The Cow doesn’t stick the landing totally, but there are commendable moments, including the reveals and Winona Ryder’s great performance.
Films named after animals are having quite a moment. The last few years have brought us “Pig,” “Lamb,” “Cow,” “First Cow” and now “The Cow” from “Homecoming” co-creator Eli Horowitz. Unlike the others, there’s no actual animal involved in the story, which goes from strange to wacky to a bit of a head-scratcher in its 90-minute runtime. Though its lead performance from Winona Ryder and the way it tells its story are highlights, the “steaks” are ultimately never that high, and the ending gets butchered (OK, enough cow puns).
Kath (Ryder) and her younger boyfriend of a year Max (John Gallagher Jr.) are driving to a secluded Airbnb for the weekend. When they arrive, they notice another car in the driveway, and a younger couple Al and Greta (played by Owen Teague and Brianne Tju), wearing matching green raincoats, have set up shop inside already. A bit standoffish, Al suggests the couple turn back where they came from, which Kath seems fine with. However, Max is adamant about them staying there for the night, and Greta is on board as well.
It’s a bit tense between the two couples, although Greta and Max seem to cozy up to one another, especially during a board game when she passionately makes out with his elbow. Kath, the oldest person in the room and most mature, decides to call it an early night, while Max stays up with the younger crowd. The next morning, she finds that there’s no one else inside the home. Outside, she comes across an upset Al, who says he caught Greta and Max hooking up and they decided to run away together, taking one of the cars. Kath takes this information at face value and drives off herself, not even bothering to contact Max.
It’s quite a strange start to anyone’s weekend, but it makes for an interesting opener. Unfortunately, most of the characters are insufferable. Max and Greta are so annoying, which would honestly make them the perfect pair. Kath, a botanist, is smart and the only person you can relate to, though she’s made to be such a bore who can’t “hang” with the young kids. It also makes you wonder how she’s made it a year with Max when she’s way out of his league. Al doesn’t have much to say or do, but he gives off major red flag creepy vibes. Ryder gives the most solid performance from this bunch. Her facial expressions say it all in certain scenes, and she knows exactly what to do to keep us engaged. Though the way her character was written isn’t all too exciting, she knows how to elevate the words from the page.
A few days later, Kath can’t get over what seemingly happened, so she decides to contact the Airbnb owner to contact Greta. Nicholas (Dermot Mulroney) teams up with Kath, and their search takes them to a metal show at a warehouse. Around this point in the film, Horowitz starts telling the story through a series of flashbacks and jumps to the present, revealing information from Max’s perspective or showing a scene from a different location. Through this, we see how Max felt belittled by Kath’s friends and how two familiar faces are involved in his journey. The reveals are interesting and keep you hooked, especially since they take time to develop, but where the story ultimately goes is really lacking and just outright strange. It’s definitely a twist you won’t see coming, but it might disappoint considering the number of different directions it could have gone.
“The Cow” doesn’t stick the landing totally, but there are commendable moments, mainly from the reveals along the way and Ryder’s great performance. She’s starred in a number of horror-esque films throughout her career, including “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Black Swan,” and she only gets better with each film. I think it’s time we steer (sorry, I had to do one last cow pun) this beloved actress to an Oscar win one of these days.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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About The Cow
Upon arriving at a remote cabin in the redwoods, Kath and her boyfriend find a mysterious younger couple already there — the rental has apparently been double-booked. With nowhere else to go, they decide to share the cabin with these strangers until the next morning. When her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, Kath becomes obsessed with finding an explanation for their sudden breakup— but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.
