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Nicole Kidman: "Babygirl"

 "Babygirl" is a little vague about its protagonist's desires. Romy, a CEO who works with automation, is herself a kind of robot; she has never had an orgasm in almost twenty years of marriage. Secretly, she wants to crawl on all fours, lick milk (doggy-style) from a saucer, and submit to simple commands ("undress," "spread your legs"). These wishes seem sort of "vanilla" in flavor, but they have inspired such shame in Romy, she has kept mum for decades, and she has learned to hate herself.


A young intern, Samuel, intuits Romy's wish to be (mildly) humiliated, and an affair begins.

Romy now has what she wants, but she may need to sacrifice her marriage. The movie never makes a convincing case that the marriage truly means the world to Romy, perhaps because of some bad expository dialogue. ("My marriage truly means the world to me!") The director is a little more persuasive when she suggests that job-loss would be a devastating blow for Romy. The job involves fawning acolytes, a killer wardrobe, a corner office, and a series of breathless discussions about "edits to our script." I can see why Romy would want to keep this job.

As the boardroom drama intensifies, the writer tries some interesting tricks. There is "cubicle espionage." There is a visit from a filthy, cunning trustee. There are threats on a Chelsea (?) rooftop, in a "rooftop lounge." All of this is entertaining.

If you sense this synopsis running out of steam, it's because the movie itself runs out of steam. I'm not alone in thinking of a better, riskier film, "Last Summer," in which the protagonist begins shtupping her underaged stepson. There, the protagonist really is risking everything; she could permanently damage her stepson, and she could end up in jail. If you want to feel fully queasy, "Last Summer" is the film to rent.

But I do love Nicole Kidman. She is smarter than the movie she has found herself in; this is often the case. She seems to have a high fever for the entirety of "Babygirl"; it's like she has made herself very ill in order to play this part. I think she deserves the nomination that we'll hear about in several weeks.
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