‘Clock’ (2023) Review – An Overwrought Rosemary’s Baby Clone

Directed By: Alexis Jacknow

Starring: Dianna Agron, Jay Ali, Saul Rubinek, Melora Hardin

Plot Summary: “Clock” is the story of a woman who enrolls in a clinical trial to try and fix her seemingly broken biological clock after friends, family, and society pressures her to have children. Dianna Agron (“Shiva Baby”, forthcoming “Acidman” and “El Elegido”) leads as Ella, with Jay Ali (“Carnival Row,” “Daredevil”) as her husband and Saul Rubinek (“Unforgiven,” “Frasier”) as her father. Melora Hardin (“The Office,” “The Bold Type”) features as the pioneering doctor managing Ella’s treatment.

Riding the second wave feminism, Rosemary’s Baby (1968) was unleashed on audiences and forever changed the horror landscape. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, the film depicts the horrors of motherhood in a way that has rarely been matched. It is very clear after watching Alexis Jacknow’s Clock, that she desperately wants to channel that masterpiece. Not only does it fall so short, but it almost acts as a parody of the mommy-horror genre. With a creepy cold open, the film does do a good job at getting its hooks into you. Then seeing Ella (Dianna Agron) being mercilessly beaten down by her friends and family for not having kids feels as tense as it is heartbreaking. Things, however, start quickly falling apart when the mysterious clinic is introduced. The plot gets aimless and the characters start doing really dumb things in order for the plot mechanics to function.

There is also just weird stuff that seemingly gets glossed over automatically. For example, very early on in her treatment (pre-drugs mind you), Ella has cards laid out for her, then smoke images project out of them. It’s accepted so matter-of-fact that it’s both laughable and confusing. Of course, this has to happen as the images projected from the cards come to haunt Ella later. This is a part of a bigger problem, which is that things are not carefully thought out or crafted, leaving things both confusing and hilarious. This is evident in the not subtle clock metaphors and overwrought symbolism. There are literally and humorously scenes with raw eggs being played with and consumed. It’s not hard to figure out what this is supposed to represent.

Whilst on the subject of thematic elements, one thing that is baffling and maybe even tasteless is bringing the Holocaust into this. Prior to this inclusion, the film straddles this line between A24 horror and campy, mostly unintentionally. Therefore, when this deeply heavy subject matter is clumsily injected, it leaves a very bad taste in your mouth. It seems like Jacknow is trying to connect this with the main theme in terms of the importance of continuing bloodline, but this is so poorly done and it borders on exploitative. Add in dialogue that is so bad its funny, cheap scares and just general over-the-top cheese, and you have a big old mess. It makes you feel like the director wanted to make one movie and the studio demanded another. This would explain the baffling plot elements and wild tonal disconnect.

It is always uncomfortable to point this out, but the acting is also really uneven. Dianna Agron is a very good actor, yet it feels like she is sleepwalking through her performance. Honestly, with the material she has to work with, you don’t really blame her. Jay Ali plays her husband, Aiden, and he is even more disconnected with the material than Agron. There is also no getting around that the pair have zero on screen chemistry. You don’t buy for one second that these people are friends let alone have passion and love for one another. The less said about Melora Hardin’s weird mullet and strange delivery the better. These fine actors got paid, but they feel just as checked out as the audience is. 

Clock very nearly slides into the so-bad-its-enjoyable realm, but that is destroyed when the Holocaust is grossly crammed into the plot. The film just never connects with its overwrought themes, half-baked premise and not subtle allusions to Rosemary’s Baby.

Clock is currently available to stream on Hulu.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h3WqGDpeYs]