False Positive (2021) User Reviews

Promising Start Leads To A Giant Mess!

[flowerstardust1979 · 4/10 · 26 June 2021]

No spoiler review, though a caution warning that this isn't a movie suitable for anyone who has lost a baby for a few grotesque reasons.

What starts out quite promising and unique, although a little slow it effectively builds up an anxious paranoid tension. In parts it actually reminded me of The Devils Advocate.

I was actually intrigued and entertained for the first 45 minutes, but suddenly felt sickened by what unfolded towards the end. It didn't sit well with me at all. It was incredibly strange, grotesque, a little upsetting and in poor taste. I'm not even sure if the writers knew where they were going with this!

The final scene left me feeling rather disgusted and not in a good way. And I love horror!

Started out decent and went downhill to a weird and dumb ending.

[cruise01 · 4/10 · 9 August 2021]

2 out of 5 stars.

False Positive is a bad horror film that tries to disturb you more than it provides scares and thrills. The cast is forgettable and dull with there performances. The plot is about a young girl visiting a fertility clinic to help get pregnant. There is something more going on about the clinic and why her husband is obsessed with her going there. Or could she delusional.

The films script and direction spent majority of the movie in the fertility clinic. Seeing Pierce Brosnan as the doctor and telling the main girl that everything is perfect and doing great as he checks her out. Thats where most of the film takes place. And other half is with main character spending it on lunch dates with other expecting mothers.

Boring film. Disturbing and weird ending. Tedious performances with the cast. This film is worth missing.

WHAT WAS THE REASON?

[andrewchristianjr · 6/10 · 9 July 2021]

This movie definitely suffers from "Trying to Do Too Much" Syndrome. While the initial premise is intriguing, it quickly fell apart. It tries to be Rosemary's Baby, but with too many messages, too many symbols, and not enough clarity.

Disjointed and disturbing in a bad way

[gedikreverdi · 3/10 · 29 July 2021]

Her work and colleagues were extremely boring and didn't contribute anything to the story. Her husband and his work was extremely boring and didn't contribute anything. And those other very rich pregnant women are so boring and irrelevant, too. And that midwife? Was she only a dream and why would she dream her as a mystical psychic and all? The nightmares she had was even worse. The doctor and his husband meet up at a hotel room to have sex. Then there's a safe of her husband and she found some documents and it turned out the doctor impregnated her and they had the twin boys instead of the girl. She killed the doctor and his loyal nurse who don't have a gag reflex (that's what she said) and went home covered in blood. She imagined throwing the boys out of the window and then she gave them to her husband and kicked them out of the house. And then took the dead fetus in her arms to breastfeed her and she hallucinated that she was alive. I don't know what this was all about. It was so disjointed and so anticlimactic that I stopped caring about anything happening. The ending was rather controversial though that she's breastfeeding a dead fetus and imagining throwing the baby boys out of the window and all.

Trigger warning (slight spoilers)

[ms-shoegal · 1/10 · 26 June 2021]

Whilst this movie has been rated due to graphic images etc, please be aware if you've experienced a miscarriage or similar, there are images that may well trigger you. No doubt this review will get voted down but I feel women especially need to be aware of what they're going into.

One particular image during the birth broke my heart. Then seeing that image again at the end was awful. We were just thankful the window scene at the end didn't quite go how it was made to look.

This movie is not for everybody, we are huge fans of horror however this was terrible. Two fantastic male leads and both working with a subpar storyline.

I have questions

[bemims45 · 1/10 · 28 June 2021]

Why did the doctor and Adrian kiss?

Why did Adrian and the nurse kiss?

Why was the aborted embryo still in the exam room?

Why did the nurse need to suppress her gag reflex?

Why did they include scenes unnecessary to the plot or at least unexplained?

Started strong, but then...

[dillardheather · 7/10 · 26 June 2021]

This Movie was captivating in the beginning. But lost me in the end. The end of the movie felt forced and contrived.

WTF?!

[Foutainoflife · 2/10 · 26 June 2021]

I am so glad to see that I'm not the only one who watched this movie and came here to vent.

