Sharp Stick Review: Froseth's Stellar Performance Saves Dunham's Clunky Script

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At the height of the global pandemic, quarantines and loneliness became widespread for many working artists in Hollywood. That same isolation gave writer-director Lena Dunham the reflection she needed to create her latest feature, Sharp Stick, after an 11-year hiatus. Returning to the big screen to lend her voice to feminism with respect to sexual liberation and emotional growth once again, Dunham’s latest taps into female desires in a judgement-free framework. Yet something holds the narrative back from greatness. Sharp Stick is charming thanks to great performances, but the lopsided script doesn’t reach its full potential.

Kristine Froseth stars as Sarah Jo, a naïve 26-year-old living with her mother Marilyn (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and sister Treina (Taylour Paige). Longing to be seen and sick of her mundane routine, Sarah Jo begins an affair with her older employer Josh (Jon Bernthal). But when things evolve from simple and comfortable to complicated and toxic, Sarah Jo must decide for herself what it means to be sexually liberated and independent. She’ll just have to experience loss, confusion, and heartbreak in the process.

Related: Jon Bernthal Has an Affair with His Babysitter in Sharp Stick Trailer

Lena Dunham’s film begins as a charming evaluation of self-discovery and body appreciation. However, overtime it evolves into a thinly written narrative that doesn’t quite make sense and falls short of its potential. Through Sarah Jo, Dunham preaches sexual awakening and learning to be comfortable in one's own skin without judgement. Yet, the way in which she frames these concepts is problematic. For one, Sarah Jo learns about her sexual needs as a result of an affair. But for a writer who has historically preached