Gossip Girl star's Netflix crime thriller and all fans say the same thing
The noughties icon stars in a Netflix original thriller that left many fans feeling disappointed
Leighton Meester, best known for her role as Blair Waldorf in the popular teen drama Gossip Girl, takes on a starkly different character in the mystery film The Weekend Away.
The Netflix original, adapted from Sarah Alderson's novel and released on the streaming service in 2022, promised much with its idyllic setting of Split, Croatia, and a beloved leading lady.
However, it appears to have missed the mark with audiences. A scathing critique on Rotten Tomatoes read: "Absolutely horrible!
"Poor acting, a simple and too predictable script... The only good moment in this movie is a bird's-eye view of that city in Croatia. Unforgettable waste of time."
Another review expressed disappointment, noting: "This movie had all the elements to tell a good story: a decent cast, an interesting location, and an attractive premise, but it turns out they decided to make everything jumbled and full of loose ends."
In the film, Leighton portrays Beth, a new mother who travels to Croatia for a brief holiday with her lifelong friend Kate, played by Christina Wolfe, reports the Mirror US.
Their trip includes a raucous night out clubbing, during which Kate encourages Beth to consider a one-night stand to alleviate her marital woes.
After their night of revelry, Beth awakens with a hazy recollection of the events, only to discover that Kate has mysteriously disappeared.
After a bit of sleuthing with the aid of their obliging taxi driver from the previous evening, Ziad Bakri's character Beth discovers that the two chaps they spent the night with were actually hired escorts and cunning con artists.
Beth's friend had engaged the duo for some light-hearted fun, unbeknownst to her of the gents' clandestine criminal past. The duplicitous pair masquerade as respectable businessmen to sedate and rob their unsuspecting female clientele.
The film's intriguing plot received praise from several viewers, with one fan commenting: "This is a great thriller with twists and turns that bring plenty of surprises. Leighton Meester shines, as does Croatia."
Another enthusiast remarked: "It's a fantastic, fast-paced suspense thriller. Must-watch movie.
"Lead roles-specifically Leighton Meester-are excellent." When it premiered, courtesy of its star actress, the movie piqued enough curiosity to amass almost 80 million hours of viewing.
However, consensus suggests that The Weekend Away might not entirely fulfil viewer expectations. A critique reads: "Decent acting from the main lady, but otherwise pretty average and not a particularly thrilling thriller."
Moreover, one audience member expressed that the movie suffered from "strange pacing," and characters who "lacked depth." Form your own opinion on whether this film meets the criteria of the thriller genre by watching The Weekend Away with Leighton Meester on Netflix today.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh star Chloe Pirrie's life away from Dept.Q from romances to Hollywood ties
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Chloe Pirrie, the Scottish actress recognised for her roles in The Queen's Gambit and The Crown, is relishing working back in Edinburgh where she's been filming for the past six months for Netflix's new detective series, Dept. Q. Playing the character of solicitor Merritt Lingard and working along a stellar cast with Matthew Goode at the helm, she joins fellow Scots Jamie Sives, Mark Bonnar and Shirley Henderson. This homecoming project, led by Scott Frank who previously worked with Pirrie on The Queen's Gambit, has brought her not only to familiar grounds but also allowed for a reunion with Kelly Macdonald, with whom she starred in The Victim. Reflecting on being back in her hometown, Pirrie shared how meaningful it was saying: "I've got family there that I hadn't seen for a while so it was great to be able to spend time with them. A family member came to set - I've never had that before. That kind of stuff is really special." (Image: PA) Her journey into acting took off from her school days at Mary Erskine School, where after playing Anja in 'The Cherry Orchard', she began considering acting as a serious career path, reports the Express. Her acting journey began with a role in the Royal National Theatre's 2010 production of Men Should Weep, followed by appearances in the short film Solstice and the television soap Doctors. Her breakthrough came in 2012 with the Scottish film Shell, which earned her the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 2013 British Independent Film Awards. In 2013, she also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror titled The Waldo Moment, playing a politician. Her career took a significant turn in 2014 when she appeared in the BBC spy thriller 'The Game' as an MI5 secretary, acting alongside Brian Cox. (Image: Andy Buchanan/BAFTA/Shutterstock) The following year saw her take on roles in the television film 'An Inspector Calls' with David Thewliss, the Sky Atlantic crime series 'The Last Panthers' with Samantha Morton and John Hurt, the Oscar-nominated comedy-drama 'Youth', and the black comedy film 'Burn, Burn, Burn'. She also featured in the BBC's lavish adaptation of 'War and Peace' in 2016. In the same year, she graced the small screen in The Living and the Dead, Brief Encounters, and the television film To Walk Invisible, where she took on the role of Emily Brontë. Following her portrayal of Brontë, Pirrie then appeared as Eileen Parker in The Crown. When it comes to Chloe's love life the actress prefers to keep it away from the lime light as not much is known about her dating history. It's unknown if the star is currently in a relationship or if she has any children. All nine instalments of Dept. Q are now ready for streaming on Netflix
