‘Skincare’ is a tepid true-crime tale of feuding beauticians
Elizabeth Banks stars in this lightly fictionalized drama about a wild West Hollywood feud in the 2010s.
Skincare is a movie about a relatively notorious true crime story that one would think would inspire a better movie than the one it actually did. Directed by Austin Peters, Skincare can’t quite land on a consistent tone that works. It’s a pretty forgettable affair, although I’m glad that it’s a 95-minute feature film and not a six-part streaming documentary.
The film’s story is based on that of Dawn DaLuise, a West Hollywood beautician who was arrested in 2013 and accused of a murder-for-hire plot in connection with her feud with a rival aesthetician; she claimed she was set up. At the same time, the beautician suffered what was essentially an elaborate conspiracy against her, which included cyber-stalking, rape threats and more.
Skincare seems to have decided to pull some elements from both versions of events.
As fascinating as the true story of the case is, the adaptation never quite strikes the right tone. The script, written by Peters along with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan, probably should have been more satirical or a bit less.
Elizabeth Banks, returning to acting after directing Cocaine Bear last year, stars as Hope Goldman. She operates a skincare business in West Hollywood, employing a modest showbiz clientele, has a local TV segment, and has ambitions of launching a product empire. At first, she comes across as shallow and not particularly sympathetic, but that changes as the plot unfolds.
Things start to go wrong when another beautician, Angel (Luis Gerardo Méndez) moves in next door to her. Then, strange things begin to happen, including a fake mass email from her account to everyone she knows, slashed tires, and bogus personal ads soliciting sex. She’s helped in her plight, at least she thinks, by a new friend (Lewis Pullman) and her assistant (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, from Pose.) Nathan Fillion plays a lecherous TV host.
There are various changes from the true story — all names have been changed, and Hope, unlike Dawn, does not have children — and the film’s aesthetic feels a lot more like the ‘80s or early ‘90s than 2013. The music, by Fatima Al Qadiri, is melodramatically creepy in a way that recalls the score for Todd Haynes’ May/December.
Banks is decent in the lead role, and the film has some worthwhile things to say about the demands made of women and Hollywood's artifice. But ultimately, Skincare doesn’t add up to much.