Score: B
Director: Julia Hart
Cast: Lily Rabe, Timothee Chalamet, Lili Reinhart, Anthony Quintal
Running Time: 86 min
Rated: NR
Often when you get a film with an emotionally damaged protagonist, things can get extreme very quickly. Emotionally damaged means outbursts, whether through violence, sex, or verbal language. But that’s not real life. Miss Stevens is a realistic portrayal of a 29 year-old woman stuck in life and dealing with loneliness and grief.
Rachel Stevens (Lily Rabe) is a high school English teacher tasked with taking three students to a drama competition over the weekend. Margot (Lili Reinhart) is your classic Type A organizer, Sam (Anthony Quintal) is the extrovert looking for love at the competition, and Billy (Timothee Chalamet) is the quiet kid with great talent and behavioral issues. As they escape the classroom setting, lines are blurred as both students and teacher start to see each other as real people.
It’s clear from the beginning that Rachel is not happy, although we aren’t told where this sadness stems from. What is clear is that the smirking Billy clearly has a thing for Miss Stevens and doesn’t hold back from asking her inappropriate questions while bonding over their mutual like of seventies rock. Even though it’s a situation we’ve seen many times, Miss Stevens handles it deftly. The film manages to acknowledge that blurry line and dances up to it many times without ever definitively crossing it. I very much appreciated that while Rachel grappled with how to handle Billy’s inappropriate advances, she never let’s herself give in to them – which to me seems more true to life than the alternative.
The true standouts of Miss Stevens are the actors. Quintal, a YouTube star better known to his viewers as Lohanthony, provides levity in a role that sticks close to his on-camera persona while Reinhart is just the right amount of smart, bossy, and passionate that Margot never becomes insufferable. Lily Rabe absolutely captivates as the titular character. She constantly conveys a complicated sadness that has you not only trying to puzzle out why she’s so sad, but actively root for her to find some kind of happiness (while also willing her to not cross any lines with her underage student). Perhaps the biggest breakthrough is Timothee Chalamet as Billy. He manages to turn your stereotypical sulking teenager into the right mix of innocent yearning and frustration. He’s got that tortured bad boy thing down pat. On top of that, Chalamet manages to nail the monologue from Death of a Salesman that Billy performs for the competition – a sure sign we’ll be seeing more of this guy on screen.
While Miss Stevens isn’t putting forth anything revolutionary, it’s quiet malaise and hopeful message along with its stellar performances make it a worthwhile watch.
