2020 Show
David E. Kelley · United States of America · English
This murder mystery can be predictable at times, but powerful performances and cliffhangers make it worthwhile
The HBO series The Undoing looks a lot like the prestige miniseries that comes on TV these days. It has an impressive budget, heavy-hitting leads (among them Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, and Donald Sutherland), and a self-serious tone that is partly commanding and partly absurd. You’ll have a hard time picking it out from the rest of the HBO and Showtime dramas that follow this same template. But while it’s not as distinct or as exciting as it could be, it is undeniably gripping thanks to the compelling performances and the wisely cut cliffhangers. You know where the story is going, but the fine acting and jolting twists cause some doubt, which alone makes for great thrills.
Grace and Jonathan Fraser are living the only lives they ever wanted. Overnight a chasm opens in their lives: a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and her family.
"Part of the pleasure of shows like "The Undoing" is their characters' relative financial freedom, which allows them the time to do things such as plan a fund-raiser or, perhaps, a murder."
— Naomi Fry
"The Undoing has the potential to be more substantive than it is, and it's a little disappointing that it isn't. Still, it offers a moody sense of atmosphere, a welcome reminder of New York's pre-pandemic days,"
— Jen Chaney
Wealthy couple Grace and Jonathan Fraser (Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant respectively) seem to have it all until one mysterious tragedy rips them and their family apart.
She still delivers, but I fear Kidman’s penchant for facial injections is affecting her otherwise stellar acting.
It’s not the most complex mystery out there, but Kidman and Grant make every episode highly watchable.
Golden Globes
4 noms
SAG Awards
2 noms
DGA
1 nom
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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