An American thriller; A dark, tawdry tale of a confident, contemptible young advertising agency archetype who dates women for sexual gratification using a gamified dating app. The film is most similar to Clint Eastwood's "Play Misty For Me" in the way the story unfolds: one night stand followed by avoidance, obsessional tendency before a second night; female becomes antagonist and won't stop. In the end, the theme is not one of portraying the excesses of masculinity in the digital meat market, nor that there will always be one crazy person out there, but that we are good judges of our own mistakes but a poor judge on the mistakes of others. The film is at least a believable take on the dark side of modern dating, showing the dangers of online engagement and it stays clear of a typical storyline where villians are set up to be knocked down. It's surprisingly effective as a thriller despite its narrow scope. My verdict, NOT sideswipe.
79 Reviews
What I Learned
clintstevens12 March 2018
SPOILER: This is a fairly predictable thriller worth a look. The ending was somewhat what I figured it would be, but the villain was not quite the character I predicted. Things one learns after watching...1. Do NOT play online violent video games. 2. Do NOT use online dating services. 3. Do NOT allow strange women to stay at your place while you go to work. 4. Do NOT assume a smokin' hot chick is obsessed with you, even if you are a dweeb. 5. Do NOT ignore phone calls from your lawyer.
passes 80-odd minutes enjoyably enough
crystallogic30 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The middling ratings for this film are pretty much spot on, but that is largely a reflection of the fact that, even though this is a thoroughly "modern" movie with twenty-somethings and the current technological trappings, it's really a storyline that's been around for decades, and truthfully, similar notions have been done better by some really first-rate filmmakers and performers. Still though, I did think this was allright, and worth a single watch, though it's probably not something I'll ever come back to.
As I was watching this, it hit me that I am nearly twice as old as most of the characters in this thing. I was a teen in the 90s when the Internet was just starting to take off. It's really interesting to be caught in the middle here, aware of all the advances and how things are conducted nowadays, but also kind of stuck in that semi-old-school mindset. When I was a teen I remember a lot of telephone dating services being advertised on late night cable and radio, which some of us would occasionally try out for a lark. Some of them were just starting to get super-"modern" by allowing you to send a picture of yourself to someone -- by fax! For real.
Anyway, after this realisation and a slight dawning of horror, I settled down and just let the thing roll over me. It's a "thriller" of sorts, but it's not really that thrilling. Our male protagonist is Harris; he's a creep but, not totally unlikeable -- indeed, a lot of us guys can probably relate to him on many levels even if we don't necessarily approve of all his actions. Those start out, if not exactly innocent, at least understandable to the extent that Harris doesn't feel he's doing anything wrong. Eventually though, a guy who runs his life like this is going to end up running into problems; it's kind of natural-seeming that his first conclusion would be that the woman who doesn't react "normally" to his usual antics is the one responsible for turning his life upside-down. Actually, I felt that the "upside-down" part wasn't that profound -- some of these types of stories really put their characters through hell, and I honestly don't think harris's experience was all that bad. By the end, I felt a lot worse for the poor girl than I did for him, and I do feel that was a part of the filmmakers' intention. Riley's only "crime", after all, was being a bit clingy.
The ending of the film is both appropriate and rather "rushed" feeling. Honestly, it's good that this movie doesn't overstay its welcome -- at 78 minutes it's quite short, and I appreciate this (as the story is really a bit simple-minded), but it's definitely "front-ended". Nevertheless, there's a sad inevitability to proceedings that, while it didn't make for a totally engrossing story, I still found sort of satisfying, though maybe not quite in the way the filmmakers intended. It returns me to the question, posed by many authors over the years, as to whether there is really a "murderous type" -- the conclusion is almost always "no"; anyone could be driven to kill given the right circumstances, even a loser like Harris. There's also something in here about not jumping to the obvious conclusion all of the time, but the film wraps everything up so fast that I'm not sure the point is that effectively made. The movie feels like it isn't 100% confident about whether it wants to be a thriller or not, so when everyone compares it to something like Fatal Attraction, well, of course it's going to fall a bit short.
nevertheless, I thought the performances of the two leads were natural and believable. nobody else really even tried to stand out in this, but that's perfectly ok. It's a fairly tight, economical film that I can't fault all that much for slightly dropping the ball. Worth a watch if it's on or around, though I suspect this one will be forgotten about by most not long after viewing. By the way, the "death by stabbing" at the end was far too easy and quick to be believable. Actually, he seemed in worse shape than she did after being bashed over the head so many times.
