Dating is a bitch, but at least you get to eat out from time to time. In Fresh, however, the food may taste a little too familiar.
From Mimi Cave, Fresh is about Noa, a young, single woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who meets a charming guy named Steve (Sebastian Stan). Steve is handsome, great in the sack, and an expert chef, especially with the delicacy that is human flesh.
For Armie Hammer, that may be a turn on. For Noa, it’s unclear whether things will work out between them.
Despite being nearly two hours long, Fresh feels more like a side salad than a heavy red meat meal, breezy and easy to consume. Consistently entertaining and just a little sadistic, the movie is powered by the charismatically frightening performance by Stan, who seems to relish in his off-kilter role.
Cave and writer Lauryn Kahn use a duller knife than needed, however. As engaging as most of Fresh is, by the third act it all begins to feel a bit routine. There’s no real surprises to be found here, sadly; nothing unexpected happens. The dish comes together a little too easily. Tonally, too, opportunity seems lost; the playfulness in the early part of the movie drips away as time progresses, leaving more bone than meat.
Though it’s more chuck-eye than wagyu, Fresh is a deliciously fun tale of dating gone wrong that’s worth sinking your teeth into. Even if you won’t remember the meal a year from now.
This movie was reviewed as part of our coverage of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.
