# Karen (film)
**Karen** is a 2021 American thriller film written and directed by Coke Daniels, starring [Taryn Manning](https://www.edgepedia.org/taryn-manning) as Karen Drexler, a racist white woman who makes it her personal mission to displace the Black couple, community activist Malik ([Cory Hardrict](https://www.edgepedia.org/cory-hardrict)) and his wife Imani (Jasmine Burke), who have just moved in next door to her in an Atlanta suburb.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) The title literalizes the internet slang term "Karen," a pejorative for an obnoxious, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to police other people's behavior.[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/karen-director-coke-daniels-defends-his-controversial-movie-its-a-feel-good-film/) The film was released on September 3, 2021, in limited theaters and on demand, and was widely panned by critics.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) • [3](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Coke Daniels[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) |
| Starring | Taryn Manning (Karen Drexler), Cory Hardrict (Malik), Jasmine Burke (Imani)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) |
| Release | September 3, 2021, limited theatrical and on demand; September 14, 2021, TV premiere on BET[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/releaseinfo/) |
| Runtime and distributor | 89 minutes; Quiver Distribution[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) |
| Critical reception | 17% on the Tomatometer from 24 reviews; 22% Popcornmeter from 100+ ratings[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) |
| IMDb rating | 3.2/10 from about 3,700 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/) |
| Filming location | Acworth, Georgia (Chestnut Hill subdivision)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The film follows Karen Drexler, a widowed mother of two and president of her local homeowners' association, who resents Malik and Imani, the Black couple who move in next door in an upper-middle-class Atlanta suburban community.[3](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning) The Australian Classification Board's synopsis describes her as a comfortably middle-class white woman who is resentful of and antagonistic toward her new neighbors.[6](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/karen-1)
Karen's harassment escalates through a series of racist acts: she scolds the couple about their garbage bin, installs a security camera pointed directly at their house, has two Black men ejected from a restaurant, warns the homeowners' association about the new residents, questions three young Black men walking through the neighborhood and calls the police, and finally breaks into the neighbors' house with a gun.[3](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning) Her brother is a racist police officer, tying the civilian harassment to police brutality, which the Australian classification notes as part of the film's violence alongside deaths by gunshot.[3](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning) • [6](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/karen-1)
## Production and release
The project was announced in August 2020, when Taryn Manning, known for the Netflix series *Orange Is the New Black*, was set to star as an entitled white woman from the South set on ousting her [Black Lives Matter](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-lives-matter)-supporting neighbors. The film was described at that stage as a social commentary with a "powerful message," produced through Daniels' Flixville USA and Burke Management, with a planned October production start and an early 2021 release.[7](https://www.thewrap.com/taryn-manning-to-star-as-karen-in-suspense-thriller-from-director-coke-daniels/)
Karen was released on September 3, 2021, in limited theaters and on demand, distributed by Quiver Distribution.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) It received a television premiere on September 14, 2021, as part of BET's "Summer of Chills" series.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/releaseinfo/) • [8](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/karen-is-far-from-a-good-movie-but-it-21185825.php) Filming took place in Acworth, Georgia, in the Chestnut Hill subdivision.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/) The producers include Mary Aloe, Craig Chapman, Sevier Crespo, Coke Daniels, Cory Hardrict, Gillian Hormel, Taryn Manning, and Tirrell D. Whittley; civil rights attorney [Benjamin Crump](https://www.edgepedia.org/benjamin-crump) is listed among the executive producers.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/fullcredits/)
In Australia, the film was classified M (mature) on May 23, 2022, for mature themes, violence, drug use and coarse language, with the board noting themes of racism, discrimination and the mistreatment of racial minorities.[6](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/karen-1)
## Reception
The trailer drew backlash before release, with internet commentators calling the film a "Jordan Peele-knockoff" for its resemblance to Peele's social-thriller approach.[10](https://www.salon.com/2021/06/22/karen-movie-trailer-horror-backlash/) Daniels responded in a June 2021 interview that he specializes in comedy and views Karen as a satire on modern-day race relations in America, saying the film was made "to spark dialogue and continue conversations about social injustice and racism in this country" and calling it "a feel-good film."[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/karen-director-coke-daniels-defends-his-controversial-movie-its-a-feel-good-film/)
**Critical response.** The film holds a 17% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, with 4 fresh and 20 rotten reviews among 24 counted, and a 22% audience Popcornmeter score.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) Reviewers criticized the film's lack of subtlety. [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) called it "one of the worst movies of 2021" and wrote that it plays like "an extended 'SNL' parody of a Jordan Peele film."[3](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning) Michael Nordine of Variety wrote that "from the title to nearly every narrative beat," the film "offers little in the way of incisive social commentary or thrills."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave it zero stars, writing that it "doesn't bring any critical thinking to its own conversation."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) Elizabeth Weitzman of TheWrap judged that with no twists or surprising moments it "fails as a thriller," and that its messages are delivered "with all the subtlety of a meme."[11](https://www.thewrap.com/karen-film-review-taryn-manning-2021/) Common Sense Media's Jordan Elizabeth gave it 2 out of 5, calling it "a kitschy representation of a very real threat: White women who are aware of their Whiteness and weaponize it."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021)
On IMDb the film holds a 3.2/10 rating from about 3,700 users.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/) Audience reactions on Rotten Tomatoes were divided between viewers who found the acting and script poor and some who appreciated the subject matter or the ending.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021) A San Francisco Chronicle review argued that although the film is far from good, it "practically serves as a documentary" of everyday racist encounters for Black viewers.[8](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/karen-is-far-from-a-good-movie-but-it-21185825.php)
## References
1. [Karen (2021), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karen_2021)
2. ['Karen' Director Coke Daniels Defends His Controversial Movie: 'It's a Feel-Good Film', The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/karen-director-coke-daniels-defends-his-controversial-movie-its-a-feel-good-film/)
3. ['Karen' review: A terrible movie about a terrible person, Chicago Sun-Times](https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2021/9/2/22652188/karen-review-movie-taryn-manning)
4. [Karen (2021) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/releaseinfo/)
5. [Karen (2021), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/)
6. [KAREN, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/karen-1)
7. [Taryn Manning to Star as 'Karen' in Suspense Thriller From Director Coke Daniels, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/taryn-manning-to-star-as-karen-in-suspense-thriller-from-director-coke-daniels/)
8. ['Karen' is far from a good movie. But it practically serves as a documentary for Black people, San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/karen-is-far-from-a-good-movie-but-it-21185825.php)
9. [Karen (2021) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12636872/fullcredits/)
10. [Horror flick "Karen" already causing backlash as a "Jordan Peele-knockoff" after new trailer drops, Salon](https://www.salon.com/2021/06/22/karen-movie-trailer-horror-backlash/)
11. ['Karen' Film Review: Ridiculous Thriller Tackles Racism With the Depth of a Meme, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/karen-film-review-taryn-manning-2021/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released 2020 to 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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