Jenna Ortega Stands Out In Paramount+ Top 10 Drama

By Britta DeVore | Published

finestkind

There’s just something about Jenna Ortega that has captured the love of audiences. It could be her sass or dry sense of humor or even perhaps her ability to bring characters like Wednesday Addams to life. But if you haven’t seen the young star in the Paramount+ drama, Finestkind, you’re missing out on a fundamental building block of her career. And the streamer’s subscribers agree as the title currently holds the fourth spot on its Top 10.

Finestkind

Sure, we’ve loved watching Ortega grow in slashers like X and the fifth and sixth installments of the Scream franchise, but her dramatic chops are something truly impressive to behold. Last year, the actress joined a stacked cast that included Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive), Ben Foster (Six Feet Under), and Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders) in filmmaker Brian Helgeland’s (A Knight’s Tale) latest project, Finestkind.

The Story

finestkind

A dark drama with a hefty side of crime, Finestkind is – at its heart – a movie about family and how, sometimes, people will push past their morals if it means keeping those closest to them safe.

The story takes place on the coast of Massachusetts where Ray Eldridge (Jones) and his son, Tom (Foster), have made a life for themselves as fishermen. When Ray’s other son and Tom’s brother, Charlie (Wallace) moves back home, he wants to take a stab at the family business.

A Deal Gone Wrong

Feeling like they’re invincible and above the law, the boys wander out into Canadian water where they’re quickly apprehended by the Coast Guard while sailing their father’s boat, Finestkind.

To get out of the financial bind that they’ve wound up in thanks to the fines imposed, Charlie seeks out the help of Mabel (Ortega), a girl he’s recently struck up a relationship with and who has ties to organized crime. After a drug deal goes bad, the family finds themselves in deeper water than before. 

The Reception

Finestkind celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, with a straight-to-streamer release to follow on December 15. For the most part, the film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the title sits with the underwhelming less-than-fresh rating of 30 percent. 

Aside from Finestkind, Ortega stayed busy in 2023 with Scream VI which sounds like it will be her last time stepping into the shoes of Tara Carpenter as she exited the seventh installment due to scheduling issues with filming for Season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday.

This year, Ortega starred opposite Martin Freeman in the thriller, Miller’s Girl, and also recently celebrated the world premiere of the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. 

Stream It Now

finestkind

GFR SCORE

Next, the actress will appear alongside a star-studded lineup of performers in the highly anticipated feature, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Just about as far from Finestkind as one could get, the movie serves as a sequel to the classic Tim Burton-helmed feature of 1988.

In it, Michael Keaton’s titular ghoul will come back from the afterlife to wreak havoc on the Deetz family all over again with Ortega playing the role of Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) daughter, Astrid. 

While Finestkind may not be the type of genre audiences are used to seeing Jenna Ortega in, it’s definitely worth a watch as you’ll see her like you never have before. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old Tommy Lee Jones-led crime drama?

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