Borderline Movie Review

Allan is a retired mainstream (does that word even apply anymore?) journalist whose bylines traveled with him to six newspapers and a final resting place at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In Da ’Burgh, he served as entertainment editor, features editor and closed out his career creating and directing the PG’s multimedia department. He once authored a horror blog titled “How Awful About Allan,” an homage to a little-known TV movie starring the original Norman Bates, i.e. Anthony Perkins. In an alternate universe, he played drums for a band that recorded two albums and even a single that popped up on a jukebox or two. And yes, he’s old enough to remember what a jukebox is. Uh, was.

Back in the ‘80s when Madonna was making headlines and hits, she recorded a song titled Borderline, ostensibly about relationship insecurity but maybe, just maybe, tacitly hinting at BPI — borderline personality disorder.

Then in the ‘90s, when the spotlight still burned, Madonna actually found herself the victim of a crazed stalker who wound up in jail and then a psychiatric institution.

Now in 2025, when Madonna is more music history than relevant star, that song title and her stalking episode seem to have inspired first-time director Jimmy Warden’s absurdist horror-comedy Borderline. While it’s safe to say it’s very loosely linked to the pop star’s experience, it’s nonetheless rooted in the fan-turns-fanatically-freaky genre.

So, is the movie any good? Yes, and unfortunately, no.

Warden, who wrote the hilarious Cocaine Bear, assembles a good cast, most notably Samara Weaving, who turned Ready Or Not into a horror classic. She plays Sofia, a ‘90s songstress whose fame and fortune are on full display with a mansion, security entourage, and adoring fans. Jack Nicholson’s son, Ray Nicholson, is deranged stalker Paul Duerson. Eric Dane is William Bell, Sofia’s bodyguard.

Paul’s obsession with Sofia, tied to an incident at one of her concerts, waggles between marriage and murder. We open with a flashback:

A knife-wielding Paul is at Sofia’s home, primed for a proposal, only to be met at the door by William. As Paul’s psychosis plays out, imagining asking for her hand in marriage and having the bodyguard stand in as our superstar while he bends to one knee, it’s pretty clear how this will end. William is stabbed, Paul turns himself into the authorities, and we the watchers wait for the second act.

So, six months later, Sofia is having a thing with NBA boy toy Rhodes (a sadly superfluous Jimmie Fails). Meanwhile, Paul, aided by a couple of cohorts, is escaping from his mental institution. We also find out William survived his stab wounds and is raising a daughter and still on Sofia duty.

Now I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that one of Paul’s cohorts, a fellow institutionalized escapee, is named Penny and delightfully played by Alba Baptista, who nearly steals the movie. Paul is determined to marry (and kill?) Sofia, and Penny is an accomplished accomplice, having single-handedly taken hostage the would-be marriage officiant (Terence Kelly as Pastor Lutzner) and brutally but comedically killed a security guard, allowing Paul to once again gain access to the mansion.

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William had been tending to his family, so Sofia is now at the mercy of Paul. While he preps for the nuptials. William’s family is kidnapped by Paul’s other cohort, the brainless and burly J.H. Calhoun (Patrick Cox), who shoots William in the back of the head and then heads to the wedding, hostages in tow.

One of the better scenes in this wacky piece of work is a battle between Sofia and Penny, interrupted briefly with the two of them belting out a duet with Penny playing the 88s. You have to see it to believe it, but Penny’s sneezes, giggles and facial expressions alone make this time well spent.

Eventually, Paul makes it to the altar. To reveal much more would be spoiling the surprises but suffice to say William once more survived a murder attempt, arrives in time to play hero, and gives his daughter a single WTF moment that is laugh out loud funny.

Granted, most of this is good stuff. The bad? Well, director Warden employs several cutaways that are useful in propelling the plot but also a bit disjointed. The incoherence begins to muddle the action, and we’re left going “Huh? What? How? Uhhh …”

He also underplays his star. While Weaver as Sofia typically acquits herself well in most scenes, she’s something of a footnote to Paul, to Penny, and certainly to William, who’s the real protagonist. The same can’t be said of Nicholson’s Paul, who chomps scenery like an alligator on steroids. That’s not to say he isn’t good; it’s just that his derangement begins to wear a little thin by movie’s end. With all the raised eyebrows and smarmy smirks, you can’t help but see his dad in this performance. Paul is one-part McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the other part Jack Torrance from The Shining.

All things considered, comedy has a slight edge over horror in this pic. It’s not particularly bloody nor scary, but there’s enough meat on the bones to satisfy your appetite. Borderline is available now on several streaming services.

By the way, there’s nothing borderline about the soundtrack. It’s good from start to finish, featuring cuts from the likes of Annie Lennox, Tommy James, Waylon Jennings and Donovan. And no, Madonna’s Borderline didn’t make the cut. But a version of it by The Flaming Lips (with Stardeath and White Dwarfs) did. It’s Lips-smacking good.

Correction: That last one’s borderline good. More like ethereal. More like the movie.