Nine Perfect Strangers review: Nicole Kidman drama bolstered by magnetic performances as mysteries swarm health retreat

Cast of Nine Perfect Strangers reads like a Bingo card of top Hollywood talent (Picture: Hulu)

Nine strangers walk into a health retreat, each with their own secrets and demons hidden under the surface. The premise of Nine Perfect Strangers is simple enough – but with the wrong cast, the formula could have proven disastrous.

Nine Perfect Strangers, based on the novel of the same name by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, stars Nicole Kidman as Masha Dmitrichenko, a mysterious woman who runs a wellness retreat called Tranquillum House.

A cohort of individuals, including a couple, a family and several solo guests, are welcomed to the retreat for a 10-day stay, during which time they take part in group activities in addition to one-on-ones with Masha while on a path to self-discovery and healing.

Right off the bat, Nine Perfect Strangers gives off Stepford Wives vibes, perhaps influenced by the fact that Nicole starred in the 2004 film adaptation.

From the outside, everything at the retreat may seem like the pinnacle of perfection, what with its picturesque setting and its supposed transformative experiences – but something untoward is going on behind the scenes.

Each guest is at Tranquillum for a different reason, whether that be to mend their relationship, to grieve over past trauma or just to get away from the all-consuming nature of everyday life.

While they are prepared to step out of their comfort zone at the retreat, they all have to get to grips with Masha’s extremely unorthodox methods, as they gradually learn more about their fellow guests’ backstories and delve into why they’re at Tranquillum in the first place.

On paper, the cast of Nine Perfect Strangers reads like a Bingo card of top Hollywood talent. Among the stars are Melissa McCarthy as Frances, Bobby Cannavale as Tony, Luke Evans as Lars, Michael Shannon as Napoleon, Regina Hall as Carmel and Samara Weaving as Jessica – to name a few.

The cast are magnetic from the get-go, bouncing off one another in entertaining and sometimes explosive exchanges. As filming took place during the pandemic, they ended up spending more time than usual hanging out together off-screen, which may have proven beneficial for their on-screen chemistry.

Nicole Kidman enchants as the creepy yet charming Masha (Picture by: Vince Valitutti/Hulu)

Melissa and Bobby, who are close friends, are fantastic to watch opposite one another as Frances and Tony bicker across the breakfast table, while Michael’s Napoleon conveys a complex range of emotions as he and his wife Heather (Asher Keddie) and daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten) address their painful past.

Ever the chameleon, Nicole’s Masha is creepy and charismatic in equal measure, causing unrest among her guests while simultaneously enchanting them with her soothing demeanour.

At times, the series leaves you yearning to dig deeper into some characters, where the plot may only scratch the surface of their backstories. This may seem inevitable given the large ensemble cast, but you can’t help but want more.

Will Melissa McCarthy’s Frances surrender herself to Masha’s methods? (Picture: Hulu)

While Nine Perfect Strangers does pack a whole lot of mystery, some of the climactic moments in the series aren’t quite as shocking as you might expect them to be. Just when you think a big dirty secret is going to be spilled, the payoff can sometimes feel a little lacklustre.

However, this may be because the biggest mysteries of them all are being saved for a satisfyingly unexpected finale (as we’ve only seen the first six episodes), so it’s definitely worth staying tuned to discover what lurks behind Masha’s sinister facade.

Verdict on Nine Perfect Strangers

If you were leaning towards trying out a health retreat, watching Nine Perfect Strangers might put you off completely.

Not only does the series provide fascinating commentary on the emphasis on health and wellness in today’s day and age, but it also places a microscope on what makes human beings tick and the lengths people will go to better themselves.

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The cast is what makes this show riveting to watch, with each actor giving their absolute all to the portrayals of their multifaceted characters, warts and all.

While it may not be as gripping as Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers stands on its own as an engrossing tale that sweeps you out of your reality into a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

The first three episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers launch on Amazon Prime Video on Friday August 20 with new episodes launching weekly.

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