Paul (Ray Nicholson) is an obsessive fan of a pop singer named Sofia (Samara Weaving). One night, he shows up on her doorstep and stabs her bodyguard (Eric Dane), which gets him thrown in the booby hatch. Months later, he escapes and sneaks into her mansion where he intends to “marry” her. Paul then takes Sofia’s entourage hostage and forces them to participate in their nutty nuptials.
Weaving is one of those actresses I’ll watch in nearly anything and Nicholson has been steadily racking up memorable turns in the past couple years. Even their combined talents can’t seem to breathe much life into this uneven misfire of a comedy thriller. The script by first time director Jimmy Warden, who is in real life married to Weaving (and also wrote Cocaine Bear) is loosely based on a stalker Madonna had in the ‘90s, hence the title. (Jimmy Fails’ flamboyant basketball player character is an obvious stand-in for Dennis Rodman, who Madonna briefly dated.)
It might’ve worked had Warden found a consistent tone. There are some random bits of goofiness that are entertaining (like the cop who spends his stakeout practicing for a song and dance audition), but for the most part, the humor feels strained or worse, falls flat. Also, the film often stalls when it turns its focus away from Weaving and her stalker.
For a movie directed by her husband, the star isn’t given much of a spotlight. Weaving’s character is paper thin, and her deadpan reactions lack the spark of something like Ready or Not. If anything, it’s more of a showcase for Nicholson, who once again delivers a fun performance and has a few amusing moments. Dane is also quite good as Weaving’s loyal bodyguard.
Borderline is one of those movies that’s better in theory than execution. The fact that everyone treats Nicholson with empathy, even though he’s potentially violent, is intriguing, but it sort of hamstrings the potential suspense. Nicholson’s commitment to the part is admirable, but the script doesn’t give him much to work with. The movie also peters out way before the wedding finale, which like the film itself, has a much better set-up than payoff.
The Flaming Lips’ cover of the title track is very good though.
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