A project with Courteney Cox at the helm, produced by Jason Bateman and boasting stars David Harbour and Patricia Arquette, was always going to grab the attention of festival goers. Combined with the fact that the movie they’ve created is about the infamous “pizza bomber,” it felt like an automatic slam dunk. Thankfully, the playfully titled Evil Genius lives up to expectations, delivering a compelling, dark and twisted comedy about a shocking true crime that gripped a nation.
Set in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2003, Evil Genius begins with Bill Rothstein (David Harbour) placing a mysterious phone call to police to report a dead body being hidden inside a freezer in his own garage. He states that the crime was committed by his ex-girlfriend and decades long lover, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong (Patricia Arquette). Immediately, the audience is left with a ton of questions as the film rewinds back in time to uncover the audacious events that led to that fateful phone call.
The rest of the movie takes place several months prior, gradually leading up to the day of the call. It meticulously outlines the sequence of events that resulted in Bill and Marjorie masterminding the infamous bank heist that would eventually become known as the “pizza bomber” case. It’s a scheme so complex and outrageous that not even a Hollywood script could’ve invented what occurred. Had it not actually happened, it would have been scarcely believable, let alone something audiences would buy into.
Cox is working from a screenplay written by Courtenay Miles, and to the pair’s credit, they keep things as ambiguous as possible for as long as they can. That’s such an important detail, as it allows audience members like myself, who were not familiar with the story of the “pizza bomber,” to become fully invested in the intricacies of the plot. Crucially, the central question of whether the bomb is real or not stays unanswered until the very last moment. It allows the film to build this palpable sense of anxiety and suspense that would’ve been completely absent had the answer been revealed fairly early on.
Perhaps one of the more entertaining aspects is the complexity of Bill and Marjorie, which Cox is able to hone in on. Both are self-proclaimed geniuses whose initial attraction to one another stems from their belief that their minds are superior to those of a normal person. However, as they begin to plan the heist and the flaws become painfully apparent, you can’t help but wonder: how could someone so smart ever be so stupid? Admittedly, it’s absolutely hilarious to watch unfold and is yet more proof, if ever needed, that book smart doesn’t necessarily translate to street smart. But just how absurd it gets does make you question how much of it has been dramatized for audience enjoyment.
But undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect for myself, and something Cox explores more and more throughout the runtime, is the power of love. Sure, Evil Genius is the retelling of a crime that gripped a nation, but through Bill’s unwavering commitment to Marjorie, Cox captures just how powerful true love can be. The lengths an individual will go to for someone they adore are quite astonishing, and the movie shows how wild and out of control those emotions can become. Even as the credits begin to roll, it encapsulates just how tragic this whole story is, as Bill would protect Marjorie at all costs until his final breath.
David Harbour is brilliant. In certain ways, his performance is reminiscent of his most iconic role as Hopper in Stranger Things. Just like in the hit series, despite his obvious intelligence, he’s rendered almost useless here due to his pining over a woman. It’s an art form that Harbour has mastered, making his portrayal of Rothstein raw and believable while also allowing him to land some of the movie’s strongest comedic lines along the way.
Rather surprisingly, though, Patricia Arquette takes a while to find her stride. That’s all the more unexpected when you factor in how similar the character she’s been drafted in to play is to some of her previous roles. Here, particularly in the first half, much of her performance comes across as all too safe. It’s definitely not bad, it’s just okay, which for someone as unquestionably talented as Arquette is a little disappointing. Given that the movie rests firmly on her shoulders for much of the runtime, that restraint is somewhat detrimental to the overall quality.
Overall, despite some predictable plot beats, Evil Genius does enough to justify its existence through a crazy true story that was made for the big screen. That, coupled with enough quality and genuinely entertaining moments to make it worthwhile, makes this one of the more surprising titles at the Toronto International Film Festival and one that deserves to be seen by a mainstream audience.
