Anna Blum

I enjoy a good romcom, but this one? I had a huge problem with it, and I can't believe this problem isn't obvious to others. SPOILERS ahead. Hit Man perpetuates the same old tired sexist tropes I was so hoping we'd have abandoned by 2024. Namely, that all a woman needs to be is incredibly sexy in order to be idolized, chosen, "perfect." The male lead is a fit and handsome (of course - leads always are), highly educated man who is clearly intelligent, well-read, contemplative, decent, and driven. He has a broad array of talents and interests and is able to not only hold down two jobs, but be exceptional at both. Then he meets the female romantic lead, who is undeniably sexy. She is also a sexy kisser, a sexy dancer, and has a sexy voice. All of that is great, don't get me wrong. But what else does she offer? Maybe she is also driven, talented, well-read, and successful - but since we never see even an inkling of that side of her, it feels safe to assume sex appeal is her ONLY redeeming quality. (And let's face it; sex appeal is fun - important, even! - but can we really call it redeeming??) Her other attributes and actions are decidedly sh!tty: - she tries to hire someone to kill someone - she goes ahead and kills that person herself (while he's sleeping, no less) - she poisons a second (admittedly unsavory) person - she will do anything to anyone to stay out of jail - she lies about it all to avoid being held accountable - she is apparently completely unable to be single ever, at all, as she moves seamlessly from one bad relationship into a second, weird relationship In doing each of these things, she increasingly embroils the male romantic lead as an unwitting accomplice. And yet...he stays and even has sex with her as the unsavory person takes his last breath about 3 feet away. That is how powerful her super-sexiness is! So I guess it's good to know that if a woman is hot and sexy enough, she can commit multiple felonies, including murder, and she'll still be the perfect partner for a man who seems to have far more to offer as a human being (even if he does eventually show some of his own sh!ttiness). She'll also still be considered the perfect female lead in a romcom, and most people won't even bat an eye or notice that she brings nothing of substance to the table. I don't care if this is a comedy; it's time for this sexism to stop everywhere. Why couldn't she have had literally any other talent as well? Selling self-made dog sweaters on Etsy! Learning to work on her own car! Publishing poetry! Anything. 3 stars for the cinematography, pacing, and original (and pseudo-true) plot/storyline, 0 stars for making the one-dimensional female lead's only notable talent be her playing a sexy stewardess having sex. What a disservice to humanity! 1 star overall. Also, the ending felt lazy and rushed (and as others have said, not at all believable).