NERVE (2016)

Summary:

Nerve is a high-stakes, interactive online game where players perform dares for money, watched and judged by an anonymous online community called "Watchers." The film centers on Vee Delmonico, a shy high school senior who, tired of living in the shadow of her more adventurous best friend Sydney, impulsively decides to join the game as a Player. Her initial dares are relatively innocuous, but as she progresses and teams up with a mysterious fellow Player named Ian, the challenges escalate rapidly in danger and personal risk, blurring the lines between the game and real life.

As Vee and Ian are propelled into increasingly perilous situations by the demanding and manipulative Watchers, they uncover the sinister, controlling nature of Nerve. The game exploits their deepest desires and fears, isolating them from their friends and family, and forcing them to confront moral compromises. With their lives, reputations, and futures on the line, Vee and Ian must find a way to expose and dismantle the omnipresent, anonymous network that fuels Nerve before they become its next tragic casualties.

Keywords: Nerve, 2016, Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Thriller, Adventure, Tech, Social Media, Game, Dares.

Plot:

Vee Delmonico, a quiet and artistically inclined high school senior in Staten Island, feels overshadowed by her outgoing and popular best friend, Sydney. While Sydney thrives on social media and the attention it brings, Vee is hesitant to apply to CalArts, fearing her mother's disapproval and financial strain. Sydney, meanwhile, is an active player in "Nerve," a popular online dare game where "Players" perform dares for cash prizes and "Watchers" pay to observe, suggest dares, and vote on outcomes. After Sydney experiences a humiliating dare failure, leading to a public meltdown, Vee's other friend, Tommy, a tech-savvy hacker, tries to comfort her. Later, during a truth-or-dare game with their friends, Vee's crush, J.P., dismisses her as too timid to play Nerve, which, coupled with Sydney's taunts about her cautious nature, pushes Vee to impulsively sign up as a Player.

Vee's first dare is to kiss a stranger in a diner. She approaches a mysterious young man, Ian, who happens to be another Nerve Player. The Watchers, intrigued by their chemistry, immediately pair them up for subsequent dares. Their first joint dare is to ride Ian's motorcycle blindfolded through the city streets, a thrilling and dangerous experience that sparks an undeniable connection between them. The stakes quickly rise; they are dared to steal an expensive dress from Bergdorf Goodman, which Vee had admired earlier, and then to get matching tattoos. As they complete these dares, their popularity within the game soars, and their bank accounts rapidly fill with money. Vee, initially hesitant, begins to embrace the thrill and the newfound confidence the game brings, reveling in the attention and the liberation from her usual cautious self.

The game, however, starts to expose its darker side. Vee and Ian are dared to cross a narrow ladder suspended between two high-rise buildings, a terrifying ordeal that tests their courage and trust in each other. Meanwhile, Vee's friendship with Sydney becomes strained as Vee's rising fame within Nerve eclipses Sydney's. Feeling competitive and overshadowed, Sydney takes on a risky dare to walk across a construction beam, which ends in her getting caught by the police and stripped of all her winnings. This incident highlights the game's ruthless "loser gets nothing" policy. Vee's concern for Sydney is met with indifference by the Watchers, who are only interested in the next spectacle. Tommy, increasingly worried about Vee's safety, tries to warn her about the dangers of the game, explaining that the Watchers are not just an audience but a powerful, anonymous collective that controls the Players' lives through their personal data and social media profiles.

As Vee and Ian continue their perilous journey, the dares become increasingly personal and morally compromising. They are forced to humiliate J.P., Vee's former crush, by making him sing in public, which leaves Vee feeling guilty. Later, during a dare in a luxury apartment, Vee discovers a newspaper clipping revealing that Ian was involved in a previous Nerve game where his partner, Robbie, died after falling from a crane during a dare. This revelation shatters Vee's trust, and she confronts Ian, who explains that he was coerced into the game to expose the Watchers after they blackmailed him over Robbie's death. He reveals that the Watchers are constantly monitoring them, using their personal information to craft dares that exploit their weaknesses and past traumas.

The game escalates to a chilling new level as Vee and Ian are separated and forced to compete against other Players in a "final round" held in a massive, enclosed arena. Among the finalists is Ty, a menacing and ruthless Player who has been a rival throughout the game. The ultimate dare is revealed: kill another Player. Vee is horrified and refuses to participate, but the Watchers threaten her and her loved ones if she doesn't comply. Tommy, with the help of his hacker friends, discovers that the Watchers are using a distributed network of IP addresses to remain anonymous and untraceable, making it nearly impossible to shut down the game. He realizes that the only way to expose them is to make them reveal themselves. Vee, understanding the gravity of the situation, devises a plan with Ian and Tommy.

In the climactic confrontation, Vee faces Ty in the arena. The Watchers demand that she shoot Ty. Instead, Vee delivers an impassioned speech to the thousands of Watchers, pleading with them to see the humanity they are destroying and to consider the real-world consequences of their anonymous actions. She declares that she refuses to be a murderer and then, to the shock of everyone, turns the gun on herself. Ian, aware of the plan, quickly switches the live ammunition with a blank, so Vee only appears to be shot. As Vee "dies" in front of the horrified Watchers, Tommy and his team execute their hack, revealing the IP addresses and real identities of all the Watchers to each other, causing mass panic and a rapid exodus from the game. The game crashes, and its control over the Players is broken. In the aftermath, Vee recovers, and the game is effectively shut down. Vee and Ian, now free, reconcile with Sydney and their friends. Vee applies to CalArts, finally embracing her artistic passion, and she and Ian, having survived the ordeal, begin a new chapter together, forever changed by their harrowing experience in the game of Nerve.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Emma Roberts as Venus "Vee" Delmonico
• Dave Franco as Ian
• Emily Meade as Sydney
• Miles Heizer as Tommy
• Kimiko Glenn as Liv
• Machine Gun Kelly as Ty

Crew:

• Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
• Screenplay by: Jessica Sharzer
• Based on: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan
• Producers: Allison Shearmur, Anthony Katagas
• Cinematography: Michael Fimognari
• Edited by: Madeleine Gavin
• Music by: Rob Simonsen

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: July 27, 2016
• Language: English
• Genre: Adventure, Crime, Thriller
• Running Time: 96 minutes
• Accolades: Nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie