Verity Movie: Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway Thriller Draws Tough Reviews

Verity, the new erotic thriller starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett, is heading to US theaters on October 2 following its Amazon MGM Studios premiere in New York on September 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian.

Directed by Michael Showalter and based on Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel of the same name, the film pairs a psychological mystery with deliberately heightened psychosexual elements. Early critical reaction has been mixed-to-negative, with reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian questioning whether the mystery ultimately holds together.

What to know about the Verity movie

• The Hollywood Reporter identifies Verity as an erotic thriller adapted from Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel and directed by Michael Showalter.
• Dakota Johnson plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, while Anne Hathaway plays bestselling author Verity Crawford, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• Josh Hartnett plays Verity's husband, Jeremy Crawford, The Hollywood Reporter says.
• The Guardian lists the US release date as October 2, with the film opening in Australia on October 1 and the UK on October 2.
• Hathaway also served as a producer on the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• Showalter told The Hollywood Reporter that Colleen Hoover was closely involved during the adaptation process.

What is Verity about?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson's Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer who is hired to complete a bestselling book series by renowned author Verity Crawford after an accident leaves Verity incapacitated. Hathaway plays Verity, while Hartnett plays her husband, Jeremy.

Lowen's work takes her into the Crawford home, which The Guardian says is in Vermont. There, The Hollywood Reporter reports, she discovers a secret manuscript containing what appear to be autobiographical notes written by Verity. The discovery raises disturbing questions about the author's past and drives the mystery at the center of the film.

The Guardian notes that the narrative ultimately involves Lowen finding two manuscripts. Its review also highlights a sinister nurse played by retired principal ballerina Irina Dvorovenko, a character the outlet says later disappears from the story without a convincing explanation.

Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett on Verity's intimate scenes

The film's sexual and psychological material was a major subject of discussion around its New York premiere. Hathaway told The Hollywood Reporter that it was important for the adaptation to contain "unexpected, sexy, psychological" moments. She pointed to a dream sequence shown in the trailer in which Lowen pulls away from kissing Jeremy and sees Verity's face.

The Hollywood Reporter says several moments were created specifically for the screen adaptation to increase those psychosexual elements. Hathaway also described a less expected moment that nearly caused her to break character: an unscripted foot rub performed by Dvorovenko.

"I had never gotten a foot rub from a ballerina before," Hathaway told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that Dvorovenko knew what she was doing. Hathaway said she almost broke character because she struggled to contain her reaction to the ballerina's "really, really gifted hands."

Hartnett, meanwhile, told The Hollywood Reporter that filming the sex scenes could become funny because of the precise physical details contained in Hoover's writing. He described the work as technical and said that the actors sometimes had their spouses present on set. That familiarity, he said, helped them approach potentially embarrassing moments with humor.

Josh Hartnett says an intimacy coordinator played a major role

Speaking on ABC News Live Prime, Hartnett said an intimacy coordinator "played a big part" in making the film, according to Deadline. He also credited his co-stars and Showalter with creating an environment in which the material could be approached professionally without losing a sense of fun.

Deadline quotes Hartnett as saying that he, Johnson and Hathaway became fast friends, which meant the intimate material ultimately felt "kind of goofy." He also described on-screen chemistry as something the performers could construct "in a way like a puzzle" when actors get along and have a director who understands what is required.

Hartnett praised Johnson and Hathaway as "professional and intentional actors" and "really, really talented," Deadline reports. He said working with them left him feeling that he was in the best possible position to create the chemistry the film needed.

Verity cast, characters and key release dates

Person or date	Role or event
Dakota Johnson	Plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Anne Hathaway	Plays Verity Crawford and served as a producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Josh Hartnett	Plays Verity's husband, Jeremy Crawford, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Showalter	Directed the adaptation, The Hollywood Reporter says.
September 29	Amazon MGM Studios held the New York premiere, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
October 1	Australian release date listed by The Guardian.
October 2	US and UK release date listed by The Guardian.

How closely does Verity follow Colleen Hoover's novel?

Showalter told The Hollywood Reporter that his primary goal was to remain as faithful as possible to Hoover's book, even as the adaptation introduced material intended to heighten its psychosexual qualities. Verity marks the fourth screen adaptation of a Hoover book, according to the outlet.

The director said Hoover was "very present" throughout the process. Showalter told The Hollywood Reporter that she came to the set and that he communicated with her by text and phone, relying on her opinions and taste to help determine whether the production was moving in the right direction.

The screenplay itself was adapted by Nick Antosca, according to The Guardian. Deadline's review raised a broader question about the adaptation, asking whether Johnson's Lowen and Hathaway's Verity could be read as "really alter egos for Colleen Hoover."

What are critics saying about Verity?

The early verdicts cited here lean negative despite the high-profile cast. The Hollywood Reporter's review framed its assessment around Hathaway, Johnson and Hartnett attempting and failing to carry the mystery with the required allure. That judgment sits alongside the outlet's reporting on the filmmakers' efforts to preserve Hoover's story while intensifying some of its psychological and sexual dimensions for the screen.

The Guardian was also unfavorable, calling Verity an "unconvincing mystery" and saying Johnson returns to "'Fifty Shades' ingenue-cute territory." Its criticism focuses particularly on the movie's later stages rather than its opening.

"After a sensational opening sequence, the film gradually unwinds," The Guardian's review says, arguing that the third act breaks down into a series of smaller plot points that fail to convince. Its final assessment of the screenplay is concise: "This needed a new draft."

With its October 2 US release, audiences will soon be able to see how Showalter and his cast have translated Hoover's combination of authorship, secrecy, attraction and psychological uncertainty to the screen. The critical response so far is mixed-to-negative, but the filmmakers' comments to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline make clear that both fidelity to Hoover's novel and the chemistry among its central trio were major priorities during production.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Verity movie come out in the US?

The Guardian lists the US release date for <em>Verity</em> as October 2. The film is scheduled to open in the UK on the same date and in Australia on October 1. Amazon MGM Studios held the film's New York premiere on September 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Who stars in the Verity movie?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dakota Johnson stars as struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, Anne Hathaway plays bestselling author Verity Crawford, and Josh Hartnett plays Verity's husband, Jeremy Crawford. Hathaway also served as a producer. Michael Showalter directed the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's 2018 novel.

What is the Verity movie about?

The Hollywood Reporter says Lowen Ashleigh is hired to finish Verity Crawford's bestselling book series after an accident leaves the author incapacitated. While working at the Crawford home, Lowen discovers a secret manuscript containing Verity's apparent autobiographical notes, leading her toward disturbing questions about Verity's past.

What are critics saying about Verity?

The early reviews cited here are mixed-to-negative. The Guardian calls the film an "unconvincing mystery" and criticizes its third act, while The Hollywood Reporter's review says Hathaway, Johnson and Hartnett fail to make the mystery work. Deadline's review raises questions about whether Lowen and Verity function as alter egos for Colleen Hoover.