After hearing the news about the passing of Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria), I didn’t realize just how many of his roles I knew him from, which led me down a rabbit hole of his filmography to see what I’d missed. I was surprised to discover a 2025 film called Borderline that I had heard nothing about. It is a horror comedy that plunges us into the chaotic world of a stalker (played by Ray Nicholson) seeking to be with a pop star (Samara Weaving) at all costs.
It turns out that having a scream queen and a nepobaby of horror fame does not automatically make for an exceptional film. I was left bewildered by the sheer goofiness and confusion of it all.
A movie that plowed through the delicate line between horror and comedy
This film really tries to play up its comedic layers, which miss the mark most of the time. However, there were some moments, few and far between, that deserved a chuckle. Some elements of the storyline felt disorienting, jumping abruptly from tense moments to slapstick sequences. I recognize that the emphasis on the antagonist’s mental health issues could be an intentional creative choice, but it feels like lazy writing that papers over plot holes. Certain situations seem to exist purely for comedic effect, nothing more, nothing less. It’s low-hanging fruit rather than the result of good writing.
Slow burn with no real payoff
My biggest pet peeve with this movie is the pacing. It starts painfully slow, with some scenes dragging on far longer than necessary, a glaring problem that persists throughout. To its credit, things improve slightly toward the end, which helped retain my attention. Even so, trimming some of the dialogue and cutting a character or two would have done this film a real favor, as both feel like dead weight that pad the runtime without adding anything meaningful.
Ray Nicholson deserves a thumbs up, but not a standing ovation
Although his stalker character could never be part of my top 100 villains, I do not have any disparaging words for his expressivity. What can I say? He’s in his element playing such a creepy and disturbed person. It’s obvious that he gave this role his all and that he’s passionate about what he does as an actor. I have no problems with the acting of the film, as to be expected with the names associated with this movie; I’m looking at you, Samara Weaving, as you’re the reason we came to watch.
Boring execution tanks the movie’s potential
The main issue is the overall senseless and confused direction. There were no real stakes for me in this movie. It was difficult to care about the outcomes of characters who were given weak, forgettable background stories. Additionally, this film’s tone jumps all over the place throughout. At times, it creates these tense moments with hints of comedy. At other times, it dives headfirst into complete wackiness, disrupting any semblance of a clear idea of what it’s trying to be.
Final verdict
Overall, it wasn’t complete, utter trash, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. The title’s reference to borderline personality disorder feels stigmatizing and reductive to those who live with it. At its core, this is a story of a man whose obsession drives him to commit violent acts. It’s entirely unnecessary to attribute that to mental illness to make him feel unhinged. Consequently, giving the antagonist no motivation beyond “his brain made him do it” lacks imagination and strips the story of any real substance. No wonder I heard nothing about it. Unfortunately, a talented cast found itself trapped by a bad script.
Did you see Borderline? What were your thoughts?
