Do you ever really feel like somebody is…watching you? However solely whereas surprisingly upbeat 90’s jams play within the background. No? Effectively, irrespective of — The brand new Peacock unique horror-thriller-comedy Borderline (2025) will present you what that seems like. The movie follows a delusional stalker who believes that he’s engaged to be wed to a world-famous pop star, and can cease at nothing to tie the knot. That is the directorial debut of Cocaine Bear author Jimmy Warden, so audiences could count on a related balls-to-the-wall thriller with sufficient sheer madness to make them chuckle and hold them on the sting of their seat on the similar time. Fortunate for us, Borderline greater than delivers on this entrance.
The Gist: Like every good story, we start with the ending: Paul Duerson (Ray Nicholson, son of Jack Nicholson) stands on the altar with the love of his life. Till Paul’s voice-over cuts in and rewinds us again to our start line.
The yr is 1990-something, and pop sensation Sofia (Samara Weaving) is in every single place. We see Paul waltzing by city in his Sunday greatest holding a single pink rose. He reaches the doorstep of Sophia’s McMansion, and Sofia’s bodyguard Bell (Eric Dane) solutions the door. Bell is aware of who Paul is and firmly tells him to get misplaced. Paul responds by pulling a knife on himself. Bell tries to de-escalate, however in some way it results in Paul considering Bell is Sophia? After which proposing to him?? Bell goes together with Paul’s delusions hoping to calm him down — however takes a swift knife to the intestine when Paul goes in for a hug. As Bell bleeds out on the pavement, Paul breaks into the empty mansion and goes full Dangerous Enterprise.
Six months later, all appears properly: Paul is confined to a psychological asylum, Sofia is canoodling with well-known basketballer Rhodes (Jimmie Fails), and Bell is again on the job after recovering from his near-fatal harm. However quickly, it’s everywhere in the information — Paul, together with perky French psycho Penny (Alba Baptista), broke out of the loony bin. This time, Paul is lifeless set on making this wedding occur, bringing Penny and his closely armed good friend J.H. (Patrick Cox) alongside for reinforcements. With their household and buddies at risk, Bell and Sophia should do all the things they’ll to flee Paul’s grasp earlier than this wedding day turns into somebody’s funeral.
What Films Will It Remind You Of?: Opus is one other off-the-wall thriller centering on a pop star’s life being actually, actually bizarre. See additionally: Smile 2 (which, we should always word, additionally co-starred Nicholson). For one thing else starring Weaving, The Babysitter: Killer Queen will get simply as bloody as Borderline whereas sustaining a related darkly goofy tone.
Efficiency Value Watching: Nicholson is in his factor taking part in a delightfully deranged stalker. He’s humorous, honest in his madness, and simply the correct quantity of creepy — particularly when he calls Sophia “ladybug.” Shudders.
Memorable Dialogue: Penny forces Sofia into a duet and begins taking part in “It’s All Coming Again To Me” on piano:
Sophia: I didn’t even write this tune.
Penny: I do know, as a result of this tune is nice.
Intercourse and Pores and skin: None.
Our Take: To get it out of the way in which, the movie isn’t excellent. Its ’90s setting and Sophia’s standing as a pop star surprisingly come into play little or no, other than some traditional ’90s needle-drops and a temporary non-plot about Sophia being a shallow celeb. This seems like a missed alternative on the movie’s half — you’d suppose the movie would showcase Sophia’s stage of ’90s pop stardom, together with her dodging paparazzi, coping with loopy followers, or not less than singing at a live performance. However no — other than some photographs of her in magazines originally, Sophia may as properly be a random wealthy woman in a utterly nondescript time interval.
Additionally, though she’s the only real object of Paul’s obsession, Sophia is fairly bland as a character. Weaving performs her properly, particularly in her determined moments, however she’s not notably compelling, endearing, or intelligent when attempting to flee her captors. If she had the charisma or even simply the vibe of somebody like Britney Spears, it will make her rather more fascinating to observe. However as it’s, she simply seems like a clean slate for Paul to undertaking his delusion onto.
However you’re probably not watching this film for Sophia anyway — you’re watching it for the wacky violence and Paul’s twisted antics. All these upbeat ’90s needledrops put the icing on the cake when Paul or considered one of his henchmen must gleefully bash somebody’s head in, making for motion with humor and a pleasant quantity of gore. Though the movie is a bit extra of a comedy than a horror-thriller, it is aware of when to close down the laughs and switch up the strain when it must, particularly when Bell’s younger daughter is being threatened by considered one of Paul’s goons or when Paul creeps up on Sophia in her house.
And let’s simply speak about Paul for a second. What a hilarious, unhappy, creepy, and deeply unwell character. The genius of all of it is his sincerity. There’s no devilish grin, no winking to the digital camera to point “hey, take a look at me, I’m evil and I do know it.” Paul genuinely believes he’s harmless, that Sophia is his fiancé who he’s cherished for years, and any try to speak the fact of the state of affairs to him simply doesn’t compute. That is what makes his habits equal components humorous and critically unsettling, as a result of it’s simply so incongruent with all of the stabby homicide stuff taking place within the background. His lack of psychological readability additionally results in some wild WTF moments, like somebody ending up in a wedding gown who is NOT Sophia. The comedic tone of the movie could bar Paul from delivering a true fright, however he’s simply so enjoyable to look at that you just received’t even care.
Our Name: Regardless of its flaws, Borderline is value a watch only for the wild antics of Paul and his goons alone. It’s a gore-tastic riot that already seems like a cult traditional. And it’s simply plain enjoyable to look at. STREAM IT!
