Backstabbing for Beginners review: A slick waste of time

The year 2018 continues to be a prolific one for A24, having just released films like Lean on Pete and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall in the same year. A24 adds another film to its growing list with the political drama-thriller, Backstabbing for Beginners.

When dealing with a film based on true events, the grading criteria for its overall quality takes some different approaches in regards to analyzing it. Is the story accurate? If so, which parts? Were there any liberties taken with the story? But most important of all, is the real-world story interesting enough to justify a movie adaptation for the whole world to see? It’s here where the newest A24 film, Backstabbing for Beginners, enters an interesting conundrum.

Backstabbing for Beginners, which has just been released in Dallas theaters, attempts to make a sort of political statement, if you will. Commenting on the abuse that ran rampant in the Bill Clinton-approved Oil-For-Food Programme, run by the U.N. So as is to be expected, this political thriller from writer-director, Per Fly, will be the kind of thriller that thrives on big-words and LOTS of slick business talk. But does the film succeed in both entertaining and informing the audience on a very serious issue from the early 2000’s or does it fail in its mission?

Corruption at the U.N.

The story takes the audience back to the 2000’s, where Backstabbing for Beginners takes place. Here, we are introduced to Michael (The Divergent series’ Theo James), a young, passionate worker for the U.N. whose dream is to help people in need. Michael attempts to fulfill his dream by taking a job in the renowned Oil-For-Food Programme, which is designed to help the citizens of Iraq with food and general support. Here, Michael soon learns that the program may be more corrupt than it lets on and worse off, his boss, Pasha (Ben Kingsley), may be involved with it. Sounds like the film has the foundation for an effective and disturbing political thriller that makes a bold statement on corruption in politics.

So then why is it so drab in its execution?

Backstabbing for Beginners has a genuinely intriguing backstory as the main setting for the film and somehow it lacks a sense of urgency and importance. A crazy real-life story and the final result is about as interesting and engaging as a straight-to-TV film. That’s not to say the story isn’t worth looking up, because it absolutely is. The Oil-For-Food Programme was notorious for the various scandals and corruption that plagued its reputation until its closure in 2003. But as the revelations in this film come forward, it’s done with the most bland execution that it makes it genuinely difficult to get invested in what is otherwise and interesting story. If there’s a cliche for political thrillers, this film has it in some way. An ambitious protagonist, a hammy villain, and vague political statements that don’t go anywhere in the process, it’s all here in unironic form.

“I just wanna help people”

Arguably the biggest negative of the film is its utter lack of interesting characters that engage the audience and make them think. Backstabbing for Beginners has the unfortunate dishonor of having one of the most lifeless characters ever put into a political thriller with Michael, played by Theo James. The film, which tries to make political statements AND juggle a ‘relatable’ main character, fails to do both, with James’ Michael a literal walking blank slate. One scene towards the beginning tries to develop Michael’s character, but all we get out of it is “Michael is a nice guy who wants to help people.” That’s totally okay; a main character who just wants to do right is completely fine for leading a movie. But when that’s all to a character and the actor gives off the vibe that that’s nothing he truly wants to do makes for an inconsistent and just downright unfinished character.

It doesn’t help that Theo James never gives off the impression that he’s in it to help people. Michael hardly shows faults, making him seem like an A.I. machine rather than a human being with people’s best interests in mind. Kate Mara pulls off the blank slate character greatly in Morgan BECAUSE she is an A.I. machine. Here, Michael is (allegedly) a real human being and an unforgivably dull one at that. There’s nothing wrong with emitting a dull personality, but when it’s for a film, it’s gonna be essential in turning away a potential audience. I’ll give credit for James for branching out into more serious dramas, but this’ll be one I doubt even he will remember about come the end of 2018.

If there’s one (sort of) saving grace for Backstabbing for Beginners, it’s the fiery performance from seasoned acting veteran, Ben Kingsley. Kingsley takes what little complex writing is put into his character and fleshes it out into a genuinely compelling wildcard of a character. Pasha is a businessman who knows the ins and outs of negotiation and can fake emotions when need be. There is one scene involving him meeting a wounded child in the hospital and it’s one of, if not the most disturbing scene in the whole film. Pasha is a great manipulator who manages to emit a charm that’s both warm and dangerous. Kingsley gives one of his better performances as of late and is easily above the material in this film. I commend him for taking the role, as I doubt it would’ve appealed to many other big-name actors.

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Waste of time

It doesn’t matter how many big-name actors one puts in their film or how nice the cinematography looks (which it does look admittedly satisfying), if there isn’t a gripping story at the forefront with characters to make the audience feel on the same page as the film, then there’s not much of a purpose for the film to even exist. Backstabbing for Beginners is the dictionary definition of bland and plodding, which is shame given Ben Kingsley’s otherwise compelling performance.

The story, which by itself is incredibly wild and disturbing, is drained of any emotional impact by the lifeless nature of the rest of the film. We should be getting a spicy burrito, but instead, we get a homemade wrap with butter, cold chicken, and maybe some slight paprika.

Next: The best A24 films released so far

Towards the beginning of the film, Michael introduces the story to the audience by proclaiming that this a story that he thinks the audience is going to want to hear. Admittedly, I was curious to see where it headed. After the film, I realized that as soon as he says that line to the audience, it’d be much wiser to simply turn off the film, go online and read up on the issues themselves. That’s what I suggest to anybody reading this: look up the real-life stories and scandals involving the Oil-For-Food Programme. You may be enlightened on some genuinely disturbing scandals. It beats having to sit through this film to simply learn that this film failed to do its job in telling the story for the big screen, which is unfortunate, but part of reality.

Final Verdict: 4/10

Backstabbing for Beginners is out now on limited release in theaters. In Dallas, you can find it at AMC Grapevine Mills 30.