Hot Take: Who’s there? A bad but highly entertaining and watchable midnight movie with goofy one-dimensional characters and more script than gore from Eli Roth… and that’s saying a lot (and not all good but not all bad). Knock Knock is the perfect “can’t sleep at 2am, let’s see what’s on cable or Netflix” film.

If you are going to watch an Eli Roth movie starring Keanu Reeves for a great script and top notch acting, shame on you. However, if you go into Knock Knock with the intentions of seeing a dark, (intentionally) funny, sexual thriller that is pure schlock (and I mean that in the most flattering way possible) then you might come away with a fun viewing experience.

One caveat is this isn’t your typical Eli Roth movie. The gore factor is turned down completely and that’s a good thing for the non-Roth fan. The hardcore Roth fan will likely be turned off by the lack of gore. At least his contempt for the 1%, social media and artists are all present. So, it’s Roth’s calling card but not quite the shade of red he usually paints with. And for Roth fans, it might mean Knock Knock, who cares?

“Spoiler Free” Pros

  • Keanu Reeves’ Cardboard Cut-Out Acting
    Reeves’ delivery adds a lot of humor to the silly script. You’ll never look at the first Monday of the month at Planet Fitness the same again. Plus, he’s playing a loving architect, father of two and former DJ. It’s as ridiculous, awful and delightful as you’d expect.
  • The Craziness of Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
    Izzo (Roth’s wife) was one of the few bright spots of The Green Inferno. Partnered with de Armas, Izzo is psychotic, titillating and over-the-top.
  • The Use of Social Media and Technology
    One of the more aggravating things films do these days is misuse technology. Knock Knock actually gets it right. It also uses social media in a deliciously dark way.

“Spoiler Free” Cons

  • Keanu Reeves’ Cardboard Cut-Out Acting
    It’s as bad as you’d expect and as much as it adds to the humor of the film, sometimes it feels like you are laughing at the movie not with the movie.
  • Eli Roth Would Have to Borrow One to Give One
    Roth does what he wants and that’s not always good. There’s a feeling of a total lack of respect for the viewer when watching a Roth movie. Well, there’s a feeling of a total lack of respect for everyone, actually.
  • The Sexual Tension Isn’t Really Very Sexy
    While there is sexual tension, it’s never very sexy. Evan (Reeves) acts more uncomfortable than attracted to Genesis (Izzo) and Bel (de Armas). Does he give in to their advances or just give up?