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Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, James Duval, Nichole M. Hiltz ... see more see more... , Kevin Gage , Merle Kennedy , Chandler Hecht , Nora Zehetner

A young social outcast goes to great measures to find the perfect friend in this debut horror feature from director Lucky McKee. Set apart from her peers as a child due to her lazy eye, May's only fri... read more read more...end and confidant was a delicate doll encased in glass. Though as a young adult May has learned to control her lazy eye with glasses and contacts, her introverted tendencies always seem to hinder her search for the perfect friend. Walking down the street one day, May happens across a young man tenderly caressing the damage of a wrecked car and falls in love with his seemingly perfect hands. As May and Adam (Jeremy Sisto) begin to spend more time together, the quirky couple seem to have much in common, and May believes that she might have finally happened across the perfect boy. Her deep-rooted psychological problems slowly surface, however, and Adam is gradually driven away, leaving the vulnerable May in the company of amorous co-worker Polly (Anna Faris). It soon becomes obvious to May that, though various acquaintances seem to have perfect traits, they never add up to a perfect whole -- leading the creative and demented young girl to her own unique method of creating the perfect friend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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74% liked it

28,709 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

63 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Lucky McKee

Release Date: June 6, 2003

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DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (2,081)

  • yona71
    April 8, 2012
    yona71
    I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one, but I may be a little freaked out.

    Here we have a girl who lives in her own world that she's made in every sense of the word.
    Something on it's own, unique trip to a dark place within a darker mind; and I say alright.
  • theunknownhobo
    July 17, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    Again this movie probably would have been better if I had not heard so much hype about it. It had an original story line and the acting was not terrible, but still, I was expecting to get suckerpunched and I kind of left feeling like someone had just flicked my nose.
  • groaningbitch
    July 12, 2011
    groaningbitch
    may is one of those movies which emphasize the lives of social misfits, partly derived from its motif, steven king's carrie, which is about a female misfit's incapability of embracing her womanhood, which is reflected upon her fright for her menstruation in the beginning and her ... read moredysfunctional relationship with her mother (lack of role model or damaged role model which cannot offer you any positive perception of womanhood)...in other words, whether it's carrie or may, it's always some hell of a journey for them to cope with their own womanhood as well as their awakening sexuality since they both share the problem of finding appropriate love interest who could redeem their own self-image. (as some say, beauty is in the eye of beholder, aren't we all just looking for love interest to redeem oursevles as beautiful whether we truly are or not?)

    the allure for any kind of gothic fiction (black comedy is included) is the sense of non-identity, which is a primary stage before the anxiety-inviting separation (gotta leave the mother), through abjection, which is a state where identities collapse, we obtain our sense of non-identity. (isn't nirvana's last album also called "in uterus"? wasn't kurt cobain also craving for that sense of non-identity?) for woman, it's an even more complicated case because she has a womb herself but in a way, she might also loathe the fact that she has a womb and she has to be contaminated in blood every month (menstruation). just picture the last scene in carrie, where sisy speck is soaked in blood, just imagine if you don't stop bleeding from menstruation, then the blood gets splintered all over your body, even sanitory napkin or tampon cannot stop it anymore! carrie's ending is like saying: fuck you! i don't care if you see my period blood, and i'm gonna fucking use it to kill all you hateful! (okok, i've been exaggerating in a highly un-hygienic way..haha)

    let's go back to may. the protagonist is born defected because of her lazy eye, and she only has a doll as a friend within her mind. even her own mother is repulsed by her slight disfiguration. she is only good with getting along with animals, thus she becomes a vet. gifted with marvellous tailor-skill, and she practically sews all her clothes. she's self-sufficient despite her ultimate want to be accepted or even loved. then she sets her way looking for love, hoping anyone who gives her a random compliment could just love her a little bit. in the process of seeking love and acceptance, she is doing her "separation" and trying to escape her original state of "non-identity" just to build a sense of subjective self (as a woman, she needs to have her sex appeal affirmed in the quest of romances) until her feeble structure of sanity is disintegrating by other "normal" people's rejections, and they all reject her for the same reason, "you're so fucking weird"...in other words, she's turned down in a world which doesn't approve of her existence.

    one of the climaxes is the dramatic scene where she loses her precious doll in an accident and all the other handicapped children are all battered in gruesome blood. the shattering of her doll symbolizes a termination of her primary non-identity where she shelters since the infantile mirror-stage. practically, after this incident, all the failures of her relationships simply guide her into returning to the primary non-identity stage: she simply makes another doll! this time, the doll is made of all the segments of real human flesh from those people who have harmed her without any thoughtful consideration. of course, the doll also has an aura of doppelganger, which also indicates a fixation unto the infantile mirror-stage (the moment you look at the mirror as a child and suddenly you discover you're gazing at yourself. mentally damaged people might just regress into that stage without stepping out)...also, the typical schizod sympton is the incapability to relent your rage through symbolic forms (you hate someone, you burn his picture, normal; you hate someone, you tear off his skin, schizod)...therefore, schizod-inflicted may just returns to the primary non-identity stage without symbolic/ritualistic surrogations, and she practices this process of regression through real killings.

    briefly, may is a gothic journey back "IN UTERUS" (nirvana pun intended), a microcosmic social commentary which gratifies your want of non-separation.
  • LitelBluHli
    July 21, 2010
    LitelBluHli
    This movie was pretty damn awesome. A little weird, funny, creepy...

