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Reviews for December 25th, 2024



      Romy (Nicole Kidman) lives with her husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), and teenage daughters, Isabel (Esther McGregor), and Nora (Vaughan Reilly), and works as the CEO of a robotics company where an intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), seduces her into a sexually-charged affair in Babygirl. Why does she cheat on her husband? The answer is simple: he doesn't satisfy her sexually, so she looks for satisfaction elsewhere instead of communicating with him openly and honestly. He works as a theater director and hasn't cheated on her as far as the audience knows. If you can imagine Secretary crossed with Unfaithful and Eyes Wide Shut, minus the intrigue, you'd get an idea of what it's like to watch Babygirl.

      The screenplay by Babygirl doesn't break new ground, but it does explore the topic of sex, power and infidelity in a way that's unflinchingly honest. There are no surprises, though, because it's clear from the beginning that Romy and Samuel have a toxic relationship. Both of them have issues with boundaries, control and restraint. That's evident even during a small, seemingly insignificant moment when Samuel asks her how many cups of coffee she had that day and she initially tells him that it's none of his business, but suddenly admits that she drank 7 cups. So, that's just the start of how he takes control over her. Is he a narcissist? He seems like one although so does Romy. Who's the bigger narcissist then? More importantly, what will happen when Romy's husband inevitably finds out about their affair? The rushed ending shares too much in common with Eyes Wide Shut's ending, though, and leaves Romy's issues with boundaries and marriage unresolved. How has she truly changed? What has she learned? How introspective is she? If only Babygirl were to probe those questions deeper, it would've been a much more profound character study.

      Fortunately, the superb cinematography along with the lively, well-chosen soundtrack helps to elevate the film as do the performances by the entire ensemble, especially Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson who both sizzle and have palpable chemistry together. If you're looking for a bold, sexy and stylish psychological thriller for date night, you can't go wrong with Babygirl. At a running time of 1 hour and 54 minutes, Babygirl opens nationwide via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Robbie Williams portrays himself in the form of a CGI monkey in Better Man, a musical biopic unlike anything you've seen before. The screenplay by writer/director Michael Gracey and his co-writers, Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole, follows Robbie from his childhood until his adult years as he rose to fame as a pop singer. It goes beyond a by-the-numbers biopic by delving into his troubled relationship with his father, Peter (Steve Pemberton), which grounds the film in poignancy while concurrently helping the audience to understand what's going on inside of Robbie on a psychological level. Kudos to the filmmakers for designing a window into his heart, mind and soul. The emotionally engrossing moments feel organic and well-earned, especially during the hard-hitting third act which might bring tears to your eyes. There's also some surprisingly surreal and dark scenes that invigorate the film without leading to clunkiness. The same can be said about the comic relief which there's just enough of to counterbalance the heavier themes of self-discovery and loneliness. On top of that, the music and dance sequences are very well-choreographed and exuberant. To be fair, it takes about 10 minutes to get used to watching Robbie disguised as a CGI monkey, so please keep in mind that your patience will be rewarded. Raechelle Banno plays Robbie's girlfriend, Nicole, and Alison Steadman, Mike Leigh's ex-wife and the co-star of the cult classic Shirley Valentine, portrays Robbie's grandmother, Betty. At a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, Better Man is bold, exhilarating and genuinely heartfelt. It opens in select theaters before nationwide on January 10th, 2025 via Paramount Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       A Complete Unknown is a musical biopic that charts Bob Dylan's (Timothée Chalamet) rise to fame until his concert at the Newport Folk Festival. The screenplay by writer/director James Mangold and co-writer Jay Cocks follows Dylan as he befriends Peter Seeger (Edward Norton) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) and has romances with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro)  and Sylvia Russo (Elle Fanning). If you're expecting a thorough biopic on Bob Dylan, you'll be disappointed because A Complete Unknown only focuses on a small portion of his life. That would've been forgivable if it were more unflinching and emotionally engrossing. Unfortunately, it keeps Dylan at an arm's length from the audience emotionally. He begins as a stranger and an enigma and remains one until the end credits roll. Would it have been too much to ask to get inside his head a little? A fan of his approaches him in an elevator and tries to get him to open up, but he refuses to. That's fine because it's how he prefers to behave in public. Why can't the filmmakers show him during his more private moments to the audience? The audience wouldn't be invading his privacy. Some of the best biopics are the ones that feel voyeuristic. This biopic barely even scratches its subject's surface, takes any risks or reveals anything profound, so it plays it too safely. That said, the music, unsurprisingly, is great and the ensemble cast, namely, Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Scoot McNairy and Monica Barbaro, give solid performances that breathe life into their roles ever so slightly. At 2 hours and 21 minutes, A Complete Unknown is a well-acted, but shallow, undercooked and sugar-coated biopic. It opens nationwide via Searchlight Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), a real estate agent, travels to the isolated castle of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to complete the sale of his estate. His wife, Ellen (Lily Rose-Depp), experiences premonitions and warns him not to go, but he doesn't listen to her and leaves her with his friends, Frederich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna (Emma Corrin) instead, in Nosferatu. Set in 1898 Germany, the screenplay by writer/director Robert Eggers begins with a prologue that provides the audience with a taste and foreshadow of the horror of Nosferatu. Before you know it, Thomas has already left his wife to visit the mysterious Count Orlok's estate. Eggers seems more interested in moving the plot forward rather than letting its characters breathe and to develop them into fully-fleshed human beings, though. Professor Albin Eberhart (Willem Dafoe) comes across as merely a plot device. So the dialogue is mediocre at best with very little terms wit or surprises. The film's major strengths include Lily Rose-Depp's raw performance and the atmospheric, poetic and visually stunning cinematography, production design and lighting. The film's visual style becomes somewhat part of its substance, though, but not enough to ground the film in much-needed emotional depth. Physical grit can be found here in abundance; emotional grit, on the other hand, runs too low. Ultimately, it's less than the sum of its parts. Nosferatu opens nationwide via Focus Features.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1