Undoubtedly, Nicole Kidman stands as one of Hollywood's most industrious actors. In the past year alone, she has starred in the age-gap romantic comedy "A Family Affair," the melodramatic crime series "Expats," and "Babygirl," a workplace erotic drama about a woman on the verge of a breakdown. Mimi Cave's new film, "Holland, Michigan," in which Kidman plays Nancy VanDerGroot, touches on similar themes, but the film's execution falls short.
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04-02, 2025Watching Kidman once again embody a meticulously groomed housewife, who begins to see through the idyllic facade of her comfortable middle-class life in the quaint American Midwestern town of Holland, evokes a sense of déjà vu. Nancy VanDerGroot feels like an amalgamation of Kidman's past roles, drawing on familiar character traits and plotlines.
Nancy's dutiful balancing act of teaching home economics while maintaining a household for her optometrist husband, Fred (Matthew Macfadyen), and son, Harry (Jude Hill), is reminiscent of "The Stepford Wives." Her traumatic, never-spoken-of childhood, coupled with her dissatisfaction with her passionless marriage to Fred, recalls Romi from "Babygirl"—there's even a scene of self-pleasure here, albeit far less edgy than in "Babygirl." Nancy's inclination to maintain appearances, even as she grows suspicious of Fred's illicit activities, echoes Celeste from "Big Little Lies."
Aiding her in uncovering what Fred is up to during his frequent business trips is her work colleague and lover, Dave (Gael García Bernal). The two embark on several clumsy, high-stakes reconnaissance missions, the outcomes of which are predictably formulaic. Carefully planned break-ins are foiled by unexpected returns. Suspects are tailed at perilous distances. Disguises are adopted. No one answers their phone (a Nokia, because it's 2000) when you need them most. Life-threatening harm is decidedly not.
If this cliché-ridden, uninspired film were at least an amusing farce, its shortcomings might be forgivable. But as it stands, "Holland, Michigan" is neither sufficiently farcical nor satirical to morph into a full-blown romp, nor serious enough to become a genuinely compelling crime-mystery thriller, like "Expats," which offset its soap opera elements with truly unpredictable suspense. The film needed to lean more heavily into one genre or the other to find its footing.
The surreal, dreamlike scenarios in which Nancy almost finds herself trapped every other night seem to suggest that something more broadly sinister is afoot in this town—akin to "The Stepford Wives," "Don't Worry Darling," or even "WandaVision." But this heavy-handed implication—like so many others in the film—never materializes into anything substantial. The film hints at deeper mysteries but ultimately fails to deliver on them.
Even before Nancy begins to realize that something is seriously amiss with her life, the artificiality of her meticulously maintained domestic existence takes on a queasy, horror-tinged hue. In a scene that feels almost obligatory for the genre, Nancy finds herself splattered with ketchup, uncannily evoking the look and feel of blood. This visual metaphor underscores the underlying tension and unease in her seemingly perfect world.
"Holland, Michigan" is a predictably stylized film that lacks substance. But that's not to say that it's without any merit. Despite its flaws, the film does possess a few redeeming qualities that prevent it from being a complete failure.
The real-life city of Holland, Michigan, is one of the film's most memorable features. Founded by Dutch settlers, and still feeling as if it were transplanted directly from the Netherlands, this white-picket-fence town incorporates every cultural symbol you would typically associate with the Dutch—windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, kroketten, traditional "klederdracht" attire. The authentic Dutch atmosphere is a unique and captivating element of the film.
The town's simulated otherworldly nature, undoubtedly at odds with its surrounding American shell, heightens the film's sense of the bizarre. So, too, does the town's unsettling colonialist tinge, its sole residents of color seemingly being Dave (though this is not explored in any depth). This undercurrent of racial dynamics adds a layer of complexity, albeit unexplored, to the film's setting.
With such a star-studded cast, it's regrettable that "Holland, Michigan" never aims higher than mild diversion. Kidman has perfected this type of role, and as the conflicted Nancy, she's eminently watchable. As in what is rapidly becoming his signature typecast role, Macfadyen's Fred is sly and morally ambiguous, his gentle charm casting a veil over his motivations. Bernal's transition from loyal colleague to slightly unhinged lover is justifiable, particularly given his strong chemistry with Kidman. The performances elevate the material, but cannot fully compensate for its shortcomings.
The film possesses the elements of something far more compelling, but "Holland, Michigan" consistently fails to decide what it wants to be. Ultimately, the film's indecisiveness leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied and yearning for a clearer vision.
