Film Review – The Wrong Girls (2026)

      The Wrong Girls, 2026.

      Written and Directed by Dylan Meyer.

      Starring Kristen Stewart, Alia Shawkat, LaKeith Stanfield, Zack Fox, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Tony Hale, Chris Estrada, Thomas La Barbera Christensen, Thor Knai, Thomas Nicholson, Kate McKinnon, Geena Davis, Cate Blanchett, Morgan Krantz, Taj Cross, Zed Cutsinger, and Sugar Lyn Beard.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Two aimless young women accidentally acquire telepathic powers after taking an experimental drug, leading them to confront perilous adversaries seeking the same potent substance.

      While Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat are undoubtedly talented (with Stewart being one of today's finest actors/filmmakers), it’s evident that something isn't right with writer/director Dylan Meyer’s The Wrong Girls when they are overshadowed in humor by Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani voicing a pair of cats.

      The premise has the potential for uproarious antics with energetic momentum, as the stoner best friends, who are struggling to make ends meet and are withholding future decisions from each other, find themselves in possession of a briefcase containing a new drug. This drug becomes even more valuable when they simultaneously get high on marijuana, leading to the realization that their combination grants them various telepathic abilities, such as communicating with their goofy cats, who frequently remind them of their shortcomings as pet owners while also showing cowardice.

      Misunderstanding LaKeith Stanfield’s uniquely credited Not Metal Head Dave as the intended recipient of the briefcase, they mistakenly hand it to a doppelgänger (played by Kristen Stewart as a humorous twist reflecting an upgraded version of her character) that her ex-boyfriend is following. Frankie and Molly take control of the briefcase and draw the attention of criminals and scientists aiming to recover the drug for their own financial gain.

      Whenever they are not being harassed, shot at, or bumbling through their nights like fools, Frankie and Molly attempt to profit from the drugs to settle their bills. This includes attending an excruciatingly lame college reunion organized by Tony Hale’s Martin Flynn to find buyers, and eventually reaching out to scientists (with Kate McKinnon doing her usual quirky routine that feels uninspired here) who might collaborate with them. This requires them to fend off European criminals wanting to reclaim the drugs to sell to the top bidder, likely destined for warfare due to their telepathic capabilities.

      Yet somehow, The Wrong Girls turns out to be a tedious experience with minimal sense of urgency and even fewer laughs. Much of Dylan Meyer's inspiration stems from personal experiences of getting stoned with friends, which reflects the fact that such moments are often only amusing to those experiencing them. The jokes in the dialogue are forgettable; scenes, like dining at their favorite buffet when they have the munchies or a late action sequence in an abandoned factory, progress without any excitement or clever one-liners.

      I don’t want to be the person asserting that, in a film featuring skilled women, the only funny moments arise from male-voiced silly cats, but I can’t help but recall Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani as Dio and GG commenting on their owners more than anything else: “trust me, she’s not taking us to the vet, they don’t have money for that.” The cats also engage in the most thrilling part of the action, with Kumail Nanjiani motivating himself to overcome his cowardice to save the day while navigating dangerous situations, only to scuttle away when a bullet is fired nearby. Everything else fades from memory, including more intricate narrative details, just a few hours after watching the film.

      It’s not that Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat lack the goofy chemistry of their feline counterparts, but their characters are trapped in genre stereotypes, failing to evolve them into anything distinctive, resonant, or interesting. While they convincingly embody stoners, even those who enjoy this type of comedy might find themselves puzzled and disengaged. Besides occasional instances of telekinesis (and, of course, loosely interacting with Dio and GG, which isn’t interesting due to the humans), the film surprisingly underutilizes the superpowers until the third act. Perhaps the best creative decision for The Wrong Girls would have been to focus on the cats.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder