Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Disappointing, violent story about vigilante justice.
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Why Age 16+?
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Saint Clare
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SAINT CLARE, Clare Bleecker (Bella Thorne) is going to college in the town of Pickmann Flats after relocating there following her parents' death. She lives with her grandmother, Gigi (Rebecca DeMornay), and has become pals with Juliana (Joy Rovaris) and Amity (Erica Dasher). Little does anyone know, however, that Clare has a secret life. Since she was a little girl, she's had a personal mission to destroy sexual predators. Clare idolizes Joan of Arc and believes that, like Joan, she does what she does in the name of God. She also has a ghost that follows her around, Bob (Frank Whaley), who died accidentally in Clare's presence. After dispatching one predator who tries to lure her into his car, Bob warns Clare that the man wasn't working alone. When Juliana disappears, Clare leaps into action to uncover a criminal sex slave ring.
Is It Any Good?
After a promising setup and start, this vigilante thriller completely loses its way, spiraling out in several directions and never finding any cohesive thread or central point. Saint Clare begins, in no uncertain terms, as a thriller. The sequence of Clare killing her predator is skillfully done and very satisfying, beginning with her poking holes in his cover story and ending with a swift, expert bit of violence. And then it fizzles. The Joan of Arc metaphor goes nowhere. A production of Ira Levin's play Deathtrap goes nowhere. Bob the ghost disappears for a long while for no reason. An argument between Clare and Juliana goes nowhere. Clare's relationship with her grandmother is cute but underdeveloped. A couple of twists at the end feel either obvious or tacked on. And when Clare does some sleuthing and discovers that 54 women have gone missing from this small town, it may be surprising to her because she's new there, but why hasn't anyone else noticed this shocking figure?
Director Mitzi Peirone adds on layers of quasi-psychedelic, experimental-type imagery, twitching, jumping, lolling, blurring, etc. It adds little to the story or its themes, and it makes the experience even more unpleasant. Not even indie legend Guinevere Turner (Go Fish, American Psycho), who co-wrote the screenplay with Peirone, can straighten things out. Ultimately Saint Clare's holy mission ends in disappointment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Saint Clare's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What is vigilante justice? Can it ever truly solve a problem? How is it typically portrayed in movies?
How does the movie depict drinking, smoking, and drug use? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How is the story of Joan of Arc used as a theme or a metaphor in this movie?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 18, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : July 18, 2025
- Cast : Bella Thorne , Ryan Phillippe , Rebecca DeMornay , Frank Whaley
- Director : Mitzi Peirone
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Pansexual Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Quiver Distribution
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 25, 2025
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