Poor Things Movie Review

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In 2009, Yorgos Lanthimos released Dogtooth, an extraordinary family drama that would make him break into the Western mainstream, and from there, the Greek director has continued his quest to tell fascinating stories in his way. Poor Things, his latest film, brings all the tools Lanthimos is known for, but this time taken to the next level in what could be described as Lanthimos doing the best Terry Gilliam film ever made, an adventure that deals with self-discovery and sexuality.

Poor Things Movie Review: Script Analysis

Poor Thing is a bizarre movie; this must be left clear for mainstream audiences because this is Lanthimos’s weirdest but also his most fun and playful. So, for anyone out there who isn’t in the mood to experience a bizarre movie that will challenge your perceptions of narrative, visual design, and even acting, you can move to some other things, which is fine. Nevertheless, those audience members who delight themselves in the weird will enjoy exploring this world.

In many ways, Poor Thing is a very similar movie to this year’s Barbie in that it is a story of self-discovery through the lens of a young woman. However, in many ways as well, Barbie never really allowed its main character to explore the world that she wanted so badly to be a part of, which is something that Poor Things allows its main character, Bella, thoroughly, and through it, the discovery of all things that make life beautiful and awful at the same time.

The similarities don’t end there, because just like Barbie jumped to the conclusion without finding a good reason for it, Poor Things also suffers from a sloppy third act, in which the conclusion the protagonist arrives at makes total sense, but then the film keeps going for a bit more without giving a justification. This last third of the film feels a bit useless and takes away from the movie’s momentum, serving as a strange tangent that could have been cut out of the film.

The script written by Tony McNamara, who also registered Lanthimo’s previous film, The Favourite, results in Lanthimos’s funniest film to date, which is great as the director has a superb sense of comedy, and it is something that should never disappear from his movie. The film’s jokes come from many different places, but they always land thanks to the fantastic delivery of the cast and their good sense of timing. The character’s resolutions might be murky, but the journey is a beautiful experience that everyone should try.

Poor Things Movie Review: Star Performance

Poor Things is the Emma Stone show. The actress feels bold, brave, and confident in her skill as a performer and excels at everything the script throws at her. Stone’s comedic abilities help her a lot, as she is willing to laugh at herself and with herself about all the absurd things happening in the film. Stone is already an Oscar winner; she has nothing to prove to anyone, and this confidence allows her to go into these more experimental projects without a second thought.

Stone also clearly feels very comfortable with Lanthimos, and their partnership will undoubtedly result in more magical projects like this one. The rest of the cast is also quite excellent. Mark Ruffalo serves as the other character with the most screen time, but a lot of publicity has been done for a character that ends up being quite pathetic and tame compared to the many descriptions of debauchery placed on him. Dafoe and Youssef play way more compelling characters, and they should get much more recognition.