Directed by: Jimmy Warden
Written by: Jimmy Warden
Run Time: 1 hour 34 mins

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Ray Nicholson has already demonstrated – in both Smile 2 (2024) and Novocaine (2025) – that he’s capable of recreating the same manic grin and unhinged onscreen antics that his father, Jack Nicholson became so celebrated for. Evidently unbothered by the association and seemingly happy to embrace the comparisons to his famous father, his latest role, in Jimmy Warden’s Borderline, sees him double down on all things deranged as he plays a crazed stalker obsessed with a 90’s pop star.

Sofia (Samara Weaving) is the pop star in question, who while at home in her Los Angeles mansion is taken hostage by Paul (Ray Nicholson), who has recently escaped from prison. Believing that they are a couple and very much in love, Paul starts to implement his plans for their wedding, while Sofia must try to escape with the help of her bodyguard (Eric Dane).

In an early scene Sofia asks her basketball player boyfriend (Jimmie Fails) what his favourite song of hers is. He responds playfully, deliberately quoting songs by other famous singers, including ‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna. This is no coincidence though, and clued in viewers may have already noticed another reference to the iconic artist, as the title Borderline, while likely alluding to Paul’s state of mental wellbeing, is also the name of another of Madonna’s hit songs. These nods are fun and well placed considering Warden’s film is loosely based on a real-life case from the 90’s involving a man who was imprisoned after stalking and threatening Madonna on multiple occasions.

So with such intriguing pop history as inspiration for its story and an incredibly capable cast at its disposal, Borderline has all the potential to become the next celluloid chart-topper. It too boasts a concept set up to be fraught with suspense and tension. However, it instead opts for a more lighthearted and comedic tone that entirely robs the film of the much darker mood that its home invasion premise could have provided. Nonetheless, this more mischievous direction has some promise of its own, but unfortunately Warden’s script – his previous writing credits include Cocaine Bear (2023) – is neither funny nor interesting enough to support this more curious creative choice.

With little to offer in the way of its screenplay then, Borderline tries to overcompensate for this lack of depth with excessive needle drops and flashy montages. Although somehow, even still the film fails to give audiences what they’ll really want: a fully realised Sofia pop-girlie fantasy. If you’re going to have a film about a fictional pop star, audiences deserve to see them in action. You only have to look at the success of the aforementioned Smile 2 and Naomi Scott’s Skye Riley to see just how it’s done. And while Warden’s film does have some brief musical interludes, they never hit as hard as they should – especially considering the more whimsical approach that the film settles on.

It’s frustrating though, as Nicholson is really quite good here. He’s certainly his father’s son, affording his character a demented streak that’s reminiscent of some of his most famous roles. He has the screen presence necessary to make a character like this work, yet the script struggles to match his ability. The same can be said for his co-star Samara Weaving, who is similarly reliable as the pop-star centre of Paul’s whole world. Sadly, she’s never given a real moment to shine, taken hostage not only in the story, but by her non-existent character development too. And the less said about the distracting and cringeworthy supporting characters – one musically inclined police officer aside – the better.

Yet ultimately, they’re all victims of the film’s poor pacing, as when Warden’s only strategy is to let Ray Nicholson run wild without any real narrative substance to back him up, he can only take Borderline so far. As regrettably, it’s a film so hung up on causing a commotion, that it never quite gets into the groove.

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Star Rating: ★ ★

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