Hulu Mystery Thriller Series Adaptation Sends All-Star Cast Into Madness

Many of the moms in my circle were reading Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers at the same time. “You’ll love this book. It’s right up your alley.” They told me. Still, my TBR pile is already quite high, so I never made the time for it. But when I fell ill with the flu the following winter, I happened to remember the rave reviews of the book, so I cued up the adapted Hulu series. 

Nine Perfect Strangers is instantly riveting. We watch as nine seemingly random people make their way to and arrive at a gorgeous resort set on open, lush land. Melissa McCarthy plays Francis, a successful author going through a breakup. Bobby Cannavale is Tony, a grumpy, short-tempered man who gets into a confrontation with Francis on arrival.

We also meet a family of three, Napoleon and Heather Marconi (Michael Shannon and Asher Keddie) and their daughter, Zoe (Grace Van Patten). Next we see a young flashy couple pull up in their fancy sports car, Jessica and Ben Chandler (Samara Weaving and Melvin Gregg). 

Finally, to round out the nine perfect strangers coming to stay at this mysterious resort, we have Lars (Luke Evans), and Carmel (Regina Hall). These two seem at odds with each other, as Lars is a serious, commanding sort of man and Carmel is mousy and meek. As the guests get out of their cars, the resort staff members, Yao (Manny Yacinto) and Delilah (Tiffany Boone) inform them that they must surrender their cell phones and any contraband in their bags.

They are then greeted by the resort owner and leader of the program they are all registered for, Masha (Nicole Kidman). 

The nine perfect strangers all have distinct personalities, which we see unfold slowly, and as they each drink their smoothies in the morning, we watch as they become more pliable and open to suggestion than they were when they arrived.

While Masha tells them the smoothies contain supplements targeted to each of their blood types (which she checks each day). We quickly learn that each guest has suffered from loss or tragedy, and as they begin to share their stories, the suspense builds toward some unknown threat. 

We also watch as Yao and Delilah, who are in a relationship, gently question Masha about the wisdom of the treatment. Masha insists that these people need to have their own individual breakthroughs, and that this is the only way.

We, the audience, still don’t know what “this” is. As the guests become at once more peaceful mentally and more violent physically, you can’t help but wonder where this is all going. 

GFR SCORE

Nine Perfect Strangers manages to perfectly juxtapose serenity with the constant threat of violence. You are glued to the screen trying to figure out if there are any bad guys, and who they might be. Is someone going to die? Will someone commit suicide? Will the staff revolt? And all the while, Masha is slowly experiencing her own breakdown as she receives threatening messages. 

Nine Perfect Strangers is a worthy couch potato weekend binge. If for nothing else, you should watch it to catch all these stars coming together. But really, it’s a mysterious thriller that leaves you wanting more.