{"id":10769,"date":"2020-01-30T17:09:41","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T22:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=10769"},"modified":"2026-07-02T16:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:38:25","slug":"may-2003","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=10769","title":{"rendered":"May-2003"},"content":{"rendered":"

May-2003<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director Lucky McKee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Angela Bettis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott’s Review #985<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed January 30, 2020<\/p>\n

Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

May (2003) is a macabre and twisted psychological horror film and the directorial debut of Lucky McKee.<\/p>\n

Though not a box-office success, the film has become a cult favorite and is a feast for lovers of the deprived and tormented.<\/p>\n

The wicked fun is to watch the main character, already troubled at the start of the film, dissolve into complete and utter madness.<\/p>\n

The acting and the mood are exceptionally crafted.<\/p>\n

Growing up with a lazy eye, leaving her scarred with never-ending insecurity, May Canady (Angela Bettis) is a twenty-eight-year-old woman who has suffered from a troubled childhood.<\/p>\n

Having always had trouble making friends, she finally befriends a lesbian colleague, Polly (Anna Faris), and a handsome mechanic, Adam (Jeremy Sisto).<\/p>\n

Before long, she spoils the friendship when her oddities brim to the surface. May descends into utter madness and decides to build a new friend using human body parts.<\/p>\n

Will bits and pieces of her friends be used in the creation?<\/p>\n

Bettis is a goldmine in the central role, providing a healthy dose of sympathy and creepiness.<\/p>\n

Many film characters have been outright disturbing in cinematic history, but May is wounded and victimized, so we, as viewers, want to see her win out for once.<\/p>\n

All May wants is a friend, and, especially with Adam, we root for her to find true love.<\/p>\n

May is like a combination of Carrie and Frankenstein.<\/p>\n

Adam, while handsome, is also weird, and a good match for May. He introduces her to a bizarre movie in which two characters embark on a romantic picnic and then eat each other. Adam reveals that he created the film for a college project.<\/p>\n

This impresses May- finally, she has a soulmate! She quickly ruins the moment by biting his lip, turning him off, and destroying her mounting confidence.<\/p>\n

McKee is successful at making the film flow with precision and good pacing. Many rookie directors seem overwhelmed by a major motion picture undertaking, perhaps feeling more comfortable with short films.<\/p>\n

McKee proves he knows his stuff with an elegant and icy atmosphere that is just perfect for this type of film.<\/p>\n

May is a quick one hour and thirty-three minutes, which is all that is needed to make its mark.<\/p>\n

The final thirty minutes are the best part as the shit hits the fan in a big way. McKee’s choice to use Halloween night as the backdrop is both obvious and ingenious.<\/p>\n

May is not only ignored by Adam, but also learns that he has a new girlfriend. To add insult to injury, Polly also finds love with their new girlfriend, Ambrosia.<\/p>\n

May feels isolated and finally snaps when her cat ignores her. She goes on a rampage and hacks up not only her friends but also her eye.<\/p>\n

May is a clever and atmospheric horror\/thriller film with bursts of creativity and a well-flowing narrative. McKee may not always be original and borrows heavily from other genre films, but he creates a solid blueprint for what his talents may lead to.<\/p>\n

The film leaves the viewer unnerved and aghast, but isn’t that the point of a good horror film?<\/p>\n

May (2003) could disappear over time, but it provides a worthy dedication to the horror genre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May-2003 Director Lucky McKee Starring Angela Bettis Scott’s Review #985 Reviewed January 30, 2020 Grade: B+ May (2003) is a macabre and twisted psychological horror film and the directorial debut of Lucky McKee. Though not a box-office success, the film has become a cult favorite and is a feast for lovers of the deprived and … Continue reading May-2003<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[283,11661,13,11782],"tags":[2314,2316,2315,11918],"class_list":["post-10769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2003-movie-reviews","category-halloween","category-horror-films","category-psychological-horror","tag-angela-bettis","tag-anna-faris","tag-jeremy-sisto","tag-lucky-mckee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10769"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23675,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769\/revisions\/23675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}