of the film make you think you’re in for a bizarre mashup of Pleasantville meets Death Wish, but after the opening kill, the movie veers away from exploitation fun and turns into an indie drama about girl-meets-boy. Yes, you read that correctly.

Miss Meadows has got to be one of the greatest cinematic miscalculations in recent memory. Katie Holmes delivers a strong, I dare say spot-on performance and the supporting cast, James Badge Dale as an accordion playing cop and Jean Smart as Mother Meadows, never miss a beat – but that’s where the good news ends. Is the story about Miss Meadows trying to let go of her past? Or is it a postmodern commentary on the injustice in the world? Or is it just a fun character thrown into completely the wrong genre and plot?

Things continue to decline as a serial child molester appears in the neighbourhood and Miss Meadows is forced decide between her burgeoning love for Mike the cop, or taking out the bad guy. Perhaps writer-director Karen Leigh Hopkins wasn’t entirely comfortable drifting from the familial dramas of her previous work (Stepmom, Because I Said So). Which leads us to the question: if you can’t commit to an exploitation fantasy, then why write a story about a tap dancing, murderous vigilante who acts and dresses like a Stepford Wife?