But the real find in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s better-than-it-has-to-be adaptation of the risibly written and ludicrously popular softcore novel is Dakota Johnson. Reminiscent of only her mother Melanie Griffith’s best characteristics, Johnson’s Ana squeezes believability out of one of the more silly romantic entanglements in recent popular culture. It’s all there in her face, which Taylor-Johnson frames in close-up. She’s fully aware this scenario is ridiculous, but can’t seem to turn away from its lunacy. And who knows, maybe she actually kinda likes Christian Grey.
He just gets a bit funny when it comes to intimacy. He won’t sleep in the same bed as a woman. But once she has agreed (on paper) to his advances, he takes a key from his pocket and shows you his playroom. Praise is due for how the notorious “Red Room of Pain” is introduced. It isn’t that campy, and yet we are supposed to laugh.