Eileen is not worth watching for the positive attributes because it exemplifies why "story" matters. Oldroyd's film has no third act, which is also a problem with the source of this adaptation. The movie takes a vicious twist. That turn primarily concerns the great Marin Ireland's (Hell or High Water) character and her son, incarcerated for murder, who is also under Hathaway's Rebecca's care.
While what transpires can be fascinating, especially when McKenzie's Eileen evolves into taking over the more dominant role, the film fails because there's no third act. This is not an argument that Eileen needs a nice little bow to wrap up her story. Far from it. The issue is that there's no closure, character redemption, or accountability.
Eileen's story, frankly, stops and falls off the metaphorical storytelling cliff. Yes, Hathaway is electric. We know McKenzie can say more with a stoic glance than most can say with a monologue. Whigham plays caustic roles like no other actor of this time in cinema .
