Variety Calls Courteney Cox's 'Evil Genius' a Shrill and Broad Farce
According to Variety, Courteney Cox's new film "Evil Genius" turns the infamous 2003 "pizza bomber" true crime story into a loud, slapstick comedy. The review states the movie, sharing a title with a 2018 Netflix documentary, prioritizes mocking humor over depth.
The outlet reports that Patricia Arquette stars as the criminal Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, delivering what they call an unmodulated and over-the-top performance. David Harbour plays her accomplice and lover Bill Rothstein with a quieter, shambling demeanor.
Per the review, Cox's direction is described as having little formal style or finesse. The film condenses a complex case into 97 frenetic minutes, focusing on the toxic relationship between its two central characters.
The plot follows pizza deliverer Brian Wells, played by Tom McCarthy, who robs a bank with a bomb locked around his neck. The film begins with a different murder, however, looping backwards to connect a crime of passion to the more famous explosive incident.
Variety concludes that the film offers little new insight, instead rehashing the strange facts of the case with lurid glee for a built-in audience of true crime rubberneckers.
