I’m Your Woman review: A slightly repetitive crime thriller

I’m Your Woman gets a little too repetitive at times

The wife of a crime boss is usually hated. She either brings the man down or people are jealous of the romanticized view of that life. Yet, I’m Your Woman makes the wife of the crime boss almost likable.

I say almost because sometimes the character gets a little grating. She thinks she’s the only one who has ever faced this sort of problem, or that she’s “got it worse” in every situation. However, I will give her a small pass considering she’s been thrown into a dangerous situation with a baby to look out for. And she didn’t really know what her husband, Eddie, was up to.

Yet, while I’m Your Woman, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, offers a some sympathy to the wife of a crime boss, it loses some of the intensity and drama at points. It becomes repetitive and stale at times.

Rachel Brosnahan shines

Let me start with what I did love about the movie. It is beautifully shot. The script was well written in terms of dialogue. While sometimes Jean gets a little irritating, the dialogue doesn’t get clunky. Exposition is only given when it’s needed.

Throughout the movie, Rachel Brosnahan shines as Jean. We know her better as Midge on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and there are times that character is visible. When Jean speaks fast, it’s hard not to close your eyes and imagine Midge in all this. But the character itself is nothing like Midge.

Brosnahan owns the screen alone multiple times. We can feel everything she feels without her having someone to act opposite. Just her action of throwing the eggs at the wall screams volumes as the viewer.

She’s not the only one in the case who shines, either. Marsha Stephanie Blake is outstanding as Teri, who isn’t also thrown into a situation but a little more capable within it. After all, she at least knows what Eddie did. She knows what her husband Cal does for a living. This isn’t her first rodeo, and that shows in her strong-willed character always planning the next move.

The two women balance each other out brilliantly. My favorite parts were with the two of them on the screen together, eventually having each others’ backs and realizing that they can trust each other.

Social commentary throughout

Being set in the ’70s, there was no way that racial tensions and gender imbalances couldn’t be touched on. While it does happen, it’s not in a way that ruins the movie or ruins the message.

At one point, a cop pulls Jean and Cal over. Naturally, the cop sees Cal’s skin color and is immediately aggressive. Jean is the one able to diffuse the situation.

While this could be seen as a “white savior” moment, it’s an important commentary on the state of the world back then—and even still today. The cop’s whole demeanor changes when he’s speaking to Jean. Not only is she white, but she’s also a woman. More importantly, she’s a mother.

She realizes that she can use all that to her advantage to help control the situation. It’s not just about race, but about gender; about perceptions of the time.

And while there are more moments like this, the social commentary is just there. Just like racial tensions are. Just like gender inequality is. This isn’t a movie about taking a stand, but about showing life just as it is. But sometimes that does have a problem in itself, which is where the repetitiveness of I’m Your Woman comes up.

The movie gets bogged down in Jean’s story

The big problem for I’m Your Woman is that there are too many slower parts. It gets bogged down with Jean’s time alone, completely in the dark about everything that’s happening around her.

She’s in the dark from the beginning. While she knows her husband is a criminal, she doesn’t know exactly what he does. Once she does find out, she has all these questions, but it’s not often there are people around her to ask. We’re left just as in the dark as she is, which would be fine if it didn’t take three-quarters of the movie to really get the action going.

There are the odd moments throughout, with Jean meeting Cal, the shootout in the house, and the threat of someone arriving at the cabin. However, it’s not until three quarters in that Jean and Teri join forces in search for their husbands.

And it’s only in the last 15 minutes or so that it really feels like the stakes are high.

Yes, it’s a realistic movie for Jean. She would spend her time hiding out. She’d spend her time running through scenarios in her head, keeping her baby safe, and just wanting someone to ask questions to. But while it’s real, it doesn’t make for an entertaining movie.

What did you think of I’m Your Woman? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

I’m Your Woman is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.