This was a disjointed, mess of a movie! It felt like I was just watching random scenes of a boring life. There just wasn't anything to like about this. None of the characters were interesting. It has a vague "Rosemary's Baby" vibe to it but doesn't come close to being even half as good.

Just spare yourself the headache and waste of time.

I don't understand it

[Gordon-11 · 26 June 2021]

I don't really understand the plot. The story has premise as a mystery thriller, but it is confusing. Questions aren't answered, so I don't actually know what really happened in the film.

Not for everyone

[zenpunks · 7/10 · 29 June 2021]

There will never be a movie made that everyone loves regardless of how good or that everyone hates regardless of how bad - every movie seems to have 10 star and 1 star ratings (even Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and top rated movies have it's haters -just as awful movies have it's lovers - after all art is subjective). That being said it's understandable that a lot of people didn't like this movie. You can't take it literally. It is very metaphoric and uses a lot of symbolism -most people will miss this and won't care either way. Lucy (the main character) is the vehicle for the audience and when her mental health begins to deteriorate it becomes unclear what is real and what is not -that's the whole purpose. Because of pregnancy we see a woman lose her power in her work place, in her pregnancy and in her life. Mirrors were used cleverly to show that there is more than meets the eye going on (Hence, False Positive get it? Something seeming real that isn't - even though something deeper is going on).

Ilana Glazer does a good job at being believable as a woman whose losing it (mentally). And kudos to her for writing and producing. This is a deeper more thoughtful movie than what's happening on the surface. If you want everything spelled out for you, a Hollywood ending or CGI driven plots this is not going to be your cup of tea.

Horror for no one

[hunkazine · 2/10 · 25 June 2021]

Dumb beginning, silly middle..gory insipid end. The movie that some are comparing this with -- Rosemary's Baby, was far more clever, scary and well acted. Watch that instead! As for the final scene...No one needs that crappola imprinted on their memory. Yes, I said...no one!

Enjoyable - if you like Van Trier or Guadagnino's Suspiria

[marianneczka · 8/10 · 28 June 2021]

I don't agree with the low ratings of this movie at all. C'mon, there are many silly American comedies reviewed higher than this.

True, it's an art house horror, but I found it inventive and creative. The main female lead was realistic and strong, guys she must not always be the typical hot movie star. Ilana was real and authentic, she kind of made me think of female leads in Sofia Coppola movies.

Also, if you liked the new Suspiria, which was also a "bad movie" but still inventive and artistically stunning, you will like this.

It was bland at times, and obviously heavily inspired by Rosemary's Baby but who cares? It was an enjoyable watch, that will keep you interested.

Also it was beautifully shot.

The "strong imagery" that everyone is talking about, shouldn't be shocking to us, if we agree to see cut off limbs and dead bodies in every horror slasher.

Killings, and graphic sex is fine, but showing placenta's and a miscarriage isn't? That definitely should be normalized. Triggering, yes, but a lot of things are, especially in the horror genre.

This movie definitely didn't deserve all the low reviews.

Creepy and an interesting watch

[pricejessup · 6/10 · 26 June 2021]

Rosemary's Baby...yes has that vibe. But I liked it with it's modern view of rich NYC hipsters. The last 10 minutes was very strange tho.

You could do worse than this film.

I need bleach for my brain

[peterruiter · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

This was absolutely one of the worst movies I have ever seen. If I were Pierce Brosnan I would pay Hulu to never ever show it to anyone.

What the fudge!

[acoleman-08466 · 2/10 · 27 June 2021]

There's so many things wrong with this movie. It's not a horror, but the entire story is horrible.

Awful

[skkyprincess · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

This movie was such a cringe fest. Just a waste of time. It also had such a pretentious feel to it, which made me hate it even more. The main character was so unlikable, so there was no one to root for. Just don't watch it. It's boring, predictable garbage.

Any good reviews are false positives

[j06968 · 2/10 · 26 June 2021]

Started off semi-interesting, but then got ridiculous and non-sensical. Too bad these great actors signed up for this project!

Felt the whole movie

[guitargoalie33 · 23 December 2021]

It's not a horror, and I think the lead actress does a great job aside from her normal roles. You can feel her pain. Plot was a little shady, but as a new dad it kept my blood pressure up. ** don't watch if you want a horror, it's just stressful.

