Nightbitch review: Amy Adams doggie drama is all bark, not enough bite

Nightbitch is a jet-black comedy that revolves around a sky-high concept, but while the central conceit is strong, the movie gives up on it too early, resulting in a doggie drama that lacks teeth.

Teeth also happen to be central to the barking mad premise. As early in proceedings, protagonist Mother – whose name we never learn – thinks she might be growing fangs, even researching if that means she’s turning into a vampire or a hound.

Her toddler son – whom we only know as Son – points at her back and says “Momma fuzzy.” And she does indeed notice excess hair there. While a newly heightened sense of smell seals the deal for Mother; she’s turning into a dog. Or Nightbitch as she calls herself, initially as a joke.

But how? And more importantly why? Those are the questions at the heart of writer-director Marielle Heller’s movie, which is based on Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel of the same provocative name.

What is Nightbitch about?

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Mother has a nice house, a lovely husband, and a beautiful son. But all is not as it seems, as giving up her artist job in favor of being a stay-at-home mom just might have ruined her life.

With Husband frequently away on business, the days blur together, and feelings of insignificance dominate Mother’s thoughts, as does anger, resentment, guilt, and regret.

And so the change begins. Initially, Mother blames the canine confusion on perimenopause. But then she reads a book titled ‘Field Guide to Magical Women’ and it all falls into place.

Soon Mother is giving into her more animalistic whims by eating from bowls, chasing dogs in the park, and crawling around on all fours while digging up the garden.

It’s a dramatic transformation, that sees Mother surrender to her most primal instincts. While also being a powerful comment on how motherhood can trigger feelings of isolation, alienation, and irrelevance that can push one to extremes.

Finding fun in the least appropriate places

Which is serious stuff, but in Heller’s hands these themes are introduced with a lightness of touch that sugars the pill. Indeed there are times when she elicits pure joy from the premise.

An early scene sees Mother lance a big boil on her back, then pull a tail from the resulting hole, which is pure Cronenbergian body horror.

But Mother likes what she sees, enjoying and embracing the changes in her body, which is first cathartic, then euphoric. And it’s that excitement which carries the audience along on her journey of self-discovery.

The film is also frequently funny, most notably when Mother leaves her suburban surroundings for a dinner with old art friends in the city. During which she fails to connect the people and surroundings, instead feeling like a “middle-aged saggy mom with nothing intelligent to add to the conversation.”

Her frustration turns into rage, which results in Mother barking at the rest of her table, chowing down on a stranger’s beef burger, and growling at the other diners before running home with a pack of doggie friends. A scene that’s hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure.

More bonkers than a Marvel movie

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Much of this works because an actress as skilled as Amy Adams is playing Nightbitch. It really is a bonkers set-up, more outlandish than even a Marvel movie, as at least in those stories, we know why Spider-Man gains his spider powers.

But Amy Adams sells the conceit for all its worth, and I found myself believing because she believed, and even cheering Nightbitch on (until she does something unspeakable to a rabbit).

She’s well supported by the ever-dependable Scoot McNairy as Husband, who could easily be the villain of the piece. But the movie is smarter than that, portraying him as a good man with good intentions who thinks he’s doing and saying the right things, but who is really failing to fully hear or support his wife.

The back-and-forth between the couple feels real, and even though their story is wrapped up a little too neatly, it’s rare to see marital issues like this play out so maturely onscreen.

While special mention should go to Arleigh and Emmet Snowden, the twins who play their Son. It’s little short of a miracle watching them act, with the boys hitting their marks, delivering dialogue in believable fashion, and driving scenes forward, all at the age of just three. There needs to be a special Oscar category for the diminutive duo next year.

Is Nightbitch good?

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Nightbitch doesn’t exactly break new ground. The movie endeavors to de-mystify motherhood, by spearing the magical narratives that society sells, and telling a series of home truths instead. But so too have countless self-help books.

The film also gives up on the magical realism a little too quickly when there was more to be mined by playing it less safe, and introducing some danger to the Nightbitch scenario. An edge that would be more in line with Mother’s clearly frazzled mental state.

While there’s also over-reliance on one of the most annoying tropes in cinema – that of the protagonist speaking their mind in shocking fashion, only to then reveal the honest interaction was in her head.

But it’s nevertheless an engaging story, about an important subject, told in a way that manages to shock and surprise, never more so than when the lunacy ends on an upbeat, positive, and even conventional note.

Nightbitch score: 3/5

Nightbitch is a fun way to tackle a serious subject, I just wish it had gone after its subjects with the same savagery that the dog lady went after that bunny.

Nightbitch was reviewed at the London Film Festival. The movie hits UK screens and UK screens on December 6, 2024.