Knock Knock

This might be my third attempt at watching an Eli Roth film, and so far, one star is my maximum. However, just because his work doesn't resonate with me doesn't mean he's a bad screenwriter or director; it simply means I'm not a fan of his style. The plot of this movie, labeled a comedy (which I think the distributor got wrong), felt quite weak to me. The story seemed incredibly far-fetched, and overall, the movie gave off the vibe that Eli Roth just wanted to have a bit of fun. I only gave it a star for the (briefly effective) erotic tension and Ana de Armas's performance, but that didn't last long before the story took a bizarre turn. Were the girls actually enjoying the whole home invasion scenario? That's where the movie lost me. If you've never dug a grave or any kind of hole in the ground (say, for plumbing), you probably wouldn't understand what a grueling task it is. I simply can't buy into the idea that those two cheerleaders would enjoy that. Overall, it felt like mostly nonsense with a tinge of boredom, hence the one star. / Lesson learned: When home alone, it's best not to open the door to strangers. (07/28/2023)

The first act is brilliant in its own way. If I had to pick a film I thought was made on drugs, this would be among the first – the cheesy portrait of the perfect family, with a theatrical Reeves who seems to have no idea what he's in for, is priceless. Then the two soaked hotties show up to gently torture the exemplary and temporarily abandoned father with their throbbing clitorises, and it's bad. Daddy gets groped and the two sexy chicks turn into emancipated furies who make a big mess of their victim's perfectly ordered life. It's still a great parody, but somehow it dawned on me that Eli Roth was serious, and gradually I found myself internally debating which of the two invasive creatures I'd rather be tempted by. They both won in the end, unlike Reeves, who really can’t put this behind him – but at least his forced wailing is somehow iconic, not far from Nicolas Cage’s in The Wicker Man. The subversive ending was inevitable given Roth's lack of psychology and his Tarantino-like desire to pose. Eventually, though, it holds its own in that regard, and Knock Knock is beautifully goofy, rather than moronic and unwatchable. 55 % (06/29/2022)

Keanu Reeves has a terrible role, but he played it somehow as expected. However, his character is incredibly boring and annoying, which is simply a problem for the whole film. There are some good elements, the idea with the girls is well done, but overall it's nothing that should grab your attention. The principles of home invasion are followed, but nothing more - except for one scene with boobs - you simply won't get anything extra. (04/08/2016)

A modern fairytale where the fairies wear their panties darn low... More a film for girls than guys. Reeves is absolutely awfully cast and a little outside his comfort zone, but I don’t blame him in the slightest that he agreed to do it. The girls in distress, on the other hand, rock. The most watchable movie from Roth so far. P.S.: The nudity in the movie is harmless. It’s more about destruction than about sex. (10/12/2015)

In the first half of Knock Knock, Eli Roth manages to render the growing tension between the characters and the behavior of Keanu Reeves’ model husband in an unusual situation. In the second half, however, this psychological storyline, which is of key importance for the film, falls apart like a house of cards and the girls become unbelievably (and illogically) over-the-top characters in a brainless “horror” B-movie. (06/06/2017)