User reviews

I went into this movie knowing very little about it. That being said this was NOT a movie for me or one I myself would choose to see. By minute 24 of this movie I was already wondering why I had even started watching this. Poor Violet was all I kept thinking. I thought the lead was incredible and I loved her acting in this movie. It felt like the movie just stopped at the end and nothing was really explained or resolved. It was like you had a front row seat into someone's mind but the outcome left you unsatisfied. Maybe this is someone else's cup of tea, just not mine.

Rotten fox and dead fish heads + male inner voice who suggest only bad decisions + stupid vanilla quotes like "I want go into your lake" and more random stuff glued together in this laughably exercise in wannabe art-filming, but this is actually nothing more then typical hallmark love story, yes, this is SO bad. Voice and text on screen WAS good idea, but script and all that just make me cringe.

Violet is a film exec that is living under the weight of a fear-based mindset. The film is interesting because you see her hopes contrasted with the fear's voice while the action is happening. It's a slow break from the past, but a fresh look at the inner workings of a modern mind.

I really wanted to love this movie, I think Oliva Munn is a great actress and very talented however this pretentious film plays like nails on chalkboard. The font, voice in head and graphics immediately throws you off in the most hideously annoying way. I get what Justin Bateman was trying to convey but honestly this was one of the most annoying movies I've seen in ages.

It's like the worst Instagram Story come to life. Nothing is compelling. A misfire on all levels. Avoid like the Delta Virus.

Many people suffer from severe anxiety disorders and schizophrenia as well. Many of the scenes were like memories in my own life, feeling insecure and having continuous self talk in your brain. It can be debilitating. Even with medication. I'm a Vice President of a company but I still struggle sometimes. This character that Olivia Munn played FABULOUSLY is a groundbreaking one in a small limited release film. If you DON'T understand this movie, try to imagine what this must be like for someone. It's a real challenge. Cheers to Olivia Munn for her brave and authentic performance. Violet is a character that I will remember.

Aiming for some higher artistic aspirations, Violet is centered around our title character, played by Olivia Munn, who is controlled by an inner voice, who controls her with fear and self doubt. It's an interesting premise, as we hear both the voice as well as Violet's inner monologue written across the screen. Curious, but after awhile tedious, so we're left with one question: without the device, would the story still stand? Perhaps. It's a mildly developed romance, and a woman in an unfulfilling career. Picks up in the second half but the device isn't clever of fully formed enough for an entire picture, and the remaining story isn't interesting enough. Watchable and interesting as a film experiment, and for the viewer after a different cinema experience.

To be fair, I didn't even get through the first half hour. Seems like a bad film school movie. Just unwatchable. I gave it two stars because Olivia Munn is great but the talking bully voice is just grating, not groundbreaking. And BTW, I have worked in the film industry so I "get it," and I still hated it.

The script and the artistic vision for how to present this story, both the responsibility of Justine Bateman, were brilliant. Acting by Olivia Munn was perfect. Supporting cast more than adequate. Pacing is strong, selection of locations easily makes up for low set decoration budget. Story packs an emotional wallop without losing a sense of irony and humor. Left me feeling I'd rather see ten movies like this than one 200 million dollar CGI-filled action epic. Well done all around.

As I sat down to watch the 2021 drama "Violet" from writer and director Justine Bateman here in 2022, I have to admit that I wasn't sure what I was in for here, as I hadn't heard about the movie. I figured with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen and it having Olivia Munn in the lead role then chances were that it wouldn't be all bad.

But wow, talk about a swing and a miss from writer and director Justine Bateman in terms of concocting a storyline and delivering a movie that offered me much entertainment or enjoyment.

It was such a drag to sit through this ordeal of a movie and watch Violet struggle through her life filled with insecurities and such, and having to juggle between listening to the dialogue spoken by the actors and actresses, having to read the written thoughts on the screen and also listening to the male voice portraying Violet's thoughts during it was just simply too much. One thing took focus away from the other, and there were three things to keep track off. Well, essentially four things, because you also have to keep focus on the storyline events, not just the dialogue and inner monologue.

Sure, the movie had some nice actors and actresses on the cast list, but the movie's storyline and characters just fell short of entertaining me. Well, actually the Violet character - played by Olivia Munn - was nice enough, but sort of drowned away in the various dialogue and monologue.

And it didn't really help that the narrative aspect of the story is slow paced and not having a whole lot of anything overly interesting happening throughout the course of the entire movie. So yeah, "Violet" was a struggle to sit through and keep having an interest in.

My rating of "Violet" lands on a generous three out of ten stars, as this was certainly something of an acquired taste, which ultimately didn't fit my taste.

