Preview
This weekend, if you’re tired of watching superhero movies where nobody actually bleeds, you might want to check out The Wrath of Becky. It’s a sequel to that 2020 flick (Becky) where the guy from Paul Blart: Mall Cop got beat up by a teenager. This time, Lulu Wilson is back as the angriest little girl in America, and she’s taking on a group of political nutjobs who think they’re tough because they have beards and tactical vests.
The story picks up a couple of years later, and Becky is trying to live a normal life, or as normal as you can be when you’ve stabbed a bunch of escaped convicts with colored pencils. But of course, some idiots have to go and mess with her dog. You never mess with the dog! Seann William Scott—yeah, Stifler from American Pie—plays the bad guy this time. It’s gonna be violent, it’s gonna be loud, and I’m gonna need some aspirin.
Review by Ben Dover
Listen here, folks. I usually hate movies starring teenagers because, quite frankly, I don’t understand a word that comes out of their mouths. They mumble, they look at their phones, and they complain about everything. But this Becky kid? She’s different. She doesn’t tweet about her feelings; she expresses them with a crossbow. And I can respect that. The Wrath of Becky is basically Home Alone for psychopaths, and honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the garbage on TV these days.
The movie starts with Becky living with a nice old lady named Elena. They’re happy, they’re off the grid—which is smart because the government is watching us all, let me tell you—but then a bunch of morons called the “Noble Men” show up. These guys are clearly supposed to be those “Proud Boys” types you see on the news, acting like they’re saving the country while ordering lattes. They make the mistake of insulting Becky and stealing her dog, Diego. Now, I’ve been married for 35 years, and I know one thing: you don’t poke the bear, and you certainly don’t steal a girl’s dog.
What follows is an hour and a half of this little girl absolutely dismantling these grown men. And it is satisfying. I mean, these bad guys are so dumb they probably need instructions to use a doorknob. But watching Stifler—sorry, Seann William Scott—try to be a serious, menacing villain was actually pretty good. He’s got that crazy look in his eyes that reminds me of my neighbor when I mow the lawn too early on Sundays.
Is the movie perfect? No. It tries to be all hip with its political commentary, making fun of “incels” and “fascists,” which I guess is what the kids care about now. Back in my day, we just had bad guys, we didn’t need a manifesto. But the violence is practical—good old-fashioned fake blood and guts, none of that CGI cartoon stuff. If you like seeing bad people step in bear traps, you’ll have a good time. Just don’t bring the grandkids.
Starring
- Lulu Wilson as Becky: This girl is terrifying. She’s got a stare that could curdle milk. She plays the role like a young Rambo, but with more angst.
- Seann William Scott as Darryl: He’s the leader of the “Noble Men.” It’s weird seeing Stifler all serious and bearded, talking about “purity” and “order.” He does a good job, though I kept waiting for him to offer someone a beer.
- Denise Burse as Elena: The nice lady who takes care of Becky. She’s the only normal person in the movie, so naturally, she doesn’t last long.
- Kate Siegel as Agent Montana: She shows up at the end looking like she wandered in from a different movie, probably one of those Netflix horror shows.
Special Effects
Now this is where the movie shines. It’s got gore, and plenty of it. We’re talking heads exploding, arrows through faces, and knives going places knives shouldn’t go. It looks like they used actual corn syrup and red dye, just like the good Lord intended. There’s a scene with a grenade that is particularly messy. It reminded me of the time I tried to fix the garbage disposal—let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
Music
The music is composed by Nima Fakhrara. It’s a lot of screeching and thumping. It fits the movie, I guess, making you feel tense and on edge, kind of like when my wife asks me if I remembered to take out the trash. It’s not something I’d hum in the shower, but it works while people are getting hunted in the woods.
Rating
I’m giving this one 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s short, it’s violent, and the dog survives. That’s all I really ask for in a movie. It loses points for some of the cringe-worthy dialogue about “woke” culture—just shut up and blow things up already!
Complete Synopsis and Plot Breakdown
Warning: Spoilers ahead. Don’t come crying to me if you read this.
The movie takes place two years after Becky killed those escaped convicts in the first film. She’s been running from foster homes and is now 16, living off the grid with an older woman named Elena and her dog, Diego. They have a nice quiet life until three guys from a group called the “Noble Men” stop at the diner where Becky works. These guys are misogynistic jerks—real winners. Becky spills coffee on the leader, Anthony, on purpose.
The men, being fragile little snowflakes, follow Becky home. They break in, shoot Elena in the head (which really ticked me off), knock Becky unconscious, and steal her dog. When Becky wakes up, she buries Elena and vows revenge. She tracks the men to a remote cabin using the address of their leader, Darryl (Seann William Scott).
It turns out the Noble Men are planning an armed insurrection against a Senator at a town hall meeting the next day. Becky sneaks onto the property and starts doing what she does best: setting traps. She leaves a phone on the porch to taunt them, then starts picking them off. She lures Anthony into the woods and rigs a grenade to his mouth with a tripwire connected to the cabin door. When Darryl opens the door—BOOM. No more Anthony.
Darryl realizes he’s dealing with a psycho. He finds out his men killed Elena and lied about it, so he kills one of his own guys for being incompetent. Becky eventually gets captured (briefly) and meets Darryl’s mother, who is actually the mastermind behind the whole hate group. It’s a real family affair.
Becky escapes, of course. She uses bear traps to kill Darryl—he steps in one, falls, and gets one clamped on his neck. Ouch. Then she takes out the grandma with a knife to the head and lets the dog maul her. With everyone dead, she takes the thumb drive containing the list of all the Noble Men members.
At the end, a CIA agent (Kate Siegel) interrogates Becky. Instead of arresting her for murdering a dozen people, she recruits her. The movie ends with Becky in a black suit, stopping the last surviving Noble Men guy on the road and blowing him up with a rocket launcher. Subtle.
Famous Quotes
- “I’m 16. I’m not a child.” — Becky (Telling everyone she’s grown up, though she acts like a lunatic.)
- “We are the Noble Men.” — Darryl (Said with a straight face, which is the funniest part of the movie.)
- “You killed my mother!” — Becky (Referring to Elena, proving family isn’t just blood.)
- “Well done.” — Darryl (His last words before dying in a bear trap. At least he was polite.)
- “Does this look like a negotiations face?” — Becky (Spoiler: It didn’t.)
Interesting Notes
- Stifler Goes Dark: Seann William Scott is known for comedy, but he plays this role dead serious. It’s unnerving, like seeing a clown at a funeral.
- Real Life Inspiration: The “Noble Men” are clearly based on real groups like the Proud Boys. The movie makes fun of them by showing they are terrified of a teenage girl.
- Lulu does the heavy lifting: Lulu Wilson has been acting in horror movies since she was a toddler (almost). She was in Ouija: Origin of Evil and Annabelle: Creation. Kid’s got a resume scarier than my medical history.
- The Key: The key from the first movie (the MacGuffin) returns here, but it turns out to be coordinates. To what? Who knows. Probably the plot for a third movie.
- Rocket Launcher Ending: The ending implies Becky is now a government assassin. It’s ridiculous, but so is the price of gas, so I’ll buy it.