Not Okay Review: A Painfully Honest & Hilarious Portrait of What Happens When Social Activism & Clout-Chasing Collide

Last year, when it was announced that Not Okay was in the works by writer-director Quinn Shephard, I couldn’t make heads or tails of the announcement. I’m not familiar with Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, or any of the stars of the film other than Karan Soni (primarily because of his acting in the Deadpool films) and, more recently, Mia Isaac after seeing her in the fantastic streaming film Don’t Make Me Go, where she co-stars with John Cho and is somehow the best part of that film.

So, one could say my expectations were at ground level. It’s an independent film debuting on a streaming service, most of which are forgotten about within the first weekend of their debut. So, imagine my surprise when Not Okay was great.

Featuring Zoey Deutch as Danni Sanders, a photo editor working for a magazine called Depravity, that has no friends or followers before deciding to fake a trip to Paris to chase Instagram clout. However, when a series of bombings strike Paris, Danni gets caught up in a lie that gets bigger with each passing day. After “returning” home, she’s hailed as a hero, catching the attention of her crush Colin (Dylan O’Brien) and social justice advocate Rowan (Mia Isaac), someone who has undergone the trauma Danni only claims to have experienced. In her new role as a social media influencer and advocate, Danni has everything she wants. Well…until someone finds out.

Whether it’s Deutch as the wonderfully cringeworthy Danni Sanders, the heartbreak Isaac’s character Rowan feels daily, Nadia Alexander’s wonderfully catty character Harper, or O’Brien’s unintentionally hilarious stoner Colin, there are no bad performances here. They’re all great. However, if I pick favorites, it’s the actors we spend the most time with - Deutch and Isaac. They are perfect foils and feel like they’ve always been friends.

Speaking specifically about Zoey Deutch, I haven’t seen her in anything, but I feel like this is a career-best performance. She’s pulling out all the stops here. While we’re told early on that she’s not a hero, I was never angry with Danni’s choices. I understood why she made them because I’ve made similar mistakes. Likewise, I think the script by Quinn Shephard illustrates how impossible it is for her to make the “right” choice. That said, she is an objectively terrible person (that’s how you use that word, Logan Paul). Like Logan Paul, she is wholly disconnected from the meaning behind the words she uses that can hurt others’ feelings and her exploitation of a country in mourning.

On the flip side of that coin, Mia Isaac…I don’t know how she does it. I watched Don’t Make Me Go and thought she had a bright future, but I didn’t realize she was in this until she appeared onscreen. Somehow, she outdoes that heartwrenching performance by talking about the trauma she’s experienced. Without giving up what her trauma specifically is, it’s pertinent to Gen Z and is heartwrenching to watch. Bring your tissues.

Someone I also want to give a special mention to is Dylan O’Brien as Colin. He is such a lovable asshole/douchebag, and I am so thankful that the film lets him be that way. Any scene he is in is made 100x better because of how out of touch he is and how little Colin truly understands why he’s famous. One scene concerning a “scorpion joint” had me laughing my ass off.

Quinn Shephard’s writing and direction are out of this world. Not Okay; her second feature by the way, could have easily been a hollow movie about how social media is terrible, and we need to be careful of the attention we receive and what we see on social media. However, Shephard adds more layers and context to the story making it feel like something anyone can relate to, whether we’ve chased clout, gone through severe trauma, or had a terrible boss. For that, Shephard deserves major attention and praise.

It also doesn’t hurt that Robbert Baumgartner adds some major cinematic flair to the film. Having worked on films like Argo, There Will Be Blood, and Blindspotting, among many others, his style kept me utterly enthralled. For example, one scene that I loved is a montage of Danni taking photos for her fake trip to Paris, and the montage takes you through Photoshop, Instagram filters - everything. It’s fascinating, and I wish we had more films that had this much style to them.

That same style applies to Mollie Goldstein, who edited the film. While the film is nearly two hours long, it never feels like it. The pacing feels right, and I get the feeling that Goldstein had a ton of fun editing the film based on the overall “ugh” energy of the film.

I foresee everyone having a great time with the soundtrack. Featuring bands like oh Child!, Georgett, Pilou, Anna Jean, Campfire, Whookilledkenny, Juniore, and others, meaning that the soundtrack has a song someone can jam out to, no matter their musical tastes. However, given the plot, each track has a French twist.

My only pain point for the soundtrack released is that it’s missing a ton of songs that are featured in the film, but that’s probably because they are licensed and will likely show up in a Spotify playlist. Still, getting all the music in one place would be great.

If you’re up for a streaming movie this weekend that not only has a ton of heart, a modern message that makes sense, absolutely dazzling performances, and will make you laugh at its jokes, make sure to catch up with Not Okay. It’s one of the best streaming movies since Passing or CODA last year.

★★★★★

Not Okay is now available to stream with a Hulu subscription in the United States, Disney+ internationally, and Star+ in Latin America.

Listen to my commentary below.

Until next time!

Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, Matthew Simpson, Thom Blackburn, Destiny, Shamar Hunter, Aaliyah, Libby Stephenson, and Patsy Sanchez for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!