Borderline

Borderline is a 2025 dark comedy/horror release from director Jimmy Warden, the typically brilliant writer who graced us with fantastic comedic horror such as The Babysitter and Cocaine Bear.

With an impressive couple of leads and a satirical 90s-stalker storyline, I fully expected Borderline to win me over completely. But the film doesn’t kick down any doors or demand your attention; it just sort of hangs in the doorway and gives a cool nod. That being said, I did enjoy parts of the movie, I just felt myself wanting more of what it failed to deliver.

There was never that nostalgic 90s vibe I was expecting, aside from Jimmie Fails’ quirky Dennis Rodman-esque character, and the usually brilliant Samara Weaving just kind of phoned it in on this one for me. Honestly, I wasn’t really ever sure who the movie was actually about. The pop star, the stalker, or the security guard and his family?

The comedic elements were there, but a lot of it felt more like it’d been added later on for some reason. I could see this film maybe was initially heading in one direction, but for whatever reason it didn’t work out so they changed a bunch of elements and the end result was a mishmash of whatever was left to edit together.

Ray Nicholson definitely stole the show, and I would have liked his backstory to be more fleshed out as opposed to an honorable mention that contributed nothing more to the story. It would have made the final scene that much more memorable.

Speaking of final scene, maybe I’m biased because of the song choice (I’m looking at you Petey!) but it was by far the best part of the movie and felt like you were watching something completely different altogether, ultimately making the experience feel worthwhile. Bravo to Nicholson’s absolutely impressive emoting.

All in all, Borderline had enormous potential, but it could have been a short film because at feature length it felt rushed, unfinished, and accidentally charming. I’m not saying skip it, just keep your expectations lower than mine were and you’ll have a fun watch on your hands.

I received a copy of this film in exchange for honest review.