movie to avoid if you're nervous about AI.
However, for those who enjoy watching a woman take control of dire circumstances and take back her agency from an entitled man-child of an antagonist, Companion is the ideal horror movie to watch. It offers the unique pleasure of watching a murderous rampage which culminates in a wholesome celebration of freedom. Ever since Companion's streaming release on Max, it has won over audiences again, something it successfully did during its theatrical run, earning a 93% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While the other factors undoubtedly contribute to its entertainment value, Companion is also the perfect "Good For Her" movie.
The "Good For Her" Movie Subgenre Explained
It Started As A Meme
Back in 2005, when the Season 3 premiere of Arrested Development aired, one scene particularly caught viewers' attention and gave birth to a popular Internet meme. A newsreader reports that a woman, who, in her own words, couldn't take the pressure of parenthood anymore, had driven her car with her children in it into a lake. This horrifying news report, which is delivered in a tone that disapproves of this action on the woman's part, is met with a triumphant declaration from Lucille Bluth, who responds by saying, "Good for her!"
The Internet was quick to turn the scene into a meme, and the phrase "good for her" started being used to excuse and even celebrate behavior one would normally call inexcusable. While its usage for real life situations is both questionable and most commonly ironic, the meme has defined an entire subgenre of cinema over the years. Despite being born only two decades ago, movies from the '70s and '80s are also considered part of this "Good For Her" subgenre today.
The Invitation & 9 Other Movies With "Good For Her" Endings
The Invitation is the latest film in a long line of movies with "good for her" endings, including Carrie, Jennifer's Body and Midsommar.
A "Good For Her" movie isn't simply one where feminism triumphs, but one where a female character indulges in immoral and often criminal activities and comes out victorious at the end. Victory in this context can simply mean making a point before facing inevitable consequences or literally getting away with all levels of criminal activity. For this reason, many of the "Good For Her" movie protagonists are absolutely unhinged people we'd probably avoid in real life.
However, the joy of watching a "Good For Her" movie comes from seeing someone live out the dark fantasies some of us inevitably have as a consequence of living in a cis-heteropatriarchy. Enjoyment of such movies, which are often accompanied by declarations of "she did nothing wrong" or "she's just like me," isn't necessarily an endorsement of such behavior. It is instead an expression of the joy of seeing retributive, violent, and campy justice, usually in a form we wouldn't root for in real life, delivered against people who deserve some of it.
Why Companion Is The Perfect "Good For Her" Horror Movie
Iris's Revenge As AI Is Intriguing
Of all the film genres, horror is the one most commonly associated with the "Good For Her" subgenre of cinema. While there are contentions about whether the ending is really a triumph for her or whether she ends up trapped, there are many who feel that the protagonist of Midsommar gets the best "Good For Her" conclusion. Horror is a genre where reclaiming narratives of monstrosity and re-evaluating the meaning of a monster is quite common. This is why celebrating inexcusable behavior is often best done in a horror film.
From Frankenstein to Jennifer's Body, horror movies have always made us reconsider the usual dynamics of good and evil, even though their titular protagonists commit violent crimes.
There are notable exceptions, of course, like Gone Girl, a crime movie where the villain wins in the end, which gave us Amy Dunne, one of the most iconic "Good For Her' movie characters. However, horror will always be the most popular genre for "Good For Her" stories, because among other subclasses of horror films, the rape-revenge film is almost always a case of "Good For Her" filmmaking. The revenge of the rape that the protagonist is subjected to early in the film becomes the focus and is often excessively violent, making such movies ideal examples of the subgenre.
Moreover, AI automatically lends itself to a "Good For Her" narrative due to the fact that AI is almost always created to serve someone. This is why most movies about AI focus on the possibility of it gaining sentience and breaching this pre-ordained contract of ownership. It is intuitive to see how such a story can be used to symbolically tell a story about a woman fighting for control over her life and her freedom from the hands of an abusive , like in Ex Machina, where an AI frees herself from her narcissistic and selfish inventor.
The film then depicts how she triumphs over a system designed to keep her servile and avenges the misuse she has been subjected to.
In Companion, we have Iris (Sophie Thatcher), an AI-operated humanoid who is given false memories to forever be in love with Josh (Jack Quaid). Josh intends to use her skills as a humanoid for his own selfish gain. After discovering that she has been created to spend eternity in servitude to Josh, who has abused his power over her to make her commit unspeakable acts of violence, Iris attempts to take back control of herself. The film then depicts how she triumphs over a system designed to keep her servile and avenges the misuse she has been subjected to.
Why Companion Is The Perfect "Good For Her" Horror Movie
Its Execution Of The Subgenre Is Impeccable
The typical "Good For Her" horror movie uses a premise where someone becomes monstrous over time due to her mistreatment at the hands of, and the incompetence of, others around her, who are most frequently men. So, for instance, in Jennifer's Body, a classic horror comedy movie, we see Jennifer Check being turned into a monstrous creature who preys on young men and boys in particular, after a boy band botches a ceremony where they were supposed to sacrifice her.
