Nerve: Movie Review
Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman break away from the documentary/found-footage style they are used to (“Catfish”, “Paranormal Activity 3”) and take a more cinematic approach with “Nerve”. At least for the most part. Based on the Jeanne Ryan Novel of the same name, “Nerve” centers on Vee (Emma Roberts) a teenager who has lived most of her life never leaving her comfort zone. Vee has never actually taken any risks. That all changes when her best friend and serious Nerve player, Sydney (Emily Meade) makes her feel like a fool in front of a boy she liked.
Vee becomes a player in Nerve and her first dare leads her to Ian (Dave Franco), a fellow nerve player. It turns out that the Nerve watchers want them to team-up in the game and the money Vee could win sways her decision. In the game, players are given dares and if they complete the dare within a certain amount of time, they win. The more daring the dare is, the more money they earn. Of course there is a catch. Once you are a player in the game, it basically owns you. “Nerve” is run by a faceless organization that will take your money, identity, life, if you do not follow through with the game. The game watchers are basically in full control.
Things start our pretty fun. Vee and Ian are having a great time. Vee is finally breaking free and she is also totally into Ian. However, the deeper they get into the game, the more dangerous things get. When Vee decides to bail on “Nerve” things spiral out-of-control. Her mother Nancy (Juliette Lewis), learns about what is going on when their bank account suddenly gets cleared out by those who run Nerve. It also turns out that Ian hasn’t been completely honest with Vee about things from the start. Thankfully Vee’s other close friend Tommy (Miles Heizer) is a talented computer hacker with some even more talented friends and they are there to help her out of this situation.
“Nerve” is a fast-paced, fun, and visually vibrant thriller which also benefits by the great chemistry between Roberts and Franco. The two are really good together. Despite a very predictable ending that I am sure almost anyone can see coming from a mile way, “Nerve” stands out in this mostly disappointing summer movie season.
By: Marc Ferman