Quibi, former Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg’s short-form streaming service, is finally here with dozens of “quick bites” at its disposal. What’s worth chewing on and what’s worth spitting out? We sorted through virtually every show the network has launched to filter out the most digestible. Below, is our “quick bite” review for Veena Sud’s thriller The Stranger,
The Pitch: We’ve all had a bad ride-share experience, but I’m sure it doesn’t compare to the bad night The Guest‘s Maika Monroe is having in Veena Sud‘s (The Killing) thriller The Stranger, in which she plays a young ride-share driver who picks up a mysterious passenger (Dane DeHaan) who turns out to be deadlier and more elusive than he appears at first glance. Though come on, it’s Dane DeHaan, he’s just got that natural ‘eats live rats for breakfast’ look to him. Don’t trust this guy!
Dare We Quibble? Monroe’s always a reliable horror lead, and DeHaan absolutely leans into his natural leeriness as a self-described sociopath with shades of Elliot Rodger incel-itude to him. Sud’s direction is suitably atmospheric, and makes delightful use of the restrictive phone-friendly format of the platform. But the dialogue hardly impresses in the three quibis provided with the premiere.
Trailer:
Quibi Show Review: The Stranger Isn’t Strange Enough
Michael Roffman