    May is a strange young lady who is in need of a friend. Growing up, she was lonely so her mother gave her a doll, but she wasn't able to play with it since it was kept in a glass box. As an adult, she still h... read moreas the doll and talks to it when she's alone. May works at an animal hospital and one day meets Adam and becomes obsessed with him. She also has a co-worker played by Anna Faris who is a little silly too. I really enjoyed it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 10, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    May is the story of May an odd girl who is very weird. She's never really fit in anywhere. When she meets a guy, things go well, but she starts doing stuff and he leaves. Thats when the horror starts. May is the type of horror film that blends horror and drama together, the film ... read moreis pretty sad and you end up feeling sorry for May. The story itself is very well written, terrifying and dramatic all rolled into one. What surprised me most about this film is it's how well crafted the story was. May is a intense film and at times you feel uneasy and startled. In a worthy note, Anna Faris gives her best (and only) performance. May is a solid Horror film that successfully combines drama and horror to create a poignant, terrifying film.
  • imrealgod
    March 31, 2010
    imrealgod
    This worse than a B grade thriller/horror is best left unwatched. Unless, of course, if you're looking for a movie with loads of gore minus a sensible plot.
  • rubystevens
    January 20, 2010
    rubystevens
    poor may :'(
    twisted, funny and disturbing. great character development for a low budget horror film
  • ScoopOnline
    December 13, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Be Careful... She Just Might Take Your Heart. This Movie is very distubring but enjoyable.
  • Passenger1986
    October 24, 2009
    Passenger1986
    The outsider. A popular theme in film production. Smaller films seem to cling to this theme. Bad films tend to portray their "outsider" protagonists in one of two ways, sometimes with overlap: someone obsessed with death or the darker aspects of life and acts like someone who did... read moren't understand Neil Gaiman's Sandman line or someone who bitches about how society doesn't understand or appreciate them (P.S, there's a reason for that: you're an ass.)
    Here we have another type of outsider: the withdrawn, quiet girl who has never had much social interaction.

    Angela Bettis plays the titular character and seems to have a knack for quirky characters (see the Masters Of Horror first season episode Sick Girl for another notable example. Coincidentally, that episode was directed by Lucky McKee, the director for this film).
    Having grown up an outcast due to her lazy eye (later corrected by glasses then by contact lenses) May's only friend was a doll in a case called Suzy. May talks to Suzy as if she was flesh and blood, presumably not just because of her lack of relationships outside her family but because of poor relations IN the family.
    The bulk of the movie deals with her trying to maintain a relationship with a man she's obsessed with (Adam, played by Jeremy Sisto) and developing a life outside her work at a veterinary hospital. One such attempt is working at a school for children of disabilities and finding a connection with a little blind girl named Petey.

    What I like most about this film is how restrained it is. There's little to no dramatic music, so the shocking moments come without lead-up (I've made similar comments in an earlier review), Angelia's performance is not overly dramatic and it becomes believably darker as the story progresses.

    One such moment of darkness is one of the most disturbing things I have ever witnessed and is one of the few times I've ever cringed. Hell, on some repeat viewings, I even look away! That is no mean feat. Skip ahead if you wish to avoid

    One afternoon with the blind children, May brings in Suzy and tells them she is her best friend. The children want to touch the doll but May declines, insisting Suzy is fragile (more than likely she doesn't want anyone to take her friend away, regardless of how long they actually hold her. The doll falls and the glass case she is kept in shatters. The kids crawl over to try and find her and... well, put two and two together. Or better yet, don't. It really is that unsettling.

    One other point I would like to make is that I believe this to be Anna Faris' best role to date. Sure, it's not totally away from her stereotyped ditz role (I get depressed at the thought of that. I really hope she doesn't start bitching at how she's typecast. If she doesn't want to be known as a ditz, The House Bunny will forever be a smear on her resume. Hopefully that "film" will give her an epiphany. Or be erased from the time/space continuum, either one is fine with me) but at least it's darker. She plays the role of Polly, May's co-worker who is trying to seduce her. Polly has unconventional sexual leanings (though in this day and age, anyone interested in just plain sex is seen as unconventional. Sad state indeed) and if you're used to seeing her as goofballs like Cindy in the Scary Movie series, this might just shock you. Her performance showed signs of a craving to be dark and to try and break out but whether or not she's suppressed those urges or just hasn't been given the right vehicle is something we'll have to wait and find out.