As I was watching this, it hit me that I am nearly twice as old as most of the characters in this thing. I was a teen in the 90s when the Internet was just starting to take off. It's really interesting to be caught in the middle here, aware of all the advances and how things are conducted nowadays, but also kind of stuck in that semi-old-school mindset. When I was a teen I remember a lot of telephone dating services being advertised on late night cable and radio, which some of us would occasionally try out for a lark. Some of them were just starting to get super-"modern" by allowing you to send a picture of yourself to someone -- by fax! For real.
Anyway, after this realisation and a slight dawning of horror, I settled down and just let the thing roll over me. It's a "thriller" of sorts, but it's not really that thrilling. Our male protagonist is Harris; he's a creep but, not totally unlikeable -- indeed, a lot of us guys can probably relate to him on many levels even if we don't necessarily approve of all his actions. Those start out, if not exactly innocent, at least understandable to the extent that Harris doesn't feel he's doing anything wrong. Eventually though, a guy who runs his life like this is going to end up running into problems; it's kind of natural-seeming that his first conclusion would be that the woman who doesn't react "normally" to his usual antics is the one responsible for turning his life upside-down. Actually, I felt that the "upside-down" part wasn't that profound -- some of these types of stories really put their characters through hell, and I honestly don't think harris's experience was all that bad. By the end, I felt a lot worse for the poor girl than I did for him, and I do feel that was a part of the filmmakers' intention. Riley's only "crime", after all, was being a bit clingy.
The ending of the film is both appropriate and rather "rushed" feeling. Honestly, it's good that this movie doesn't overstay its welcome -- at 78 minutes it's quite short, and I appreciate this (as the story is really a bit simple-minded), but it's definitely "front-ended". Nevertheless, there's a sad inevitability to proceedings that, while it didn't make for a totally engrossing story, I still found sort of satisfying, though maybe not quite in the way the filmmakers intended. It returns me to the question, posed by many authors over the years, as to whether there is really a "murderous type" -- the conclusion is almost always "no"; anyone could be driven to kill given the right circumstances, even a loser like Harris. There's also something in here about not jumping to the obvious conclusion all of the time, but the film wraps everything up so fast that I'm not sure the point is that effectively made. The movie feels like it isn't 100% confident about whether it wants to be a thriller or not, so when everyone compares it to something like Fatal Attraction, well, of course it's going to fall a bit short.
nevertheless, I thought the performances of the two leads were natural and believable. nobody else really even tried to stand out in this, but that's perfectly ok. It's a fairly tight, economical film that I can't fault all that much for slightly dropping the ball. Worth a watch if it's on or around, though I suspect this one will be forgotten about by most not long after viewing. By the way, the "death by stabbing" at the end was far too easy and quick to be believable. Actually, he seemed in worse shape than she did after being bashed over the head so many times.
ok..I guess
kkunz20125 June 2018
Pretty Good, can't understand really bad reviews
sfmarshall1 December 2019
Swim Fan?
kelliknowlton-682-22006423 March 2018
Give it a shot
calicut11012 March 2018
Just Doesn't Have the Legs for a 90 Minute Feature
leftbanker-14 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I say the same thing about a lot of movies made today. Had this been a 60 minute made-for-TV project or a Netflix thing it would have been OK. Even if it's a direct-to-DVD release the 90 minute runtime isn't warranted.
Lilli Simmons is totally hot as the femme fatale or whatever she is, the mistaken femme fatale. Why she would go after a millennial dipstick like the one in the movie is way beyond my powers of comprehension but I suppose that's the way the world is for young women today.
Cut out 30 minutes and you have a 7 star film.
Lilli Simmons is totally hot as the femme fatale or whatever she is, the mistaken femme fatale. Why she would go after a millennial dipstick like the one in the movie is way beyond my powers of comprehension but I suppose that's the way the world is for young women today.