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
All episodes of 'thrilling' axed historical drama dropping on free UK streamer
There's an unmissable swashbuckling period drama to add to your watchlists, as viewers will soon be able to watch the entire show for free. Starring Derry Girls alum Louisa Harland, the swaggering 18th-century period drama Renegade Nell found a dedicated fanbase when it was released last year on Disney Plus. Harland plays a young widower turned highwaywoman robber, who has some special superpowers to boot, and all eight episodes will soon be available to binge on ITVX. When she's framed for a murder in Tottenham, Nell is forced on the run with a ragtag group while the elites in the upper echelons of English society have twigged on to her powers she is forced to save the country. Nell is helped by a miniature Nick Mohammed, of Ted Lasso and soon-to-be Slow Horses fame, as the mystical sprite Billy Blind. The show is from the mind of Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright – who is clearly no stranger to writing indomitable female leads – and directed by Sex Education's Ben Taylor, so the combined result is a show with superb production value. Better yet, Renegade Nell was previously behind the Disney Plus paywall but will be streaming on ITVX from Sunday, June 22 – just in time for a weekend binge. However, be warned: the show has already been cancelled by Disney – even with a score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes – so might be best not to become overly attached to the characters. When the axe was officially announced, Disney Plus released a statement to Deadline, reading: 'We're incredibly proud of the world created by Sally Wainwright and lead director Ben Taylor. 'We'd like to thank them, our production partners at Lookout Point, the entire cast – led by Louisa Harland – and crew for their incredible work on this series, all of whom we hope to work with again in the future.' The cancellation was made all the worse because director Ben Taylor told RadioTimes the second season was already being written when the first was released, adding that they were working a time jump into the show. Viewers who have come late to Renegade Nell have already expressed their disappointment that they won't be able to return to this world. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), @Crowbarella wrote: 'I seem to have this habit of finding awesome shows after they've already been canceled. #RenegadeNell.' More Trending 'Continuing my Cancelled Shows tour I've just started Renegade Nell on Disney Plus and one episode in my kids and I have found it utterly thrilling, funny, tragic, surprisingly and, above all, super entertaining,' wrote @alundpughe. 'Very much recommended!' @AnthonyShannon2 wrote: 'Finished Renegade Nell on Disney Plus and it was quite terrific. 1 of the most thrilling things I've seen in quite a while. 'Period storytelling of a highly imaginative quality headed by the truly phenomenal Louisa Harland. Hope there will be season 2…' View More » Renegade Nell will be available to stream on ITVX from Sunday, June 22. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: I'm a TV critic – here's 7 shows I'm bingeing in June MORE: Completely free streaming service adds 'bingeable' new drama perfect for Pride Month MORE: Emmerdale pulled from ITV schedules amid huge death story
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Adolescence becomes Netflix's second biggest English-language TV series
Adolescence has become Netflix's second biggest ever English language TV series. The critically acclaimed UK drama series knocked off Stranger Things after it reached a total of 141.2m views since its launch in March. The fourth season of the sci-fi drama had totalled 140.7m. The No 1 slot is still taken by the first season of Wednesday, which had 252.1m views in its first 91 days. The second season is scheduled to premiere in August. The highest non-English language show is the first season of Squid Game, which had 265.2m views in its first three months. The show had already made history in the UK becoming the first programme on a streaming platform to top the weekly audience charts. The news comes after the show swept the Gotham TV awards in New York, winning breakthrough limited series and two acting awards for stars Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper. 'We're overwhelmed for you to embrace us the way you have,' Graham said in his acceptance speech. 'This was a small colloquial piece that was made with love, respect, humility and dignity, and we treated the subject with a lot of passion, but a lot of care.' Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for the murder of a female classmate. Since its debut, it's scored a string of positive reviews and been praised for sparking vital conversations about the dangers of the online manosphere in radicalising young boys and men. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has openly praised the series, saying it has served as 'a torch that shines intensely brightly on a combination of issues that many people don't know how to respond to'. The series, created with Brad Pitt's production company Plan B, is also expected to score a number of key Emmy nominations, which will be announced in July. It's been reported that a second season is being discussed with no additional details confirmed. 'Possibly, let's see how the figures are,' co-creator and star Graham told Variety when asked about a follow-up. 'But yeah, there's the possibility of developing another story.'
