What we flagged
View all categoriesOur take
Verity adapts Colleen Hoover's bestselling psychological thriller, with Anne Hathaway as incapacitated author Verity Crawford, Dakota Johnson as ghostwriter Lowen and Josh Hartnett as husband Jeremy. Rated MA 15+ for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence and bloody images. Expect explicit intimacy, a romance that crosses ethical lines, chilling autobiographical manuscript revelations, child-endangerment themes from the source novel and morally twisted obsession. The book was controversial for its handling of domestic violence and child harm; the film carries the same adult-only profile. Not appropriate for teens despite the romance marketing: strictly 17+.
Uplifting themes
No clear positive messages found in this title No positive role models found in this title
Story (may spoil tone)
Lowen Ashleigh is hired by Jeremy Crawford to ghostwrite novels for his bestselling author wife Verity, who is unable to finish following an accident. Lowen gradually uncovers Verity's disturbing truths while residing at the Crawfords' home to work.
What we flagged
Details
Violence Bloody images, car-accident aftermath and violent revelations from the…
Bloody images, car-accident aftermath and violent revelations from the manuscript give the thriller a hard adult edge
Language Strong language runs throughout this R-rated adult thriller and matches…
Strong language runs throughout this R-rated adult thriller and matches the intensity of the story
Sex / nudity Explicit sexual scenes and nudity are central to both the R rating and…
Explicit sexual scenes and nudity are central to both the R rating and how the film is marketed
Drugs / alcohol Adult lifestyle context may include incidental drinking, but alcohol is…
Adult lifestyle context may include incidental drinking, but alcohol is not a primary theme
Frightening Disturbing manuscript revelations and psychological manipulation create…
Disturbing manuscript revelations and psychological manipulation create sustained tension that rarely lets up
Self-harm / suicide Dark themes from the source material are present, though they are not a…
Dark themes from the source material are present, though they are not as a primary focus of the film
Sexual violence Both the source novel and the adaptation deal with coercive dynamics an…
Both the source novel and the adaptation deal with coercive dynamics and disturbing confessions parents should weigh carefully
Child peril / abuse Child endangerment and harm themes from the novel are expected to carry…
Child endangerment and harm themes from the novel are expected to carry into the adaptation
Gore / death / weapons Bloody images, including accident scenes, are cited in the official R-r…
Bloody images, including accident scenes, are cited in the official R-rating descriptors
Dangerous behaviour An ethically compromised romance and snooping through private manuscrip…
An ethically compromised romance and snooping through private manuscripts play out as they did on the page
Eating disorders / body image No eating found in this title
No eating found in this title
Mental health Obsession, manipulation and a blurred line between fiction and truth dr…
Obsession, manipulation and a blurred line between fiction and truth drive the psychological plot
Gambling No gambling found in this title
No gambling found in this title
Grief / bereavement Family tragedy and loss underpin the dark secrets surrounding the Crawf…
Family tragedy and loss underpin the dark secrets surrounding the Crawford estate
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- Lowen cannot tell whether Verity's manuscript is truth or fiction. How do we judge unreliable narrators?
- Lowen grows close to Jeremy while working in the Crawford home. What ethical lines does she cross?
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Verity
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