Is ‘Verity’ worth watching? Anne Hathaway’s dark new thriller divides critics.

Anne Hathaway’s blockbuster year is coming to an end.

After The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the last of Hathaway’s five 2026 films is Verity, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling psychological thriller, which lands in theaters on Oct. 2.

Hathaway takes on the unsettling title role, a departure from some of her best-known characters, while Dakota Johnson plays a struggling writer drawn into Verity’s world. Josh Hartnett rounds out a cast that gives the bestselling adaptation plenty of star power.

With a hugely popular novel as its source material and three big names leading the movie, Verity has plenty going for it on paper. But does it actually deliver? Here’s what film critics have said.

What is ‘Verity’ about?

• ⏱️ Runtime: 114 minutes

• 🎭 Cast: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett

• 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score: 54%

Hathaway stars as the titular character, Verity Crawford, a celebrated author who is unable to complete the remaining books in her successful series after a serious accident. Her husband, Jeremy (Hartnett), hires Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer, to complete the job.

Lowen moves into the couple’s home to sort through Verity’s work and comes across a disturbing manuscript that reveals dark details about her family. As she grows closer to Jeremy, Lowen is left trying to work out what — and who — she can believe. She starts to question whether Verity really is as incapacitated as she appears.

What the critics liked

Hathaway emerged as the brightest spot in several reviews, with critics appreciating her willingness to embrace Verity’s more outrageous side.

Kristy Puchko of Mashable called her “regal and ruthless” and praised the actor’s ability to switch between menace and charm. She described Hathaway as “keenly hilarious” when leaning into the movie’s campier moments.

Slashfilm‘s Nina Starner gave the movie 2 out of 10 but called Hathaway its “saving grace,” praising her timing and micro-expressions. “It’s truly a credit to her talent that she makes parts of this movie watchable,” she wrote.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich was more positive about the other leads. He called Hartnett “tremendous” and praised Johnson for capturing Lowen’s tug-of-war between empathy and desire.

Deadline‘s Pete Hammond also thought Johnson and Hathaway were “magnetic performers” and said a couple of jump scares got big reactions at his screening.

What they didn’t like

For a movie being sold as an erotic thriller, several critics thought Verity wasn’t erotic or thrilling enough.

Variety‘s Guy Lodge called it a “flat-footed dud” and said director Michael Showalter struggles with the genre. He was particularly critical of the pacing, writing that the movie takes more than an hour “to reach so much as a low boil.”

Polygon’s Maria Loreto thought Showalter plays things too safe, arguing that Verity is “too controlled, too serviceable to commit to the bit,” she wrote.

Richard Lawson of the Hollywood Reporter found Johnson less convincing as the movie progressed, saying she eventually seems “genuinely checked out.” Mashable’s Puchko similarly wrote that Johnson “comes off as bored” and felt she had little chemistry with either Hathaway or Hartnett.

The Independent‘s Clarisse Loughrey gave the movie two stars and compared it unfavorably with last year’s thriller The Housemaid. “If only it were sexy. Or camp. Or fun. Or even just silly,” she wrote.

So, is ‘Verity’ worth watching?

Verity currently has a 54% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 reviews.

If the combination of Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and a twisty Colleen Hoover story is already appealing, there’s enough in the reviews to suggest Verity could be an entertaining movie-night pick. However, those looking for a sexier, more gripping psychological thriller may be a tougher sell.