Holland Movie Review: Nicole Kidman’s Thriller That Fails to Thrill
Nicole Kidman has emphasized recently that female directors should be encouraged more, and for that reason, it is important
Nicole Kidman has emphasized recently that female directors should be encouraged more, and for that reason, it is important to be in their films. It seems to be the sole reason for Kidman to be cast in Mimi Cave’s Holland.
We are here with Holland movie review that will help you decide whether you should stream or skip it. Although the trailer was full of small-town views with beautiful landscapes as a stylish backdrop that seemed an unmissable treat, that is not the case.
Holland movie plot
In our previous article, we gave an overview of the film’s plot, but for revisiting purposes, Nicole Kidman, playing Nancy Vandergroot in a small town of Holland, is a homemaker and a teacher. Her husband, played by Matthew Macfadyen, is a “community pillar husband,” and they live happily in Michigan, having a small, beautiful life of their own.
Their lives turn upside down when Nancy and her friend (Gael Garcia Bernal) share a secret that shouldn’t be known to anyone else. Their dark secrets infiltrate their peaceful lives, and you can see the rest of the mess in the film.
Watch the trailer here:
Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen and Gael Garcia Bernal’s performances
Nicole Kidman plays just right, neither less nor more, Holland-ish housewife and teacher that portrays the right balance of nicety required for her role. She is the kind of woman who wants to be perfect in her every role- which means she wants to be a perfect mother, a perfect wife, a perfect teacher, etc.
She cannot give anyone a chance to see her other side; the mysteries that she’s engulfed in cannot be let out. She has always been perfect in mystery roles before, just like in The Perfect Couple.
Macfadeyn could be considered an expert who goes from one day to another in a boring Western life. He just tries his best to keep the mundane day-to-day activities running.
Bernal seems to be more active in his role than Macfayden. It could be possibly due to his closeness with Nicole Kidman. Although they embark on another sort of journey together but while traveling through it, their chemistry goes insane. He gave an intense performance, as it was required for his role opposite the charming 57-year-old actress who has an acting experience of almost four decades. To beat something like that is almost impossible, yes?
Andrew Sodorski’s script has tried hard to make a difference but it seems that the audience might be too engrossed in watching the background picturesque scenes rather the boring story, despite the strong presence of Nicole Kidman on screen.
What do critics add to Holland movie review?
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The critics are not very happy about the movie as they call it Mimi Cave’s desperate attempt to set the perky mood of a small town. Her previous film Fresh (2022) was full of story narratives so strong that high expectations were set in advance, especially when viewers had seen Nicole Kidman in the trailer.
This time, the connectivity in the narrative was lost somewhere. One of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes cited,
“No one involved with Holland seems to understand what they’re up to all…”
Holland movie review written by Deadline said,
“Holland is a beautifully composed portrait of the claustrophobia of suburbia and the darkness simmering underneath the niceties of the Midwest.”
The Guardian wasn’t much impressed, as it said that this “Nicole Kidman thriller is a disappointing mess”.
Fans reaction
Fans’ reactions are mixed, especially of those who are obsessed with Nicole Kidman. Some call the film “fun and exciting” as they believe every character and situation connects with some people in one way or the other.
Most of them believe it was more of a “melodrama” and no serious acting was seen. It was hard for them to believe that Nicole Kidman’s thriller could be so flat as her artistic integrity is what makes her unique and her movies amazingly watchable.
Final thoughts on Holland– Yes or nay?
Overall, what was expected initially from Nicole Kidman’s thriller, keeping in mind her recent works in Babygirl and The Perfect Couple, bars were set quite high his time but sadly, the film did not reach there.
If you are a big fan of Nicole Kidman, you can definitely give it a try- one time doesn’t harm, eh? However, Kidman couldn’t bear the burden of keeping this Mid-Western thriller going for long as the town’s culture and moral values should have been explored more in the themes, noting that the director herself was strongly connected to its roots.
The disturbing portrait of suburban unrest seems to be hanging in the air as the thriller is subpar in execution rather than the intention. The script kept revolving around for almost ten years in Hollywood, and when finally someone got a chance to bring it to life, it was madly wasted.
According to The Guardian, it was Sodorski’s choice to set the film in Holland, and as Cave grew up outside Chicago, the choice of glass containers, vases, floral wallpapers, and designs of the food table settings all effectively match with Holland’s theme.
Still, the flimsy ability of the entire flick to destabilize the narrative was inevitable. The film’s chilling atmosphere was there but dull and tedious. Having said that, Kidman’s fixation and commitment to the role might convince you to give it a go at least once.
Is Holland available for streaming?
Holland is available for streaming on Prime Video from March 27, 2025, onward.
Genre: Mystery, thriller
IMDb rating: 5.0
Rotten Tomatoes: 23 percent on Tomatometer (critics score) and 25 percent on Popcornmeter
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Gael Garcia Bernal, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, Rachel Sennott
Director: Mimi Cave
Writer: Andrew Sodorski
Producers: Kate Churchill, Peter Dealbert, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari
Release date: March 27, 2025
Movie runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
Have you watched Holland? What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments.
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