Nightbitch Review – Some Bark, Some Bite

One of the oddest movies you’ll watch this year is Nightbitch, which was written and directed by Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood). Starring Amy Adams (Arrival) and Scoot McNairy (Argo), Nightbitch is a black comedy that follows a mother who slowly transforms into a dog. It is an adaptation of the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder, which is also called Nightbitch. The film is mostly a psychological dive into the mind of a stay-at-home mother, who tries to make sense of her life at home with her child, versus the life she used to have as an artist.

For a film that leans heavily on magical realism, Nightbitch’s story is fairly straightforward. Adams’ character, “Mother”, is stressed about dealing with motherhood while “Husband” (McNairy) travels for work. After a while, she begins to notice that her body is changing, until she ultimately transforms into a dog. The transformation holds no ultimate consequence, and it works much better if you take it as a symbolic change rather than a physical one. 

Watch Out, It’s Nightbitch!

The story is the weakest part of the film. Nothing in Nightbitch feels consequential, with any problems in the couple’s relationship not evolving too dramatically, and of course, the whole morphing into a dog plotline doesn’t really go anywhere either. The issue with this is that while Nightbitch is an interesting character study, the back half meanders. We’re spending the majority of the screen time with Adams, so we care about the character. But, when the issues feel resolved two-thirds of the way through the movie, it’s quite boring to watch the couple talk about their issues. 

Related: Y2K Review – A Funny, Horrific Time Capsule

With that being said, it’s excellent that Nightbitch spends that much time with Adams because she is terrific here. She never falters in making the audience think she is spiraling out of her mind. Amy Adams delivers on the comedic beats, and while she’s stressed, you never feel like the character doesn’t care about her child because she is tip-toeing that line. Even though comparatively he doesn’t get much screen time, McNairy is great too. He manages to say all the wrong things in exactly the right way to make you just not like the character.

While I don’t usually go out of my way to comment on child performances, Arleigh and Emmett Snowden were terrific as “Son”. Either they nailed the comedic beats or their performances were edited in really well because I laughed at nearly every one of the jokes that stemmed from something they were doing. It’s also worth noting that while the end lets it down, the build-up to Adams finally transforming is done quite well, with the psychological aspects of Nightbitch coming across as quite authentic. 

A Big Mood

Even if the story is a letdown, the comedic writing is quite strong, with the dark humor landing quite a lot. Adams has Fleabag-like asides that are quite funny too, scenes where nobody can hear what she’s saying. There are also a few scenes that worked really well in which she says what she really wants to say, only for the scene to rewind and her say the socially acceptable thing. Nate Heller’s (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) score for Nightbitch was quite good as well, as it felt mysterious and curious, playing on the oddity of the situation.

Related: Nosferatu Review – A Symphony of Psychosexual Plague Angst

While this isn’t a horror film, Nightbitch does have horrific elements that work quite well, feeding into the magical realism and breaking up the comedy quite nicely. All of the effects that lead up to the canine transformation are fun and quite gross, adding a subtle and grounded feel to that magical realism. However, there are moments that just feel weird while not adding much, like when the animals in the neighborhood begin to sacrifice smaller animals and leave them at their front door. 

Ultimately, Nightbitch is a funny black comedy that will have you laughing through the 98-minute runtime. The story isn’t immensely deep but the characterization might hit hard for anyone who has or is considering having kids. Amy Adams gives a fantastic performance, that definitely makes Nightbitch worth checking out if it sounds like this might be up your alley.

You can watch Nightbitch in theaters now.