    While I will not reveal the details of the ending, I do wish to talk about one aspect of it. This might be the only fault I have with May. Throughout the film, there has been no implication of supernatural/otherworldly behaviour. May does believe Suzy is talking to her but it's implied that it's from years of loneliness that she is slightly unbalanced. I mean, sure, it's possible that Suzy might actually be telepathically communicating with May but that still wouldn't explain the final shot of the movie. As bittersweet as it is, and bare in mind I don't outright condemn it, I'm not exactly sure how the movie came to the conclusion of the decision it made. Yes, I know that movies don't have to explain everything and that fans are encouraged to make up their own minds but that's often a bad idea. My problem is the implication of the supernatural. So, are Frankenstein-esque creations automatically given life in the world of May? Is it a mindscrew? I don't know what to think.

    Whatever it may be, it doesn't really detract from a wonderful story about a lonely, lost little girl and her efforts to connect.
  • romy861
    December 7, 2008
    romy861
    How did I miss this one until now?! Fantastic movie, black comedy with a bit of horror thrown in. Angela Betis as May manages to be likable at the same time as downright scary!

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Critic Reviews

Gary Dowell
July 11, 2003
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

Too much of a hodgepodge of borrowed ideas and uneven tone. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
June 27, 2003
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Part Carrie, part Frankenstein and still shlockier bits and pieces, May isn't seamless. But boy is it hard to avert one's eyes from this creature ready-made for the midnight-movie circuit. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
June 27, 2003
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

A bizarre (and sometimes repulsive) exercise that's a little too willing to swoon in its own weird embrace.

Kevin Thomas
June 19, 2003
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Unfolds with the creepy elegance and carefully calibrated precision of a Dario Argento horror film. Full Review

Ty Burr
June 13, 2003
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Lowdown genre fun, a film that nearly makes up in slacker wit and high-spirited gore what it lacks in budget and elegance. Full Review

Desson Thomson
June 13, 2003
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

[McKee's] going to need better stories than this.

Colin Covert
June 12, 2003
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Straddles the line between slasher film and sensitive character study with macabre and moving results. Full Review

June 11, 2003
Entertainment Weekly

Taps into a furious atavistic energy that reflects well on the filmmaker and his fully committed cast. Full Review

Richard Roeper
June 9, 2003
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

There was no moment when I was scared by this thing. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
June 6, 2003
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Novice director Lucky McKee wrote the first draft of this labored horror flick while he was in school, and for a student film, it's not bad. But it's not ready for the big time. Full Review

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Facts

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    • May Canady: Where's Polly?
    • Ambrosia: In the head. Polly, hurry up in there! I've been drinking vodka all night and I have to piss like a racehorse!
    • May Canady: [giggles] hm-hm
    • Ambrosia: (gets annoyed and mimics May's giggle) - UM-HM!
    • May Canady: You have really beautiful legs.
    • Ambrosia: I thought they were gams?
    • May Canady: Gams, stems, wheels, whatever. Give us a little spin, doll.
    • Ambrosia: Huh?
    • May Canady: Turn around for me.
    • Ambrosia: You are so fu*king weird. I don't know what Polly sees in you.
    • May Canady: Polly doesn't see anything. Turn around, Miss Grable.
    • Ambrosia: Okay, doll (she does a sexy spin) How was that?
    • May Canady: Beautiful [May stabs Ambrosia in the temple with a scalpel, killing her]
    • Polly: You're funny. You want to watch me file?
    • Adam: So what do you do, May?
    • May Canady: I work at the animal hospital. And I sew.
    • Adam: Okay. Animal hospital.
    • May Canady: Some people think it's kind of gross.
    • Adam: I love gross.
    • May Canady: Really?
    • Adam: Mm-hmm. Disgust me, please.
    • May Canady: Okay. A couple of weeks ago, and old man comes in, and says his dog is dying. And he begs us to save it. A 90-pound black lad named Seymour. We take him in and run some tests, and find that he has a twisted bowel, and needs to be operated on immediately. So we shave Seymour's tummy, we cut him open, and take out a piece of intestine about - about the size of a hot dog. Everything went smooth, but when we went to sew Seymour back up, we realized we were out of the heavy sutures your supposed to use for large dogs. So the doctor decided that if we tripled up on cat sutures, that should do the trick. Well, a few days go by, and the old man calls up hysterical. The sutures had burst while he was at work, and by the time he got home, Seymour was sprawled out on the back porch with his guts spread all over the concrete, and the fence was soaked in blood all around the yard. It was a mess [Adam stares in disgust] I had to sew that one back up.
    • Polly: Do you feel weird doing this?
    • May Canady: I am weird.
    • Polly: I love weird.
    • Adam: There's an Argenta playing at the Beverly in 15 minutes. I took the afternoon off. They're showing 'Trauma.'
    • May Canady: Is that a movie?
    • Adam: You've never seen 'Trauma'?!
    • Mama: I've always said, 'If you can't find a friend, make one.'
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May Trivia

  • Note the Quote: "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is"  Answer »
  • Person 1: You'll come out or I'll... I'll... I'll break down the door! Person 2: Master, I could be wrong, but that may not be the best way to win the girl's affections.   Answer »
  • Which movie is this quote from... 'you may have seen a house fly, maybe even a superfly but i betcha ain't never seen a donkey fly'  Answer »
  • In what movie does Robin Williams die, but stay connected to his wife, who is his sole mate, through her paintings?  Answer »
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