Explore the opulent world of Nantucket’s elite in Nicole Kidman’s latest Netflix series, “The Perfect Couple,” where secrets, suspense, and a gripping murder mystery unfold against a stunning shoreline backdrop.
The Perfect Couple Netflix series is set in a stunning luxury estate of the 4,000-room mansion on a breathtaking US shoreline in Nantucket, filled with opulent lifestyles funded by old money. Imagine impractical cashmere knits, a more scenic coastline, and a good murder mystery that nearly everyone nearby had reason to commit. Did I mention the stunning shoreline of Nantucket?
This can only be Nicole Kidman’s latest project, a Nicole Kidman Netflix series at the impressive Nicole Kidman age of 55. Titled “The Perfect Couple,” it’s like “Big Little Lies” moved from Monterey to Nantucket. Or “The Undoing” with a plot. Or “Nine Perfect Strangers,” minus the craziness. It’s also part “The White Lotus” – which Kidman wasn’t in, but who can keep track? One thing’s for sure – it’s shaping up to be a gripping murder mystery.
Meet the Perfect Couple
So, what’s new in this Nicole Kidman new series Netflix project? The Perfect Couple cast centers around the titular perfect couple, Greer Garrison Winbury (Kidman), a bestselling novelist of romance novels with an unusual name, and Tag Winbury (Liev Schreiber), her husband of 29 years. They might not be as flawless as they seem. This wealthy family, one of Nantucket’s wealthiest families, has three sons – Thomas (Jack Reynor), a troublemaker, golden boy Benji Winbury (Billy Howle), and young Will (Sam Nivola), who hasn’t appeared in the episodes shown to reviewers. But in these chess-like shows, every piece usually has a role to play.
Live Schreiber at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Secrets and Suspicions
Benji Winbury is marrying Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson), whom he adores, despite her humble upbringing without ocean views or cashmere knits. Greer is coldly furious about this, expressing it in the most WASP-like way – by planning the perfect high-society wedding and beach wedding, praising Amelia’s parents’ gift basket, and criticizing the bride behind her back at every chance. Champagne dreams abound, but there’s plenty of suspicion and family secrets lurking beneath the surface.
Social Hierarchies and Intrigue
Almost as skilled at cutting down those not born into wealth is Thomas’s pregnant wife, Abby (Dakota Fanning, having a blast as a weakness-seeking missile), and the wedding planner, Roger (Tim Bagley), who’s captivated by the glamour of his social superiors. “They’re ‘I’m bored – let’s go buy a monkey’ rich!” he gushes. “‘Kill someone and get away with it’ rich.”
The Loyal Housekeeper and Her Observations
While subtle hints have their place, this isn’t it. The Winbury family’s loyal housekeeper Gosia (played by Irina Dubova) looks down on anyone not born into or serving the family for at least two generations. She especially admires Greer’s tight control. “Without fear, there’s no control.” Their police interviews weave through the story, shedding light on the main characters, much like the witness accounts in Big Little Lies. It’s just as effective.
A Cast of Colorful Characters
Adding to this mix is the party-loving maid of honor Merritt Monaco (Meghann Fahy) – more “raw work” – an $18,000 bracelet bought by Tag Winbury but not given to his wife, and Amelia Sacks’s lustful glances at the best man, Shooter (Ishaan Khattar). Greer gets many ignored calls from someone named Broderick Graham, drugs are freely available, and a bloodstained shirt is hidden under the police chief’s daughter’s bed. Throw in Isabelle Adjani as a long-time family friend (and human dynamite), and we’re set for a ridiculously good time in the peak of summer.
The Investigation Begins
Once the police investigation starts after a shocking dead body is discovered, it’s clear who steals the show – not Kidman, the mansion, or even the Nantucket reds and cashmere knits, but Donna Lynne Champlin as Detective Nikki Henry. What a performance! Every thought about these awful people flashes across her face, but never long enough to risk the case, even as she grills the local police chief, Dan (Michael Beach), for cozying up to the family that funds so much in the community.
A Must-Watch Series
The Perfect Couple has a solid plot – and then some. Suspects pop up at just the right moments; anyone who can resist binging all six episodes after starting deserves a fruit basket. It might touch on themes of haves and have-nots, money’s corrupting power, and class awareness, but it doesn’t dig as deep as The White Lotus did. Jenna Lamia adapted it from Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple book of the same name, known for her beach reads. Lamia kept what makes these books great, giving us a fantastic, over-the-top treat. Just sit back and enjoy.
Release Date and Final Thoughts
The Perfect Couple’s release date is June 25, with The Perfect Couple’s first episode date dropping then on Netflix. Elin Hilderbrand Netflix adaptations have been highly anticipated, and Susanne Bier directs this Elin Hilderbrand movie. While it may not be a Nicole Kidman Netflix movie, this Nicole Kidman series and The Perfect Couple series is still a must-watch Netflix series this summer.
Source:
Liev Schreiber (September 5, 2024). The Perfect Couple review – Nicole Kidman’s gorgeous murder mystery is ludicrously good. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/sep/05/the-perfect-couple-review-nicole-kidman-murder-mystery. Accessed September 5, 2024
Header Image:
Nicole Kidman au festival de Cannes, 24 May 2017
Photo credit: Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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