Directed By Yorgos Lanthimos; Screenplay By Tony McNamara; Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael.
Based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name, Poor Things follows a young Victorian woman named Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). After being crudely resurrected by a scientist (Willem Dafoe) following her suicide, she runs off with a debauched lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. This is the latest from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, who is known for making psychological thrillers and black comedies. His previous film, The Favourite, was among my (pun intended) favorites of 2018.
With Poor Things, Lanthimos delivers an even more unapologetically weird movie here. Screenwriter Tony McNamara crafts such clever expositional lines of dialogue. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography has a wide variety of visual styles it plays with successfully. Shona Heath & James Price’s production design looks so dazzling as does Holly Waddington’s costumes. Yorgos Mavropsaridis’ editing impressively keeps the whole thing very well paced throughout its nearly two and a half hour runtime.
In the beginning, Emma Stone gives a memorable performance as a woman with the mind of an infant. Yet about midway through, she gives more heartfelt work. Without giving too much away, she becomes much more mature by the end. It’s quite a remarkable character arc. Mark Ruffalo is charismatically strong as Duncan Wedderburn, the lawyer whom Bella embarks on her journey with. Willem Dafoe is perfectly eccentric as Dr. Godwin Baxter, the mad scientist who resurrects her. Ramy Youssef is excellent as medical student Max McCandles, the most sane character in the whole film.
I understand that Lanthimos’ style overall may not be everyone’s personal cup of tea. If it didn’t do it for you in The Favourite, I doubt it’s gonna win you over here. The tone here is dark, twisted, and appropriately horny. Although it is really funny a lot of the time. As someone who really liked his previous film, I was very enthralled by this bizarre adventure from start to finish.
Rating: 4.5/5
Based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name, Poor Things follows a young Victorian woman named Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). After being crudely resurrected by a scientist (Willem Dafoe) following her suicide, she runs off with a debauched lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. This is the latest from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, who is known for making psychological thrillers and black comedies. His previous film, The Favourite, was among my (pun intended) favorites of 2018.
With Poor Things, Lanthimos delivers an even more unapologetically weird movie here. Screenwriter Tony McNamara crafts such clever expositional lines of dialogue. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography has a wide variety of visual styles it plays with successfully. Shona Heath & James Price’s production design looks so dazzling as does Holly Waddington’s costumes. Yorgos Mavropsaridis’ editing impressively keeps the whole thing very well paced throughout its nearly two and a half hour runtime.
In the beginning, Emma Stone gives a memorable performance as a woman with the mind of an infant. Yet about midway through, she gives more heartfelt work. Without giving too much away, she becomes much more mature by the end. It’s quite a remarkable character arc. Mark Ruffalo is charismatically strong as Duncan Wedderburn, the lawyer whom Bella embarks on her journey with. Willem Dafoe is perfectly eccentric as Dr. Godwin Baxter, the mad scientist who resurrects her. Ramy Youssef is excellent as medical student Max McCandles, the most sane character in the whole film.
I understand that Lanthimos’ style overall may not be everyone’s personal cup of tea. If it didn’t do it for you in The Favourite, I doubt it’s gonna win you over here. The tone here is dark, twisted, and appropriately horny. Although it is really funny a lot of the time. As someone who really liked his previous film, I was very enthralled by this bizarre adventure from start to finish.
Rating: 4.5/5