Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) is a broke med student who
can't seem to get her life properly on track. While responding to an online ad for work, she reluctantly
discovers the dark underworld of illegal surgery and extreme body modification,
eventually leading her on a path of revenge and self-destruction. The setting is strange and unique,
presenting all sorts of human oddities not typically seen on screen. American
Mary gets off to a good enough start but never goes anywhere, ending with a
groan instead of a river of blood.
Almost immediately, the film's low budget rears its ugly
head with distractingly terrible sound design. There are numerous ADR inconsistencies, sound effects that
are virtually nonexistent, and an overbearing soundtrack that blows out
anything that might sound decent.
Technical problems aside, the acting ranges from good to terrible. Katharine Isabelle is fine as Mary
pulling off the deadpan humor and looking suitably gorgeous. On the opposite
end, nearly every male actor in the movie stinks either by overacting or being
completely not interested in what's happening onscreen.
Our titular character and her descent into bloodthirsty
revenge through the body modification underworld is an interesting tale better
suited for a well made movie and not something this thoughtlessly thrown
together. The comedy hardly sticks,
and the story fizzles into nothingness, eventually forgetting to wrap up sub
plots and throwing supporting characters out the window
in favor of a nonsensical and confusing finale. American Mary isn't the kind of midnight movie you hope for. It's
the kind you dread.
