Verity Movie Guide: Cast, Rating, Runtime and Where to Watch

Verity is Amazon MGM Studios’ film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s psychological thriller, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, and as of October 2, 2026 it is playing in theaters only. It is rated R, runs about 1 hour 55 minutes and was directed by Michael Showalter. This guide covers the cast, rating, runtime and where to watch without spoilers, and we will update the viewing section if Amazon announces a home-viewing date.

What is the Verity movie about?

Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who moves into the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for renowned author Verity Crawford. According to Amazon’s official synopsis, Lowen then comes across what appear to be Verity’s autobiographical notes, which contain disturbing confessions about Verity’s husband, Jeremy, and she struggles to separate fiction from reality and manipulation from attraction. That setup is as far as this page goes, since the story turns on reveals that are best seen fresh.

Who is in the Verity cast?

Anne Hathaway plays Verity Crawford, Dakota Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh and Josh Hartnett plays Jeremy Crawford. The main credits, as listed by Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango, are below.

Amazon’s own page also lists Asel Swango as Frida and Daniel Echevarria as Alex. Michael Showalter directs, reuniting with Hathaway after The Idea of You. The screenplay is by Nick Antosca, based on Hoover’s novel, and Hoover is also a producer; Rotten Tomatoes’ credits list Hathaway among the producers as well. Some listings, including Amazon’s page, name Hoover alongside Antosca as a writer.

What is Verity rated, and can teens see it?

Verity is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence and bloody images, which means viewers under 17 need a parent or adult guardian with them. Detailed content advisories often give away plot points, so we have kept to the rating’s own wording rather than listing scenes.

How long is the Verity movie?

Verity runs about 1 hour 55 minutes, though listings range from 1:54 to 1:57. Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes list 1 hour 54 minutes (114 minutes), Wikipedia lists 117 minutes, and Metacritic lists 1 hour 57 minutes. Check your theater’s showtime page for its figure, and allow extra time for trailers, which usually push the start of the film past the listed showtime. One credits-scene database reports no mid-credits or post-credits scene, but we could not confirm that against a second source.

When did Verity come out, and where can you watch it?

Verity opened in US and Canadian theaters on Friday, October 2, 2026, and as of that date it is available only in theaters. Amazon’s own landing page for the film reads “Only In Theaters October 2,” and Amazon MGM Studios had announced no Prime Video, digital rental or purchase date. Several third-party sites have published guesses about a streaming date; none comes from Amazon, so we do not repeat them. We will update this page in place if Amazon announces one.

Reference listings give the same October 2 date for international markets, where Sony Pictures Releasing International handles distribution, so check local listings outside North America. Before the release, the film held its world premiere at a gala screening at London’s Curzon Mayfair on September 24, 2026, followed by a New York premiere on September 29. It was originally dated May 15, 2026 before moving to October.

Is Verity based on a book?

Yes, Verity adapts Colleen Hoover’s 2018 psychological-thriller novel of the same name. Hoover self-published it on December 7, 2018, and Grand Central Publishing republished it in 2021. She is best known for romance novels, and Verity is a darker thriller. The book’s ending is widely described as ambiguous, and we say nothing further about it here.

What is Anne Hathaway’s role in Verity?

Hathaway plays Verity Crawford, the bestselling author at the center of the story, in a performance built largely on voiceover narration and flashbacks. Reviews describe the character as largely confined to bed in the present-day scenes, so much of Hathaway’s screen time comes through the memoir passages Lowen reads and the scenes they conjure.

Hathaway has said she approached the part as two selves. Because the story is filtered through Lowen’s point of view, she played one version a little heightened and tilted toward villainy, and tried to give the other more reality, so the two do not quite match. Her stated aim was to leave viewers unsettled about who they are rooting for.

Two lighter details from her press interviews: the novel’s Verity is blonde, and Hathaway was relaxed about playing the role as a brunette, but she said the novel’s headboard bite was too specific and unusual to change. She described multiple meetings and stunt rehearsals to work out how to do it convincingly.

Critics who have reviewed the film broadly single Hathaway out as its strongest element. They praise her arch, over-the-top line readings and narration, and many say the film sharpens when she is on screen and loses momentum when she is not. A few found the voiceover too grandiose, and some wished she had more screen time.

How are critics reviewing Verity?

Reviews are mixed to negative. As of the afternoon of October 2, 2026, Rotten Tomatoes showed 39% from 101 critic reviews, and Metacritic showed 45 out of 100 from 29 critics, a score it classes as mixed. Both figures change as more reviews arrive, so treat them as a snapshot.

Reviewers most often fault the pacing, saying the film is slow to build, and a cautious, restrained approach from Showalter; many wanted the material to be campier, sexier or stranger than it is. Johnson’s deliberately detached performance divides critics, while Hartnett draws mild praise. Several reviewers call it a step up from earlier screen adaptations of Hoover’s novels, though some add that this is a low bar.

Is there anything to check before you go?

Check your theater’s listing for the exact runtime and showtimes, since that is the one detail the sources still disagree on. Streaming status and review scores are the parts of this guide most likely to change, and we will revise them rather than leave them stale. For the red carpet side of the release, including the London and New York premieres, see our Verity premiere report .