Some of y'all are missing the point

[martyjmilne · 7/10 · 26 June 2021]

Do people really need things spelled out in movies these days? I've seen reviews on here with people taking things far too literally.

Is it original, no, but as a slow burner mystery thriller with a social commentary it's done really well.

I really enjoyed it, but if you like Justice League I'd give it a miss.

Don't waste your time!

[mwzmgnjwb · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

I had no hope for this movie after the first 10 minutes. The supposedly best fertility doctor says her problem is her hCG levels and they have to raise them before and after insemination. You don't have hCG before pregnancy and it's not a hormone level you can raise or effect yourself. If your premise is going to be infertility, maybe come up with an actual legit reason for the infertility first. Googling something would take less than 5 minutes.

Weird, quirky, artsy, but ultimately fun

[oz_qamrin · 6/10 · 27 June 2021]

It's not the best psychological thriller. It's odd, and derivative at times. But it was a fun afternoon watch. If you're looking for a ride, and not picky about the journey this might be for you.

WTF was that?

[gmeyer-60129 · 2/10 · 26 June 2021]

For something listed as a horror/thriller, there was very little thriller. If fact, it was a pretty slow burn. As for horror, i was horrified that I watched the whole thing. Very messed up ending. The bad reviews on here are not unwarranted.

My interpretation

[hanford_duq · 8/10 · 26 June 2021]

It's reflective of the fawning women get when they are first pregnant and then how care shifts from the well being of the mother to shut up and have a baby. Women had babies for centuries you have no reason to worry.

This is a woman with mental health issues who stress and health isn't managed. She goes through traumatic delivery and then sent home to go be a mom. She feels alienated from her husband, friends, and work. Once you have the baby you're suppose to be ok. You're suppose to act ok.

A person struggling mentally, during a high risk pregnancy, a traumatic delivery, and then no mental health after care leads to disaster like postpartum psychosis. The end isn't logical because the narrator is unreliable. She looked for help and either people swept it under the rug or washed their hands of her.

Lucy isn't relatable.... that's her problem. Work hard and be successful. Have a baby and that is your new identity. (Some people that works for, that's what I wanted). Lucy couldn't get pregnant how she wanted. Because of complications she couldn't give birth how she wanted. Even with selective reduction she didn't have the baby she wanted. She couldn't continue her career as she wanted. She felt wildly out of control and had mental health problems to start with.

Unlocking the safe, that was her mental health problems she fought to hide breaking free. Everyone she was mad at was everyone who told her there was nothing wrong. She broke because she did not receive appropriate mental health care and postpartum care.

Go be a mom now, be happy, and don't bother me with your mental health.

We see all the characters through her eyes. That is why people seem comical in their campy acting. Our narrator is not in touch with reality and no one is willing to address the problem. Stay home, work less, get the best doctor, get a midwife... non of these fixes addresses postpartum psychosis.

So in case you were not sure what the husband did wrong, he also ignored the seriousness of her mental state.

Funny side note even the main nurse has a nurse Ratchet design, another nod to inappropriate mental health care.

Many women had a baby, a difficult pregnancy, delivery, sent home and then told be happy you have a baby. So if you watched this movie and absolutely hated it, it's over. Shut up and be happy it's over.

Entertaining Throughout

[BethLovesHorror · 6/10 · 7 February 2022]

Welp, I am glad I got my annual Pap smear done a month before watching this film. Otherwise, I would have put it off even more after watching this movie. I found the acting pretty good, but the ending was very predictable. It's a solid 5.5/10 movie.

The blatant rip off of Rosemary's Baby. I mean they're not even trying to hide it!

[angelabox · 2/10 · 25 June 2021]

I mean- is this supposed to be some sort of a modern homage or just an outright plagiarism of Rosemary's Baby? From the pregnancy IVF scene to Justin Theroux's character being named Adrian, to her wanting to use a midwife instead of the creepy doctor - I fully now expect the baby to come out as Little Satan. Only about halfway through this thing and it is DUMB. But I'm going to finish it because I'm a glutton for punishment.