Similarly, while the idea of being created to serve someone may feel objectionable, one can accept that AI has been invented in most cases for that purpose. However, it's the incompetent handling and the misuse of Iris' abilities that set her off on a journey of reclamation. If Josh had never tried to use her to commit murder and theft, she might have been able to go through life as she was meant to – as an AI companion to a man. However, he tampers with her settings and sets her up to be sexually abused, so she kills in revenge.
Companion Review: Don’t Worry About Spoilers, This Entertaining Thriller Is Built To Last
Companion isn’t the kind of movie that hangs everything on the reveal of its premise, and knowing the truth might actually make it more fun to watch.
Iris' journey in Companion thus starts with some form of a rape-revenge narrative, but with a twist – the man who touches her without consent, while deserving of being brought to justice for doing so, has been misled too. So, Josh has set up both the rape and the revenge, because he has hacked into Iris' system to remove her anti-violence clauses. Thus, this revenge is not a form of justice at all. This is how Companion develops the perfect "Good For Her" movie – it makes agency the core motivation in Iris' story.
So, even though it seems like she has avenged her abuse, that's where the real abuse is revealed. Her body and system have been used by a man for his gain beyond what he was contractually allowed to do or obtain from her. This breach of trust is its own form of abuse and a crossing of boundaries that culminates in the "Good For Her" ending of Companion, where she kills him, after watching him selfishly eliminate other people around him and using another Companion humanoid like her to do so.
What Makes Companion's Iris The Perfect "Good For Her" Heroine
She Subverts A Common Trend Of The Subgenre
The most iconic "Good For Her" films, like Gone Girl, Midsommar, and more recently Pearl, are often horror movies following the main character's descent into madness. However, in stark contrast to the most famous "Good For Her" heroines, Companion's Iris doesn't similarly lose her grasp on reality. There is no breakdown that precedes the expected loss of touch with herself and her morality. In fact, Iris is a surprisingly innocent and justifiable character you should have no issues rooting for.
Iris is not the only Companion bot in the story, and the other one, a male, ends his life after realizing he has been used, thus suggesting that the robots are perhaps coded to not avenge such behavior.
Not only does Iris display empathy for everyone, but she also doesn't kill anyone except in self-defense. Even the revenge for her assault, which involved murder on her part, occurred when she wasn't in control. After gaining control of her settings, she prioritizes her intelligence and attempts to outsmart Josh instead of tracking him down and killing him. Unlike the archetypal "Good For Her" heroine, her situation gives her the unique choice to simply run away and be free from control and abuse.
While Iris is privileged due to being a replaceable AI companion who won't be tracked down except to wipe her memory of the murders and Josh's confession, it is still a choice she makes to prioritize escape over vengeance. The usual "Good For Her" story involves a premise where the choices made by the protagonist, albeit extreme and inexcusable, are often their only way to liberation. Iris uses her fortune of not being in such a situation, but she doesn't shy away from helping others in danger of Josh's murderous instincts when she can.
Her story is one of hope and rebellion.
The fact that Iris does kill Josh and gets a new lease on life at the end of the movie makes her the perfect "Good For Her" heroine. Not only does her journey still follow the same narrative beats as the most classic "Good For Her" movies, but she also subverts the trend of the protagonists being horrible people. Her story is one of hope and rebellion – her very existence as a free being breaks the system she was a part of, and her choice not to do any unnecessary harm makes her a good person who doesn't break bad.
Companion Shows Where The "Good For Her" Subgenre Can Go Next
The Future Is Bright For The Subgenre
Yes, the entire point of "Good For Her," as expressed in the Arrested Development scene, is the joy of watching a woman partake in inexcusable behavior as a form of rebellion. However, the discourse centered around it over the years has developed into an uncomfortable celebration of criminal behavior. Amy Dunne isn't a hero one should aspire to be, for instance. Unlike what the films themselves say, recent analyses of "Good For Her" movies frequently betray a lack of irony, and it is disturbing how often people sincerely claim these characters did nothing wrong.
Companion's Post-Credits Scene Explained
Companion's post-credits scenes confirm the final fate of Iris after the events of the film in a way that also leaves the door open for sequels.
Instead, Companion offers an alternative that still follows the same blueprint as the established and celebrated "Good For Her" movies but circumvents the issue of normalizing and embracing criminal behavior. Iris' story shows how a "Good For Her" narrative doesn't need to involve intentional destruction, even if the concept involves dismantling systems of oppression. Companion could lead by example and spawn a new generation of "Good For Her" movies that will celebrate rebellion without leaving moral ambiguity in the mix.
Companion is an psychological thriller crafted by writer-director Drew Hancock.
- Cast
- Rupert Friend
- Runtime
- 97 Minutes
- Director
- Drew Hancock
- Writers
- Drew Hancock
