Killing Mary Sue defines the term “Mary Sue” thusly: “A character, usually a young woman, who is often portrayed as inexplicably competent across all domains and gifted with unique talents or powers.” Not exactly a term of endearment, but rather one of condescension frequently utilized as a pejorative to put down fictional archetypes deemed largely unrealistic, with one of the most recent widespread uses being applied to Rey, Daisy Ridley’s heroic protagonist of Disney’s Star Wars Sequel Trilogy back in 2015. In the hands of writer/director James Sunshine, the term is a jumping off point for his latest feature film, the aforementioned Killing Mary Sue. Sunshine is the director of one previous feature film, the virtually unseen Coronavirus Conspiracy: Safer at Home, which in title alone should indicate the kind of quality and artistic integrity he strives to put out in the world. Now armed with a larger budget and a considerable cast of recognizable names, Sunshine seems convinced he’s made a subversive romp, the kind of edgy action comedy that would’ve been unfairly compared to Tarantino’s work in the mid-’90s but which in actuality is more in line with a direct-to-video Smokin’ Aces sequel. Cheap-looking, obnoxious, and all-around miserable, Killing Mary Sue is a complete dud, failing in both its action and comedy.
Mary Sue (Sierra McCormick, who was terrific in The Vast of Night — maybe just go seek out that film instead) has led a troubled life, having lost her father (Jason Mewes) to a botched liquor store robbery when she was a little girl. Now a young woman, Mary Sue’s mother (Katie Killacky) has remarried politician Bradley Weiner (Dermot Mulroney), who is currently running for a senator seat against opponent Anita Koch (Kym Whitley). A perpetual problem child, Mary Sue’s life revolves around doing drugs and playing video games, while her extracurricular activities include assaulting paparazzi and being captured and held hostage in foreign countries. It’s a life she’s made peace with, but Bradley has decided enough is enough, consulting with campaign manager Wes (Jake Busey) to have the girl assassinated, lest she jeopardize his congressional opportunity. Enlisting enforcer Knox (Martin Kove), Bradley sics assassin after assassin on Mary Sue, only to be foiled every step of the way, with the young woman’s wiles and penchant for withstanding brutal violence an everlasting detriment to his goal.
For Mary Sue, life has been hard for its entirety, with the loss of her father a particularly devastating blow to the young girl, preserving the memory of the only person who ever loved her on a crudely drawn picture of the two of them (which naturally includes him holding his marijuana joint). Mary Sue, as a young woman no longer GAF, but that’s too much for Bradley to bear, which has him soon sending wave after wave of baddies to his mansion to eliminate the girl for good. First up is Cable Henry (Sean Patrick Flannery), a serial killer who specializes in tying people up, and whom Mary Sue mistakes for a stripper. There’s also The Steiners, a family of commandos who break their Covid-19 quarantine to storm the mansion with machine guns. But no challenge is too tall an order for Mary Sue, who picks off enemies with ease, living up to her name. Even Knox enters the fray, deemed to be a figure so deadly that he “gives the grim reaper permission to take a life.”
Midway through Killing Mary Sue, the action grinds to a halt, introducing more of the titular heroine’s friends into the picture as the film suddenly takes a more introspective approach, with the group yearning to find what makes this poor girl tick. It’s a baffling choice to suddenly pivot serious, thwarting whatever previous momentum Sunshine was desperately clinging to. Further complicating matters is the plot, which introduces a Russian oligarch (played by French Stewart, of all people) and KGB spies who have infiltrated the Weiner household. If it hasn’t been made clear by this point, then, Sunshine is desperate to throw everything and the kitchen sink into the mix, hoping something will stick within the larger frivolity of the project, but nothing ever connects in an even remotely satisfying way. Killing Mary Sue is a cartoon, and not a particularly appealing one. Performances are played in the extreme broadest of terms, with Mulroney especially relishing a mugging mode, almost fearless in how far he takes his jittery, face-mashing performance. The action, meanwhile, is executed poorly, stunted by awful, flat cinematography, and muzzle flashes and bloody squibs look like they were clumsily added with the approximate quality of Microsoft Paint. Almost nothing works with Killing Mary Sue, which perhaps should’ve been left to the page, as the film is dull, messy, and unpleasant. Any attempts made by Sunshine at actual playfulness just wind up 100% DOA.
DIRECTOR: James Sunshine; CAST: Sierra McCormick, Dermot Mulroney, Sean Patrick Flannery, French Stewart; DISTRIBUTOR: Samuel Goldwyn Films; STREAMING: June 13; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 38 min.
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