but Verity, based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, has the distinction of being one of the most ludicrous, brimming with contrivance and an ending that is so bizarre, you will wonder if it actually happened.
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer hired as a ghostwriter for Verity Crawford, an internationally successful writer, after an accident leaves her paralysed and her series of popular novels in jeopardy. Lowen moves into the family home with Verity, her husband Jeremy and their son, Crew. When the ghostwriter discovers a hidden autobiography, it unearths secrets that may blur the line between fact and fiction.
Colleen Hoover has already had some of her work turned into movies, including the now-controversial Blake Lively film It Ends with Us, so she already has a built-in fan base. Directed by Michael Showalter, who has proved his worth with movies like The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, as well as the TV drama The Dropout, this could have been an interesting Hitchcock-esque psychological thriller, since the premise sounds promising.
Yet from the outset, it is obvious that this is going to be overblown and massively contrived, when within the first ten minutes, Lowen, while waiting to cross a road, is covered in blood by a cyclist being run over in front of her, and a handsome stranger comes to her rescue, who just turns out to be Jeremy Crawford, the husband of the writer she will eventually be working for.
It never stops, moving further away from piling on the plot, which is already creaking under its own weight, as Lowden stumbles across a manuscript of the famous author, detailing the events of her life, from meeting her husband, getting married, having children and the tragic event that the family had to endure. An event that may have been planned in advance. Then, of course, we have the new writer falling for her husband, which turns Lowen into paranoia when she believes Verity isn’t paralysed but is watching her every move.
It feels like one plotline isn’t enough, and that it needs hundreds of revelations and twists to keep the audience interested. In fact, I’m guessing that is the truth, as this really drags and there is very little in light relief. To make a good thriller, you need to be intrigued; you need to emote with the characters, dark or not. Here, you care little for anyone because they seem to live in a world where every look is another plot twist.
Even the impressive cast struggle to bring any real life to the proceedings. Anne Hathaway, in her fifth movie this year, is the best thing about this, playing the titular character, who spends most of the film in a wheelchair, while acting all femme fatale during the flashbacks. Dakota Johnson, as Lowen, looks like she’s escaped Christian Grey from Fifty Shades and is looking for someone else
who can treat her rough, while Josh Hartnett quietly plays the nice guy, but may not be who he pretends to be.
Verity is bound to be popular with book fans, but since I haven’t read the book, it doesn’t make me want to grab a copy. It’s bloated, dull and almost laughable, and when the final scene comes, you will find yourself slapping your head and saying out loud, “Give me a break!”
2 out of 5
Director: Michel Showalter
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Brady Wagner, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Irina Dvorovenko, Sienna Kulovitz, K.K. Moggie, Tom Galantich, Lou Martini Jr., Michael Abbott Jr., Clark Carmichael
Written by: Nick Antosca and (based on the novel) Colleen Hoover
Running Time: 117 mins
Cert: 15
Release date: 2nd October 2026