The film deals with some rather heavy topics, which is awesome. Unfortunately, it is handled in a completely unrealistic way. Violet just decides to ignore her lifelong anxiety issues away and poof they are gone. If only it were that easy to fight mental illness. Also the stupid cutscenes when the internal voice negs her are annoying and detract from the story.

I liked the film and how Violet overcame her evil inner voice and listened to her heart in the end. However after watching the film for a second time. I watched the ending credits and the footage of the crew at the end. It still astounds me that Hollywood continues to make films with all Caucasian crews and casts in this day and age. No where else does this occur and continues to occur. Hollywood needs to do better and be more inclusive like it claims to be! We all need to have the opportunity to work in industries that have a history of excluding people of color. I am a fan of the movie business and it's one of my favorite pastimes. But this exclusion continues to mystify me as well as irk me at times. When I watch movies.

This film gave me a headache - with "notes" at the bottom, top, side; voice overs, flashes of bizarre clips of things being demolished biologically and other ways, tones going to sepia. I am sure it was meant to make me feel as if I were in her head, but it was too much in her head. Too much of a sad thing. Several reviewers who suffer the way she does in the film have praised it, and I honor that.

But my head isn't built to withstand that type of pressure and punishment - especially by choice.

But, after half an hour of being in her head with zero let up, I can't endure any more. So after 30 minutes (I thought that was fair), I fast forwarded to the closing credits which also got rave reviews. They were interesting. I especially appreciated the VERY end of the credits! BRILLIANT!

I think this film sends an important message for some people. People that have been mentally abused and broken down and pushed around in their life need to watch this movie. This is how you move forward. Never let people break you down. I like this movie.

A different kind of film.

A good idea but poorly directed and poorly written. What a shame because the lead actress does knock her performance out of the park; and she happens to be the only real reason to watch this film at all. Sometimes a script will just tank a film and this is the case here, when it comes to the film. It needs more story and kind of just chucks things at the ending. This is a risk some film makers make, they take a good idea and run with it but if you just coast off an idea without giving it the stuffing it needs, you get what happens to this film. What a shame.

You are safe skipping this.

This is the first film I've seen that has shown so clearly, the mental anguish of anxiety condition & post childhood abuse and/or neglect. Did a great job of showing visually how that feels & how it affects daily life - so well done! Good tips to deal with and/or overcome it too, thank you.

Justine Bateman presented a decent story idea, but her weak execution limited its appeal. The voice overs and the writing of the main character's thoughts on screen distracted rather than added to the story. These weren't necessary to drive the story and came across as over the top and told information that either was evident or didn't need to be shared for a compelling story. I appreciate Justine Bateman's efforts, but she needs to trust her writing and directing abilities more. She suffers from the same insecurities as her main character. The story of Violet would have worked better if more subtle. Olivia Munn is a good lead actress, Justine should have let her sell the story, not the gimmicks.

The style represents her internal dialogue - as I would describe true OCD with intrusive thoughts and images. The film contains great visualisations of mood.

There is a very sweet romantic story woven into what was a wonderful feel good movie as a whole. Solid performances by the leads. Loved the closing credits!

I saw this without reading on the plot-line or anything, for me it was an exploration. I let go and allowed the director take the helm.

Finally after watching it, I can say it was disturbing and relatable enough. It may indeed be boring and a tough watch for someone on the wagon but if you're just adrift on a raft, you can give time and understand. Sound and visuals really gelled together to convey the eruptions/disturbances in thought.

For me it was a cathartic journey which with progress in time presented hope. Acting, Directing, minor bits and pieces all of them came well together.

K u d o s.

Some of the reviews here I've read don't make a lot of sense to me. I thought every component of the film worked perfectly. Although I think the situation portrayed is definitely relatable to a lot of women, and the aspects of self-doubt / self-criticism are likely much more deeply ingrained for women in our present society, I could easily relate to this as a male. A lot of us (women and men) have been raised to be people-pleasers and put other people's interests and feelings ahead of our own. I can easily relate to hearing the voice and seeing the internal thoughts and stopping myself from doing the things that would more likely than not make me happier. And it made sense for the voice to be a male because regardless of who may have been the influence on you when you were young, the voice of society telling us to keep things under wraps is most definitely patriarchal. I have friends who I see doing the exact same thing in their day-to-day lives to whom I plan to recommend this film. Overall, I think this film was very empowering and important in that a lot of people can hopefully learn something from it. And if you walked away thinking this movie was pointless or that it was just a "Hallmark romance," maybe you're one of those people who so often takes advantage of people like Violet in this world.