Send Help Movie Review (2026)
A survival comedy about two people forced to exist together on an isolated island after a devastating plane crash, Send Help delivers plenty of bloody laughs through its gleefully absurd premise, even if the cat-and-mouse dynamic starts to repeat itself.
When this movie was first released on Hulu a few months ago, I had planned to watch it right away. I went to Hulu, and, seeing that it is listed at 3 hours 41 minutes, I abandoned ship immediately. I still wanted to watch the movie sometime, but a 3 ½ hour movie is a huge commitment, and I wasn’t ready to make it quite yet. Today, I had a bunch of time, so I revisited the idea. This time I noticed that IMDB listed the movie at under 2 hours. A lesson for everyone reading: Hulu labeled it wrong. When you press play on the almost 4-hour film, it shows you that it’s only 1 hour 52 minutes. Don’t do what I did.
Send Help is about frumpy analyst Linda Liddle, a woman waiting for a promotion promised to her after the head of the company dies and his son, Bradley, is installed as CEO. Finding her socially awkward and unappealing, Brad tells Linda that the promotion isn’t going to happen, but that she can attend an upcoming trip overseas with him and his “bros” at the office. If he’s impressed, maybe something could change. During the flight to the meeting, there is a plane crash on a desert island, and only Linda and Brad survive. Suddenly, Linda’s hopes of being cast on Survivor and having learned survival skills come in far more handy than Brad’s white-collar upbringing.
This is a darkly funny comedy that leans into gory and gross-out moments that make you squirm and laugh at the same time. Think tons of blood spurting out onto a person after killing an animal or bloody situational comedy that could take place with selfish passengers inside of a plane falling from the sky.
Most of the film is a cat-and-mouse game of sorts, and Linda and Brad have a love/hate relationship that stems from their initial business interactions and continues because of their egos at war with each other. It is charming for a long time, but there is a lull in the middle where the film starts to feel uneven and stretched. There are a few things that could have been cut without affecting the story, and it would have felt a little tighter and more to the point.
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are well-matched, though, as Linda and Brad. There are very few other characters in the movie, so the entire dynamic rests on their chemistry. And although Mean Girls and The Maze Runner were filmed many years ago, the strength and charisma that they brought to Regina George and Thomas, respectively, still hold.
With lots of inventive moments that play on the ridiculous (including Linda’s hammock, fire-making skills, and lovely sushi dinner) and a strong duo at the helm, Sam Raimi’s Send Help is campy, entertaining, and in on the joke. And although you know what is likely going to happen, it’s still fun to watch to find out if you’re right. I’m not telling.
Runtime: 112 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Hulu and Disney+, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
