No rousing techno soundtrack from regulars Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, no sexy overtones and no strong aesthetic sheen. There are some attractive actors, but it\u2019s still not a proper Luca Guadagnino joint, goshdarnit. The film centres around Julia Roberts\u2019 talented academic Alma who is forced to pick sides when her star student Maggie (The Bear\u2019s Ayo Edebiri) accuses Amla\u2019s colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
So. About that soundtrack. It just hasn\u2019t got those bopping electro beats that added so much character to their previous films. None of that \u2018Compress\/Repress\u2019 magic from Challengers. None of those techno tension \u2018In Motion\u2019 vibes from The Social Network. And you could make a decent argument that a loud maximalist score wouldn\u2019t quite gel with a film that discusses such a heavy subject. But the intensely minimalist piano and strings only add to a lacklustre, toned-down visual aesthetic that adds little to an unengaging plot. The acting\u2019s solid, as are the actors. It\u2019s nice to see Andrew Garfield on solid scumbag form after his general good guy filmography, and few actors are more skilled with that shouting schtick, whether that involves smashing up laptops (see: The Social Network) or discovering that you were manufactured with no soul (see: Never Let Me Go). Julia Roberts is fairly beige, but Edebiri gives a more spirited performance as the <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There should be more to like here. There are plenty of hyper close-ups on facial expressions as characters engage in heated conversations. And I\u2019m a fan of those close-up kinda things. But the substance just isn\u2019t there. The film\u2019s content seems to be reaching for the high quality of recent masterpieces like Tar, but Roberts hasn\u2019t got Cate Blanchett\u2019s rizz or talent, and the screenplay doesn\u2019t go anywhere particularly satisfying. Not a total disaster, but not a straight serve like Challengers or a, um, peach like Call Me By Your Name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
No rousing techno soundtrack from regulars Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, no sexy overtones and no strong aesthetic sheen. There are some attractive actors, but it\u2019s still not a proper Luca Guadagnino joint, goshdarnit. The film centres around Julia Roberts\u2019 talented academic Alma who is forced to pick sides when her star student Maggie (The … <\/p>\n