Commentary: Rachel McAdams Is The Most Challenging Part Of ‘Send Help’
by Frank Martin
It’s always fascinating to see beautiful movie stars play ugly characters. This is not even remotely a new trope, and it even borders on the hilarious as movies go above and beyond to portray their gorgeous actors as disgusting. Of course, this is sometimes a necessity the story demands. Characters often face evolutions over the course of a film causing them to become more attractive. In the case of Send Help, Rachel McAdams undergoes this transformation as well. But given the nature of the plot, there is an entirely different set of challenges in pulling off her makeover.
The film centers Linda Liddle (McAdams). She is a very dweebie, dorky, and gross office worker who is incredibly good at her job. Her boss, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), who just inherited the company from his father, wants no part of her. Unfortunately, he has to bring her along in his private plane to give a presentation. When it crashes in the middle of the ocean, Linda and Bradley are the only survivors. As an amateur survivalist and aspiring Survivor contestant, Linda is strangely equipped to survive being stranded on an island, thus shifting the power dynamic. Not surprisingly, now that she is living out her dream as a castaway, she transforms from an ugly geek to a thriving island beauty in command of her domain.
Because of the nature of the story, Linda’s makeover is a bit more challenging than those seen in other films. The movie does a great job originally depicting Linda as gross and disgusting; McAdams is almost unrecognizable at the start of the role. However, there is this weird contrast between her becoming more beautiful as their situation becomes more dire. The characters do not have access to beds or a shower, and yet Linda grows more comfortable and confident. The more time they spend on the island, the more beautiful she becomes, even though their situation becomes worse. This forces the makeup and costume department to walk this fine line between revealing McAdams’s beauty and also depicting her as a rugged castaway. It’s an interesting challenge the production manages to pull off.
Send Help is now streaming on Hulu.