Why Elsbeth Star’s Directorial Debut Is Rated Only 8% on Rotten Tomatoes

While the whole world of TV fans is celebrating Elsbeth 's deserved success, those who have been following Carrie Preston for a long time are looking back at the actress' filmography to choose something to distract themselves during the hiatus.

Although Elsbeth has been renewed for season 2, it won't arrive until the fall, so there's plenty of time to check out some of the actress' other projects.

Be careful, though, because not all of them are as good as Elsbeth. Preston's directorial debut, That's What She Said, is a movie you probably want to avoid at all costs. It's everything that's wrong with a parody comedy.

What Did Carrie Preston Direct?

Even though Carrie Preston has more than one movie under her belt, this one stands out from the crowd. First of all, Preston's other projects were TV episodes of Claws, The Good Fight and Your Honor. Second, all of those episodes received mixed to positive reviews, while her attempt at the big screen ended up being an ultimate flop.

That's What She Said premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It then had a limited run in select theaters, but never made it to the mainstream media. Perhaps that's thanks to the critics, who panned the film and landed it with an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Starring Anne Heche, Alia Shawkat, and Miriam Shor, That's What She Said was created as a story of female friendship that went beyond what was usually seen on TV and in movies in the early 2010s. While we now have such takes on womanhood as Phoebe Wallace-Bridge's Fleabag and Rachel Sennott's Bottoms, audiences didn't have that luxury back then.

Described as ‘unpleasant’ and ‘frustrating’ by various critics, this comedy is a failed attempt to portray women in a more relatable way. Instead of being free-spirited and confident, the characters come across as disgusting for most of the movie, and a few added tropes usually applied to male friend groups don't make it any better.

Even though the main problems of the movie weren't in the acting or directing, this movie now sits at the bottom of Carrie Preston's filmography as one of the first, but unsuccessful steps in her attempt to break out of her acting career.

Unfortunately, That’s What She Said isn’t available to watch online. However, if you want to see more of Carrie Preston on your screen, you can always go ahead and check out Elsbeth season 1 on Paramount Plus.