Cut out 30 minutes and you have a 7 star film.
Enjoyable to watch, good story.
clairelouise511 September 2018
Tired & Predictable
iamMarkPrice29 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Character development is almost nonexistent, and what is there is unlikable all round leaving it unclear who we are supposed to be rooting for. All characters, including background characters, do the most illogical things the entire movie through leaving the viewer more frustrated than entertained.
If you like cliches done straight faced you'll love this, otherwise give it a pass.
If you like cliches done straight faced you'll love this, otherwise give it a pass.
Like "Fatal Attraction" with a whole new twisted ending!
ljsf643 November 2017
No Oscar winner acting, but not bad. A few holes in the plot, but the buildup to the end made it all worthwhile. I was totally shocked by the ending. Good Fatal attraction type story with a twist in why people shouldn't play with peoples lives and emotions and the cost of unbridled revenge.
Got predictable halfway through. Still decent thriller.
Worldstone30 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Maybe it's just me though. I watch so many thriller/mystery/horror movies that I start becoming Sherlock in my mind while watching. Not that you need to be as smart as Sherlock to figure out the twist at the end.
After our douchebag main character confronts our creepy stalker protagonist about the damage done to his life, you can tell what's up. Just think about who this guy is and how many other people don't like him, and from what's presented to us in the running time of this movie, you'll most likely figure it out before it punches you in the face.
With that said though, I'd just like to say that the ending of this movie is now in the top 3 of my "movie endings that pissed me off" list.
After our douchebag main character confronts our creepy stalker protagonist about the damage done to his life, you can tell what's up. Just think about who this guy is and how many other people don't like him, and from what's presented to us in the running time of this movie, you'll most likely figure it out before it punches you in the face.
With that said though, I'd just like to say that the ending of this movie is now in the top 3 of my "movie endings that pissed me off" list.
Eh
lexayers18 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Movie started out okay although you could pretty much predict what was going to end up happening. Don't really remember any of the characters names because they weren't memorable except for Lili Simmons dur to how good her acting was. Got fed up Half way because then it super obvious on how this was going to end because of the actions of the main character, which made me just want to go ahead and get the movie over with. Though there was a plot twist it didn't matter much getting to the end of the movie because you knew that regardless of that fact it was not looking good for the main character. So I say Eh, I guess. Could just be me since I don't care for predictable movies when it comes to thrillers.
Pretty good!
avapreece6 September 2018
Not a bad way to spend your time
sunman90929 August 2019
Fatal Attraction for the iPhone generation
Stevieboy66618 September 2019
Harris, a successful bachelor, uses dating apps to meet women for his own satisfaction, but when he meets Riley things rapidly get out of control. Is she crazy? Watch and find out!
This is not in the same league as Fatal Attraction but is a reasonably good time passer. Acting is sufficiently good, the pace never gets too slow, there are a few quite brutal moments and the film does throw in some effective black humour. It is also predictable but overall I quite enjoyed it.
Almost a waste
kosmasp24 January 2018
There is a twist here (not gonna spoil anything), that is almost wasted in this movie. And it's because you have a main character who is really despicable. Even if you find him funny at first, you will see things he's doing that will make it hard for you to root for him. And that is what one is supposed to do, right? Well you'll see (or not), if you decide to watch this.
And while this all may sound negative and things are quite obvious and predictable, there is still quite a lot to like about this. Tough job for the actors and the director to pull something like this off. If you don't mind it and want to watch something that will not give you much, this has quite a few funny scenes ... and a very convinient neglect of ... well it had to be like that otherwise that one thing would not have worked ... which kind of cheapens it ...
And while this all may sound negative and things are quite obvious and predictable, there is still quite a lot to like about this. Tough job for the actors and the director to pull something like this off. If you don't mind it and want to watch something that will not give you much, this has quite a few funny scenes ... and a very convinient neglect of ... well it had to be like that otherwise that one thing would not have worked ... which kind of cheapens it ...
Just don't
lucycooke-2574020 March 2018
Every guy can relate to this
dgrozier24 May 2019
Cute little flick. Well cast. Very relatable in this day and age. Way more realistic than the man v women left wing crap on netflix.
Women are psychotic by nature. If you're a dude and you have a set
You'll like it.
Keep boilin those bunnies you hateful nutters
High tech dating
fmwongmd6 September 2018
Review for Bad Match
Magow-Intermean8 December 2017
Director:David Chirchirillo Release Date: Nov 3, 2017. MPAA Rating: Not rated. Running time: 83 MIN. In "Bad Match," Lili Simmons plays Riley in the same vein, as a spurned object of desire who will lie, manipulate, and shoot over the edge of acceptable behavior, but only to shove her humanity in Harris' face. She fakes a suicide attempt (a loathsome thing to do — but Harris' indifferent response is even worse), and by the time she begins to mess with his Twitter account,we're in a brave new world of payback. Jack Cutmore-Scott, in a strong performance, makes Harris a supremely confident dude coming apart at the seams. When the police knock at his door, and we know in our bones what they're looking for, the film turns into a cautionary pulp pressure cooker: Live by the digital gaze, die by the digital gaze.Shades of "Fatal Attraction" — but more than that, shades of every cheap thriller that ever introduced a psychological situation only to turn it into something action-y and boring. "Bad Match" often feels like it could become that kind of "ride," but it never does. It's something a shade or two more interesting: a scuzzy bro nightmare.
Production: An Orion Pictures, Gravitas Ventures release of a BoulderLight Pictures, MM2 Entertainment release. Producers: J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules. Executive producer: Jo Henriquez. Director, screenplay: David Chirchirillo. Camera (color, widescreen): Ed Wu. Editor: Michael Block.
With: Jack Cutmore-Scott, Lili Simmons, Brandon Scott, Chase Williamson, Christine Donlon, Noureen DeWulf, Kahyun Kim.
Production: An Orion Pictures, Gravitas Ventures release of a BoulderLight Pictures, MM2 Entertainment release. Producers: J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules. Executive producer: Jo Henriquez. Director, screenplay: David Chirchirillo. Camera (color, widescreen): Ed Wu. Editor: Michael Block.
With: Jack Cutmore-Scott, Lili Simmons, Brandon Scott, Chase Williamson, Christine Donlon, Noureen DeWulf, Kahyun Kim.
Game, Set, and Bad Match
lavatch21 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Bad Match" was a lively and well-scripted drama that explores the the dangers of the modern technological age. For Harris, the protagonist, it is easy for him to meet women on a slick internet dating ap. But it would appear that he met his match in the character of Riley.
However, appearances can be deceiving.
The most interesting character in the film was Riley. While at first she seemed like a crazed and vindictive spurned lover, as the film progressed, she became more and more sympathetic. Conversely, Harris's character evolved into the truly vindictive one as he attempted but failed to extract a confession from her.
The filmmakers devised a clever twist at the end to reveal that Harris was duped and Riley was not the incarnation of evil. While the violence of the film seemed gratuitous, especially at the end, the point was still driven home that technology was running the characters and not vice versa.
This was a solid, low-budget film effort with excellent performances from the actors playing Harris and Riley.
However, appearances can be deceiving.
The most interesting character in the film was Riley. While at first she seemed like a crazed and vindictive spurned lover, as the film progressed, she became more and more sympathetic. Conversely, Harris's character evolved into the truly vindictive one as he attempted but failed to extract a confession from her.
The filmmakers devised a clever twist at the end to reveal that Harris was duped and Riley was not the incarnation of evil. While the violence of the film seemed gratuitous, especially at the end, the point was still driven home that technology was running the characters and not vice versa.
This was a solid, low-budget film effort with excellent performances from the actors playing Harris and Riley.
Typical
Foutainoflife30 July 2018
Saved by the bell!
debs9629 August 2019
Bad Match is your typical psycho/stalker theme, but the ending separated it from other movies of its genre. Both lead actors played their characters very well, and whilst it was mostly predictable, the twist made it worth watching. Dont start this one with huge expectations and its more enjoyable.
Fatal attraction for the social media generation
singhlall13 February 2021
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