Verdict: 3/5 — A pulpy, handsomely mounted erotic thriller that never quite commits to the campy fun its premise promises, carried almost entirely by Anne Hathaway’s feral commitment. Audiences are devouring it; critics are wincing. Both are right.
| Director | Michael Showalter |
| Writer | Nick Antosca, based on Colleen Hoover’s novel |
| Cast | Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett |
| Studio | Amazon MGM Studios |
| Release date | October 2, 2026 |
| Opening weekend | $32.6 million domestic |
| Rotten Tomatoes | ~40% critics / ~70% audience |
| Bottom line | Glossy pulp with a star performance — a solid Friday-night watch |
Plot Summary (Spoiler-Free)
Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) lands the job of a lifetime: ghostwrite the remaining books of bestselling author Verity Crawford, left paralyzed and unresponsive after a devastating accident. To do it, Lowen moves into the Crawfords’ stark Vermont home, living alongside Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) and the bedridden Verity herself (Anne Hathaway).
Then Lowen discovers a hidden autobiographical manuscript — with chilling confessions about Verity’s marriage, her children, and the accident itself. Which version of Verity Crawford is real: the woman in the bed, or the woman on the page?
What Works
Anne Hathaway is electric. Whatever the film’s flaws, Hathaway throws herself into Verity with a feral, unhinged energy that even hostile critics keep singling out. In a year that has already given her a Nolan epic and a fashion-world sequel, this is the one where she gets to be dangerous.
The premise is rocket fuel. Colleen Hoover’s novel sells in enormous numbers for a reason: the manuscript-within-a-story device is inherently page-turning, and the film preserves the book’s addictive, trashy momentum.
It looks expensive and feels adult. On a reported $40 million budget, this is a glossy mid-budget studio thriller — the kind Hollywood barely makes anymore. The chilly Vermont setting and the played-straight erotic tension give adult audiences exactly the atmosphere the trailer promised.
What Doesn’t Work
It pulls its punches. The recurring complaint — from two-star reviews in The Independent and The Guardian to pans in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter — is that Verity never fully commits to the campy, psychosexual identity its premise demands. It gestures at darkness without diving in, and the third act unravels into contrivances that don’t quite convince.
The book’s flaws come with it. Remaining faithful to the source material means inheriting its weaknesses, including plotting that sometimes simply runs out of road.
Cast & Performances
Hathaway dominates, but Dakota Johnson’s watchful, understated Lowen is a smart counterweight, and the tension between the two women is the film’s most compelling dynamic. Josh Hartnett is handsome and faintly sinister as Jeremy, though the film never quite decides what it wants him to be.
Box Office: A Hit Despite the Reviews
Verity opened to $32.6 million domestically and $62.6 million worldwide across 71 territories — the biggest Hoover-adaptation opening since It Ends With Us in 2024. On a reported $40 million budget, it is already a success. The 70% audience score against the critics’ 40% tells you exactly who this film is for. It is also Hathaway’s third No. 1 film as a leading actress this year alone — a banner year for the Oscar winner.
Our Verdict
Verity is not the great erotic thriller it could have been, but it is a highly watchable pulpy one — two A-list actresses, a gothic house full of secrets, and a plot that keeps twisting until it ties itself in knots. Go for Hathaway’s star turn; forgive the film for not being braver. 3 out of 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Verity based on a book? Yes — it adapts Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2021 novel, with the screenplay by Nick Antosca.
Who stars in Verity? Anne Hathaway plays Verity Crawford, Dakota Johnson plays ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh, and Josh Hartnett plays Jeremy Crawford.
Why are Verity’s reviews so mixed? Critics sit near 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, finding it too restrained — but audiences score it around 70%, embracing it as pulpy entertainment.
How much did Verity make at the box office? $32.6 million domestic and $62.6 million worldwide in its opening weekend — the biggest Hoover-adaptation opening since 2024.
What are Anne Hathaway’s other 2026 movies? Verity is her fifth 2026 release after Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street — and her only one rated Rotten by critics.