In the new movie, Return to Sender, Miranda Wells (Rosamund Pike) is a pretty young nurse with big ambition. Working on a transfer so she can become a surgical nurse, she shows compassion when a patient dies and saves a choking man at the diner by performing a tracheotomy with a steak knife and straw. It’s no surprise that she doesn’t have time for romance. But it is bad luck for her when she takes a break for it, because she’s violently raped by the man she mistakes for her blind date.
In an attempt to get her life back on track, she decides she can’t hate her attacker, William Finn (Shiloh Fernandez), forever and goes to great pains to forgive him, first by becoming his pen pal (hence the title), then by paying him frequent visits in prison, then by employing him to help make repairs on the house she can’t sell because someone (she) was raped in it. It’s an odd plan that doesn’t sound very realistic. In fact, it infuriates her father, Mitchell (Nick Nolte) so much that he practically won’t speak to her.
If you dig a little deeper, Miranda isn’t really that nice a person, and even though she demonstrates it only after her attack, you’re pretty sure she’s been that way all along. When scolded by an authority figure, she sasses back, “If I were you I wouldn’t walk around with my tag out.” And when a dry cleaning clerk is rude to her, she snaps, “I’d tuck that fat back in your skirt. How do you manage to be both skinny and fat?” By the end of the movie, it’s obvious there’s an ulterior motive for her to work in surgery.
This complexity of character can’t help but remind you of Pike’s last role, Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Miranda is never quite what you think and has a nasty side to her. Unfortunately, Return to Sender doesn’t have the director or writer to equal David Fincher or Gillian Flynn. It plays more like a TV movie than a theatrical motion picture, which is probably why it’s debuting on VOD and only in a handful of theaters. (Even more revealing about the movie’s quality is the poster art; avoid it all costs or risk exposure to spoilers.)
For what it is, it’s not a bad straight-to-VOD movie. Pike is just fine, but a restrained Nick Nolte is more impressive. He reminds us that he used to be an actor, not a caricature. His concern for his daughter is even downright touching. Fernandez is adequate, but William’s lascivious glances and personal tics have to be giveaways to everyone else that he’s not a nice guy. Finally, it’s always a pleasure to see Camryn Manheim, who fills the typical role co-worker/best friend. She gives her character, Nancy, some of her own tics that add a little humor.
Advertised as a thriller, it’s all drama until the finale. But even then, it seems to pull its punches. Except for the subject matter, Return to Sender could almost be rated PG. It’s aching for a little blood and gore to make a lasting impression. While you’re avoiding the poster, try also not to read a synopsis of the story. It’s not exactly false advertising; however, it will make you expect more than it delivers. Watching less educated about it, you might discover a little twist in its final moments; that is, if you haven’t figured it all out by then.
