One of the Worst Movies I’ve Seen In Years
I was a big fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, “The Lost Daughter,” and of course a big fan of Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, so, as odd as this looked, was somewhat pumped for it. And even after it came out, and the reviews were middling, was still game to see it just for the talent attached.
But sweet lord above, this was just hot garbage. Incoherent, inane, garish, this is just a mess. Buckley and Bale do what they can, but it’s like watching two people try to keep their head above water as they’re whisked down a roaring river. There is no saving them from this disaster.
The plot and tone are all over the place, like Maggie Gyllenhaal went “I got nominated for some Oscars, lemme do a bunch of blow and follow every whim I have.” And so we get this love story/crime caper/monster movie/half-baked feminist manifesto/somewhat musical that shows how truly difficult it is to do what PTA and Coogler did last year and genre hop. Just total chaos.
When the opening scene was “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley speaking in a voiceover about needing to inhabit someone to tell “the second half of her story,” and then possesses a drunken Buckley, I should have followed my instincts and walked out. A couple next to me bailed just a few minutes later, and I commend their saving themselves.