Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson in Verity

Colleen Hoover strikes again, as another adaptation of the best-selling author’s work is launched into theaters with Verity. The latest Hoover-on-film comes from screenwriter Nick Antosca and director Michael Showalter, who maybe had a vibe that the source material is a bit ridiculous and shouldn’t be taken quite so seriously.

Verity stars Anne Hathaway as the eponymous Verity Crawford, herself a best-selling author with an enviable life, at least until it was derailed by tragedy. Following the death of her young daughter, Harper, Verity is incapacitated in a car accident. In the midst of writing a popular novel series, her publisher and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), keep the truth of Verity’s condition a secret and hire a ghostwriter to finish her next novel.

Enter Dakota Johnson as the improbably named Lowen Ashleigh (Colleen Hoover has a real problem with bestowing upon her characters realistic-for-their-ages names. “Verity” I can at least buy as a vintage name revived by a nostalgic parent, but Lowen? There is no one named “Lowen” over the age of 30. I will die on this hill). Lowen is a writer, too, though one with more modest success to her (implausible) name. She is hired by Jeremy, who claims Verity has read Lowen’s work and liked it, well enough to entrust her own work to Lowen. So off Lowen goes to the woods of Vermont, where bed-bound Verity resides with Jeremy and her surviving son, Crew (this name is believable for a Gen Alpha rich kid).

From here, Verity becomes a psychological cat and mouse between Lowen and Verity, who may not be as incapacitated as initially believed. The best part of the film is Lowen unraveling one version of what may be the truth while Verity toys with her. There are shades of Rebecca, particularly, but also Single White Female is in play as Lowen has an opportunity to usurp Verity’s success for herself. But she also usurps Verity’s life, beginning an affair with Jeremy, even though he is a very mid man with little to distinguish him, except for his excellent wife. It’s almost suspicious!

There is cheekiness in Verity that suggests everyone involved understands the material is more than a bit ridiculous and they’re all having fun with it. Anne Hathaway, especially, is fully unhinged in her performance, which is truly delightful to watch. Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, meanwhile, both capture a sort of entitled Caucasian mediocrity of people who know, deep down, their achievements only exist because of someone else’s success. There are moments of Verity that are screamingly good, though it never reaches the full-tilt crazy of Gone Girl, or the social satire of A Simple Favor.

Verity is like a fancy Lifetime movie (compliment). It’s unserious and entertaining and feels like everyone is in on the joke. Probably there are better versions of this film, versions that push the psychosexual undertones harder, or a version that cuts deeper along the currents of domestic violence that rush through the Crawford home, or a version that more clearly renders Lowen a pawn between the f-cked up chess match happening between Jeremy and Verity.

There are serious elements in Verity, of grief and trauma, and how Jeremy manipulates them to gain control over his wife which could make for a genuinely frightening thriller, rather than a merely entertaining thriller. As is, Verity is a little bit in the middle of everything, and so it’s not quite strong enough on anything. It is enjoyable in the moment, but it won’t leave a lasting impression—beyond Anne Hathaway once again delivering a fantastic performance in a year full of fantastic Anne Hathaway performances.

Verity is now playing exclusively in theaters.

Attached -Anne Hathaway out in New York and Dakota Johnson at the SNL after party on the weekend.