Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Sleepover’ is an action-comedy where two children discover that their mother is not who they thought she was. The film offers a lot of humor and thrilling action, along with a mystery that delivers an unexpected twist. By the end of it, everything changes for the characters. The children see their parents in a new light, while the adults are confronted with their past and the prospects of their future seem uncertain. If you haven’t seen the film yet, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot Summary
Clancy and Kevin had been living a normal life until their parents got kidnapped. The kids discovered that their mother has a complicated past where she used to work with some dangerous people who have come back to haunt her now. They thought she was just another overbearing and strict mother who didn’t even want her children to have phones, but it turns out that she has had her fair share of adventures in the past. Now, she is being forced to commit another crime while her children follow her trail to rescue her and their father.
Who kidnapped Margot?
The events of ‘The Sleepover’ kickstart with the kidnapping of Margot and Ron. Two people break into their home in the middle of the night and it is revealed that Margot is actually Mathilde, and a Canadian, on top of that. At first, Ron thinks that there is some misunderstanding, but then it is revealed that Margot has a dangerous past. It turns out that years ago, Margot got in business with some shady people and created some complications in her life. She started working for a man named Jean-Paul who worked for a crime syndicate, who would make money by stealing priceless things. Eventually, Margot decided that she didn’t want to be a part of this life anymore. Her fiancee, Leo, who had also been her partner-in-crime agreed to get Jean-Paul out of the way by getting him behind the bars. They decided to start their new lives by accepting to get into witness protection. This is where Margot met Ron and fell in love with him.
All this time, Margot expected that Leo had taken the same way out. She thought he must have been in witness protection and would have a life of his own by now. But it turns out that after Jean-Paul was arrested, a vacuum was created in the hierarchy of the syndicate and Leo rose to the occasion to fill the gap. Years later, they came back to steal a priceless crown, and Leo realized that they couldn’t go forward with the robbery without Margot. He sent his people to abduct her and used her ignorance about his situation to make her empathize with him and willingly surrender to become a part of the robbery.
He had been looking for her all this while, but being in witness protection, he had no way of knowing where she could be. Margot, on her part, kept herself safe by not coming into public attention in any manner. The reason she didn’t give a phone to her teenage daughter, Clancy, was because she knew that her social media presence could lead to the blowing of her own cover and bring danger to her family.
The problem arises when someone makes a video of Kevin and Margot is captured in it. Had she known the bullies were filming her, she would probably have taken care of it before it got worse. But the video found its way to YouTube and with over a million hits, she got noticed by Leo, and he came up with the plan of her abduction.
What Leo wanted was to get Margot back in business. He thought that the heist would remind her of the excitement they used to have in their lives, and she would join the syndicate once again. He doesn’t realize that Margot doesn’t take her new life for granted and she meant it when she asked Leo to leave behind their criminal past and have a new beginning.
The Ending
After following the clues left by their mother, Clancy and Kevin arrive at the gala, with Lewis and Mim, to find out what is really going on with their mother. With some quick thinking on the part of Kevin, they get to appear on the main stage where Clancy diverts the security with her cello skills. By the time, Margot, Ron, and Leo escape captivity and create a ruckus at the party. Through their collective efforts, they succeed in stealing the crown, but then the truth about Leo comes about.
He frames Margot for the robbery and goes on his way to making money off the loot. However, Margot and her family succeed in making it out of his trap and arrive just in time to stop him in his tracks. In the end, Leo is arrested and sent to prison. The children realize how much they had underestimated both of their parents. Clancy also gets the courage to talk to her mother about her desire to go to Boston to pursue her passion for music. Kevin and Lewis finally get their high-five right, and the night of adventures gives Lewis the strength to break it out of the cuddly constraints of lifestyle that he had been living in all this time. The Finch family goes back home, with the hope that they will get to be normal again. Probably.
