Me You Madness is the craziest movie I’ve seen in a long time, and I’m 72.5% sure that’s not an insult. The film is colorful and ridiculous, framed with booming 80s music like “I Think We’re Alone Now”, “Let’s Hear It For the Boy,” “Take on Me,” and many more. Louise Linton, who produces, writes, directs, and stars, crafts a campy and outrageous riff on American Psycho. Ed Westwick of CW’s Gossip Girl plays opposite Linton, as a flashy-but-charming male lead. It’s a singular vision of comedy and jet-black humor that I loved from start to finish.
Catherine Black (Louise Linton) is a self-proclaimed materialistic narcissist with an “acute lack of conscience.” She’s a rich, successful businesswoman who lives a life of luxury; Catherine also happens to love killing men, then eating them for dinner. After putting out an ad online seeking a roommate, Tyler (Ed Westwick) shows up at her door. He’s a college dropout who couldn’t afford tuition, and a sneaky thief who is casing out her house to pull off a risky scheme. Catherine, who was looking for her next meal, may have finally found a true soulmate…
The constant narration throughout might be a dealbreaker for some—this viewer, however, loved the 4th wall breaking and living in the headspace of Catherine Black. Her character is so specific, bitchy, and layered that I relished every time she spoke. Everything out of Catherine’s mouth is a gem, whether going off on hilarious tangents about object-related deaths in movies or her reaction after Tyler steals her car: “I’m gonna slice your face off with a cheese grater and then feed your testicles to my girlfriend.” Her commitment to making kills that stray from genre cliche made me laugh every single time. Catherine is fully-formed, bubbling with personality and obsessed with leg warmers and the color pink. I had only seen actress Louise Linton prior as Deputy Winston in the Cabin Fever remake, and I was fully unprepared for what she brought to the table.
The strength of Me You Madness is obviously carried by the chemistry between the two leads. Thankfully, Ed Westwick is just as game for all the insanity. An argument over furniture names (couch vs. sofa), then another about pronunciations for “tomato” and “potato” simply could’ve been disastrous or dull without Westwick and Linton riffing off each other. Their relationship turns the narrative sharply in a new direction, carried by the strengths of the performances. My favorite moments from Tyler in the film are a fourth-wall break over “just the tip” and an exceptionally clever sequence that gives Westwick his very own High School Musical 2 “Bet On It” moment.
Me You Madness is a delightfully demented, hilarious, over-the-top slice of fun. It has certainly put breakout Louise Linton on my radar—I can’t wait to see what she does next, based purely on the exciting strengths of this silly comedy. A banging soundtrack and snappy, memorable dialogue makes this a must-see. Watching Ed Westwick dancing, thrusting and lip syncing “I’m So Excited,” donned in only a bathrobe, is worth the price of admission alone. Me You Madness is available on Digital Download Monday, April 19th.
