Louise Linton surely knows what much of the country thinks of her. The much-maligned wife of former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has been widely ridiculed during the past four years for

such cringeworthy moments as holding up freshly printed bills at the U.S. Mint while wearing black leather gloves, an image that provoked many to compare her to Cruella de Vil. So it’s

refreshing that her directorial/screenwriting debut _Me You Madness_, in which she stars as a fashion- and fitness-obsessed narcissistic serial killer, very much indicates that she’s in on

the joke. The problem is that it’s a godawful joke. The Bottom Line To call this a vanity project is an insult to vanity projects. RELEASE DATE: Feb 12, 2021 Linton, who also produced the

fatales as Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell in _Basic Instinct_, Glenn Close’s Alex Forrest in _Fatal Attraction_ and the central figure in the classic 1945 noir _Leave Her to Heaven 

_(although the last homage would be more convincing if she knew that the name of that film’s star was spelled Gene, not Jean, Tierney). _Me You Madness_ is styled as a satirical riff on

_American Psycho_, which Catherine freely acknowledges. She introduces herself in an opening narration containing a litany of F-bombs and in which she admires the man-killing properties of a

black spider before popping it into her mouth and swallowing. (Not to worry, the end credits assure us that “Kiki the spider was not harmed, or eaten, during the making of the film.”)

RELATED STORIES “I’m happy when I wake up, because I remember that I’m me and my life is incredible,” Catherine tells us, in a moment of meta-commentary seemingly designed to push any

Linton-shaming buttons. There are many, many more to come. The plot is set in motion with the arrival of Tyler (Ed Westwick, _Gossip Girl_), a hunky young man who answers Catherine’s ad for

a room to rent. He turns out to be a petty criminal and con man, although not a very bright one, as indicated by his failing to notice when she slips a roofie into his drink. She then gropes

him while he’s unconscious, forestalling any audience disapproval by looking directly into the camera and announcing, “Oh, shut up, PC police! No one wants to hear you bitch about it. It’s

fucking hilarious.” Well, no, it isn’t, as the two proceed to engage in a flirtatious cat and mouse game involving criminal activities ranging from car and jewelry theft (him) to murder and

dismemberment (her). They eventually fall in love, although that doesn’t prevent Catherine from attempting to make him her next victim. Along the way, they engage in such seemingly endless

debates as whether a piece of furniture is a couch or a sofa and the correct pronunciation of Van Gogh. It’s all accompanied by a series of montages scored to a procession of ’80s pop hits

including “Maniac,” “I’m So Excited,” Take on Me” and “Hungry Like a Wolf.” During one of them, we’re treated to the sight of Westwick blissfully bumping and grinding while clad in a red

silk robe. _Me You Madness_ is meta to the extreme, its characters frequently breaking the fourth wall by, among other things, arguing over breaking the fourth wall. Spying Catherine in yet

another of a series of provocative, body-hugging outfits, Tyler comments, “Really, another costume change?” At another point, he exclaims, “Whoever wrote this is a fucking genius,” the

sincere delivery of which serves as an ironic testament to Westwick’s acting abilities. When Catherine interrupts herself during a monologue to ask, “Can we have some fresh ideas please,

Hollywood?” you’re practically invited to come up with sarcastic rejoinders. In its tiresome attempts to send up its star’s image and not take itself too seriously, the film becomes

exceedingly laborious. The lead performers don’t so much wink at the camera as leer at it and threaten to lick it all over, and we’re treated to so many lascivious shots of Linton’s toned,

bared physique that one would accuse the filmmaker of sexual exploitation if it weren’t Linton herself. But then again, she never did know how to read a room. _Available on VOD Production

companies: Stormchaser Films Distributor: STX Entertainment Cast: Louise Linton, Ed Westwick, Shuya Chang, Jimmy Dinh, Tyler Barnes, Gwen Van Dam, Joel Michaely Director/screenwriter: Louise

Linton Producers: Louise Linton, Kristen Ruhlin Executive producers: Christopher Rush Harrington, Jijo Reed, Christelle Zeinoun Directors of photography: Ray Peschke, Boa Simon Production

designers: Travis Zariwny, Alura Johnson Editor: Samuel Means Composer: Jason Altshuler Costume designer: Camille Jumelle Casting: Scott David_ _Rated R, 97 min. _