(Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
(“Drop” trailer courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Hollywood often suffers from redundancy.
However, that should not be the case because the movie industry exists in a totally different world than it did in past generations because of technology.
Sure, the genres remain the same.
However, the technological age should give filmmakers much more material than the usual status quo that they seem to like to produce.
In “Drop,” screenwriters Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach capitalize on the technological advancements of the 21st century with a thriller that contains a cool storyline that might have been impossible a decade or so ago because the technology might not have been as popular as it is today.
The movie “Drop” centers on Violet (Meghann Fahy, “The White Lotus”), a single mother who has experienced hell in her personal life.
Violet has gone through so much as a young adult.
And her young son Toby (Jacob Robinson) has seen too much for a person of such a tender age.
Somehow, Toby has maintained some of his innocence, thanks to his loving relationship with his mother.
In “Drop,” Toby is also blessed to also have a wonderful relationship with Aunt Jen (Violett Beane).
Jen is that cool aunt that many young people have.
They let their nephews and nieces get away with a little more than their parents would.
But they still know how to crack the whip and be firm when it is needed.
Violet is blessed to have Jen in her life because, without her, she would be completely alone in raising Toby.
But Jen desperately does not want Violet to end up alone in her personal life.
That is why she has always encouraged her sister to re-enter the dating scene.
Violet has been stringing along a gentleman named Henry (Brandon Sklenar, “1923”) for months on a dating app but has yet to go out with him.
Amazingly, he is still interested in Violet after all that time.
So, after months of complacency, Violet agrees to meet Henry at an upscale restaurant.
Unfortunately, Violet has two dilemmas to deal with.
Is she ready to leave Toby for an entire evening, and possibly a night?
And does she have anything in her closet that says sexy single and not boring mother?
Thankfully, Jen is there to deal with both dilemmas, finding her something good enough to wear on a first date and finding time to spend a night with her young nephew.
Regardless, going on a first day is stressful.
Furthermore, going on basically a blind date can be even more stressful.
But what is stressful for Violet is going through life by herself, with hardly any help.
Unfortunately, when Violet arrives at the high-rise restaurant, Henry is a little tardy because of work.
Therefore, she decides to chill out at the bar and partake in a glass of wine at his suggestion.
Almost immediately, Violet begins meeting and reluctantly befriending strangers at the restaurant, from men who seem interested in her, men also waiting for their blind date to arrive, and a bartender named Cara (Gabrielle Ryan, “Power Book IV: Force”) who knows all too well the stress of being a working, single mother.
Richard (Reed Diamond) is waiting for his blind date to arrive and initially mistakes Violet for his date.
He is even more flustered than Violet.
The two chat it up for a bit before Richard’s actual date arrives.
But Richard’s nerves do nothing to help ease Violet’s apprehensions.
Unfortunately, Richard’s socially awkward behavior just makes her more nervous.
At least Richard is brave enough to get back out there and date again, even if his blind date seems less than impressed when she sees Richard in the flesh.
Thankfully, when Violet finally meets Henry, he is all that he presents himself to be online.
However, the date never runs smoothly.
Almost immediately, Violet begins getting threatening and demanding texts from an unknown person.
She is bewildered at how a stranger can contact her on her cell phone.
But Henry lets her know that someone that she encountered probably is air-dropping (or Digi-dropping her.)
Airdropping is a feature on cell phones that allows a person to share messages with a nearby person even if they do not have their contact information.
Getting spam texts becomes annoying after a while.
But when those messages contain threats to a person’s child and sister, coupled with video of masked intruders in one’s house, a first date immediately becomes the last thing on a person’s mind.
Although Henry seems like a nice man, Violet immediately goes into mother and investigative mode, trying to discover who is air-dropping her and how she can get to her family quickly enough to save them from the masked burglar.
The dropper has specific demands about Henry too.
Regardless of how Violet plays the situation, though, someone will die whether she likes it or not because she is not in control of her predicament.
Amongst thrillers, filmmakers will find it hard to top “Drop” in 2025 because of how modern some of the storylines are, combined with the typical intense scenes in a suspense film.
The acting is not fantastic.
But that does not stop it from hitting the mark.
In “Drop,” Beane brings the “too soon” comedy, while Jeffrey Self brings the zesty exuberance as the waiter, Matt.
Unfortunately, some of the visuals look too fake, corny and unrealistic.
But what is very realistic is how technology and evil can combine to put everyone in danger.
Throw some politics into the movie mix, and “Drop” will hit the spot for suspense movie lovers.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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