On September 10, 2025, Prime Video started courting viewers with The Girlfriend, a six-part psychological thriller starring Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke. The miniseries is about within the huge residence owned by the rich Sanderson household, whose dashing son Daniel (Laurie Davidson) brings residence an edgy, suspicious romantic companion (Cooke) who instantly attracts skepticism from his doting mom, Laura (Wright).
Given the salacious story, mordant humor, darkness lurking under an idyllic setting, and surprising bouts of ultra-violence, The Girlfriend evokes the vastly missed 2018 suburban chiller Thoroughbreds, additionally starring Olivia Cooke in a must-see function. Co-starring the ever-enjoyable Anya Taylor-Pleasure, Thoroughbreds is exactly the sort of follow-up affair to interact in as soon as The Girlfriend is accomplished.
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What Is ‘Thoroughbreds’ About?
Written and directed with sharp precision and clear imaginative and prescient by Cory Finley, Thoroughbreds is an acclaimed American indie darkish comedy crime film launched in 2017. Marketed as American Psycho meets Heathers, the morbid and scathing satirical feminine coming-of-age story follows two estranged finest mates residing in suburban Connecticut. The rich, privileged, spoiled teenage mates are Amanda (Cooke) and Lily (Taylor-Pleasure), who haven’t spent a lot time collectively because the demise of Lily’s father.
When Amanda is invited to Lily’s lavish mansion to check, they rekindle their bond upon studying that Amanda’s mom had paid Lily to hang around together with her, believing that Amanda has change into too remoted and delinquent. Lily confides how a lot she hates her stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks), and the 2 concoct a scheme to homicide Mark with the assistance of an area drug runner named Tim (the late Anton Yelchin). Alas, best-laid plans backfire with grisly, unpredictable outcomes, with the shifting alliances between the 2 teenagers culminating in a jaw-dropping twist that have to be seen to be believed.
Past the commanding, icy performances by Cooke and Taylor-Pleasure, Thoroughbreds excels at spotlighting the teenage torpor, home rot, and numbing nihilism that younger folks of huge wealth and privilege generally wrestle to reconcile. Lurking beneath the sunny idyll of Amanda and Lily’s good lives are two deeply damaged people who want one another however can not coexist with out hurt.
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‘Thoroughbreds’ Mirrors ‘The Girlfriend’s Darkish, Violent Tone
Regardless of being Finley’s function movie debut, Thoroughbreds was extolled by critics and non-critics. Each teams agree that the film excels attributable to its gripping performances, luxurious cinematography, twisty plotting, and its distinctive depiction of feminine friendship. The movie holds an 87% Licensed Contemporary Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 75 Metascore, exhibiting its broad attraction.
Hailed for wickedly subverting teen film conventions with caustic wit and unexpected violence, the movie has been in comparison with style classics like Heathers and American Psycho, in addition to extra missed teen horrors like The Beloved Ones and Stoker. After all, with Cooke additionally starring within the equally themed Girlfriend on Prime Video, her followers and followers have the right binge-watch this fall.
Based mostly on the novel by Michelle Frances, The Girlfriend is a basic stalker story within the mildew of a psychological thriller. The plot facilities on Laura Sanderson (Wright), a rich artwork curator who’s married to Howard Sanderson (Waleed Zuaiter), a profitable hotelier. When their son Daniel comes residence with an alluring lady named Cherry Laine (Cooke), Laura raises a suspicious eye. As Laura makes an attempt to know Cherry’s true intentions, her semi-obsessed, borderline inappropriate relationship together with her son drastically complicates issues.
Love, jealousy, management, lust, and household belief are just some emotional themes that develop as Cherry proves to be an unhinged stalker with a sordid previous. Those that take pleasure in how a lot enjoyable Cooke is having taking part in such a devious and devilish seductress in The Girlfriend will undoubtedly discover her efficiency in Thoroughbreds equally amusing. Granted, Thoroughbreds is way extra delicate, nuanced, and unpredictable, however the overwrought sleaziness and unabashed trashiness in The Girlfriend are laborious to withstand. Regardless, Cooke is sensible in each.
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The place To Watch ‘Thoroughbreds’
Whereas it could be most handy if Thoroughbreds had been accessible to stream on Prime Video as soon as The Girlfriend is over, that is at present not an possibility. Happily, the film is out there to stream in HD for subscribers on Fubo, Starz, Apple TV, The Roku Channel, Philo, and the HBO Max/Starz bundle.
Though Thoroughbreds might not soar to the foolish operatic heights of The Girlfriend‘s soapy melodrama, the pitch-black humor, grotesque violence, and fearless efficiency by Olivia Cooke will give viewers a higher appreciation for her performing expertise and courageous willingness to play such vile characters. It is also price mentioning Taylor-Pleasure’s efficiency as a composed A-student whose stifling oppression and long-buried true emotions come out with ruthless ire.
- Launch Date
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March 9, 2018
- Runtime
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92 Minutes
- Director
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Cory Finley
- Writers
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Cory Finley