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Lou

Play trailer 2:17 Poster for Lou R 2022 1h 47m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
69% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Thinking she'd put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Allison Janney) finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Jurnee Smollett) begs her to save her kidnapped daughter. As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.
Lou

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Critics Consensus

From a storyline or set piece perspective, Lou doesn't add much to the action genre -- but it does serve as a generally entertaining reminder that Allison Janney is not to be trifled with.

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Audience Says

Everything around her is different degrees of disappointing, but Allison Janney makes Lou worth watching -- if only barely.

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Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Janney is particularly strong, and while I won’t say I needed to see her channeling her inner Liam Neeson, now that I’ve done so, I’m quite glad this bit of absurd strangeness has miraculously happened. Rated: 3/4 Oct 2, 2022 Full Review Adam Graham Detroit News Plays like an '80s action thriller, with Janney in a brooding role that might have then been played by tough dudes Schwarzenegger or Stallone. Rated: B Sep 26, 2022 Full Review David Ehrlich indieWire Fun as it is to watch a stone-faced Janney grumble about how “the world’s not a playground” and beat some bad guys to death with a coffee pot, Foerster’s movie is frustratingly light on both. Rated: D+ Sep 23, 2022 Full Review Nuha Hassan Nuha Hassan (Medium) The movie has one of those twists that need to build suspense which isn’t written properly. Sep 8, 2023 Full Review Ruth Maramis FlixChatter Film Blog An atmospheric blend of survival thriller & crime mystery. Well worth a watch for Allison Janney's badass performance, Lou is Bear Grylls meets Jason Bourne with a dollop of TAKEN’s Bryan Mills. Rated: 3/5 Aug 24, 2023 Full Review Dan Buffa Dose of Buffa This is another serviceable Netflix actioner that will do the trick for a late night watch, yet won’t be something on your mind the following morning. Rated: C+ Feb 8, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sean M Now y'all get Grandma's doing fight scenes the f*** she would have lost that fight 10 out of 10 no matter what kind of training she had Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/06/25 Full Review Rick D The movie is watchable largely because Allison Janney is a terrific actress. Having said that, the plot is pretty generic, though the realism of the setting is good. My biggest issue is that Philip, the kidnapper, is reputedly a Green Beret and yet finds hand-to-hand fighting with Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett difficult at times. His character has major advantages in training, size, and strength, but these factors don't seem to matter. I can buy that Lou has training, but even with that in mind, she should be no match for a male Green Beret in his prime. It's entirely possible to have a female action star holding her own in fights with men, but the writer and director have to be careful with how it's down. A good example of a movie that pulls this off is Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/04/25 Full Review Hannah W I really enjoyed this emotional and suspenseful movie. There were a few times where there's a plot twist which I always appreciate. Definitely loved watching! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Pongo K Not an Oscar, but really good! Some flaws, as always, but this is a really good movie! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/01/24 Full Review Nicola A Lou is about an elderly woman who lives isolated on an island in the USA. She is cold, tactless, and mysterious. When her neighbor's daughter is kidnapped, she tries to track her and the kidnapper down in the stormy raining forest. This setting provides beautiful images and determines the thriller atmosphere of the film. The cinematography is extremely strong, as is the directing. The actors deliver commendable performances. I thought it was an entertaining quality film. The downside, I found, was the script, which at times came across as ordinary. With far-fetched storylines about CIA and special forces, and twists that seemed uninspired. All things considered, this was a compelling thriller that is definitely worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Shawn Michael H It's a decent movie. Nothing exciting, nothing new, nothing gripping. The plot was fairly generic with a number of moments that'll just leave the over-thinkers saying "uhh...seriously??". For those looking to turn off their brains and just watch, there's enough action mixed in just enough to keep it moving at a steady pace. However, it's too slow to be overly engaging. Actor's performances were okay but script was a little bland so I can't really blame them. They did what they could with what they were given. Otherwise, it's a good movie for a relaxed evening and won't feel like a complete waste of time. So a solid 3/5 stars seems quite fair. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/17/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Lou

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Movie Info

Synopsis Thinking she'd put her dangerous past behind her, Lou (Allison Janney) finds her quiet life interrupted when a desperate mother (Jurnee Smollett) begs her to save her kidnapped daughter. As a massive storm rages, the two women risk their lives on a rescue mission that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.
Director
Anna Foerster
Producer
J.J. Abrams, Jon Cohen, Hannah Minghella
Screenwriter
Maggie Cohn, Jack Stanley
Production Co
Bad Robot
Rating
R (Language and Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 23, 2022
Runtime
1h 47m