Dream Scenario

Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, Dylan Baker, Kate Berlant, Lily Bird, Jessica Clement, Marnie McPhail-Diamond, Paula Bondreau, Noah Centineo
Running Time: 100 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nicolas Cage has taken on so many wild roles over the past decade it's easy to forget just how skilled he is at inhabiting average, everyday people trapped in circumstances beyond their control. In writer/director Kristoffer Borgli's black comedy Dream Scenario, we're reminded, which isn't to say Cage's bland, middle-aged protagonist doesn't have his fair share of quirks and eccentricities. But for the most part, he's almost painfully normal. At least until stumbling upon overnight fame for a really unusual reason, creating far more problems than it solves.  

In asking viewers to consider how they'd endure a similar situation, most of the film's surprises come from unfamiliar places. He might be the butt of the joke, but it's likely most couldn't handle things any better, as this sci-fi fantasy morphs into an existential nightmare that offers a scathing social commentary about the cost of fame. Once the public starts projecting their own ideas of him into the world, we get a story that wouldn't seem out of place in The Twilight Zone. And at its center is Cage, who isn't playing the agent of chaos this time, but its unsuspectingly hapless victim.

Socially awkward, mild-mannered biology professor Paul Matthews (Cage) can't seem to catch a break. An adjunct at a local university, his lectures on zebras bore students while his supportive wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and daughters Sophie (Lily Bird) and Hannah (Jessica Clement) roll their eyes at him. Desperately wanting to be published, the timid Paul halfheartedly confronts a former colleague (Paula Bondreau) over an allegedly stolen idea before encountering ex-girlfriend Claire (Marnie McPhail-Diamond), who confesses he's been inexplicably appearing in her dreams. 

After Paul grants Claire permission to write about these dreams for an article, strangers start coming out of the woodwork claiming to recognize him from their dreams. As his celebrity profile rises, he hires a forward thinking PR firm to help manage his suddenly limitless opportunities. But when everyone's dreams turn increasingly violent and sinister, an angry, unsympathetic public blame Paul, making him their number one target.

The one thing all these dreams (cleverly referred to as a "collective Mandela Effect") have in common is that this bearded, balding man's walk through role in them is limited to passive observance, no matter how dire or outrageous the situation. While irked by how closely that resembles his actual tendencies, there's still a large part of him enjoying the newfound fame, with the best scenes revolving around how his undersized personality conflicts with it. Previously defined by a small, anonymous existence, this strange phenomenon makes his world a whole lot bigger, flipping whatever life he had upside down. 

Paul's lectures are now not only well attended, but exciting, with students eager to pick the brain of the world's most recognizable face. But the gap between Paul's desires and people's expectations grow, most noticeably in his interactions with goofy, people pleasing public relations CEO Trent (Michael Cera) and the firm's smitten assistant Molly (Dylan Gelula) who becomes obsessed with recreating her explicit dreams of Paul, to disastrous results.

Paul becomes sort of an everyman symbol society can embrace until these dreams turn to nightmares. But what's most astonishing is just how far the script goes with this, depicting a cancel culture catastrophe where popularity hinges on fans' fickle whims. Their dreams aren't "real," but they're still emotional triggers, representing at least some piece of them or they view reality.

Borgli's even more interested in the concept of entering someone else's consciousness, culminating in a great visual payoff involving Paul's marriage that's as strangely moving as it is comical. There's also a heavy emphasis on how his plight connects to the ethical conundrum surrounding dream technology. If there's any drawback, it's that the film sometimes trips over itself in the delivery, unsure how to get this all out. Still, there are deep ideas in here that make a good enough case for subsequent viewings.    

Playing an introverted, unassuming professor battling perceptions of his more dangerous nocturnal counterpart, there are definite echoes of Cage's work in Charlie Kauffman's Adaptation, with the actor again proving why he's an ideal fit for off-the-wall parts that amount to more than they first appear. And given how he's resisted critics and audiences placing him in a box throughout his career, it's only appropriate he's playing someone trapped in such a predicament. But with as much to say about us as his embattled character, Dream Scenario rarely backs down when it comes to exploring the full ramifications of its oddball premise.                                  

2024 Oscar Nominations (Reaction and Analysis)

Earlier this morning, the 96th Academy Award nominations were announced live from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angles by actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid, definitively ending months of speculation and guessing games. Now we're entering the home stretch, with all roads leading to the big show on March 10th, once again hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. But the key difference this year isn't just an unusually high number of quality films, but a couple of huge critical and commercial hits the mainstream moviegoing public actually turned out for. 

Since the general consensus was always that Barbie and Oppenheimer would do really well, the question became how well, and where the rest of the cards would fall. With ten nominees for Best Picture and an avalanche of precursor awards, it's hard to have many shocks in that category, but those looking for other snubs and surprises definitely found them. Who was robbed? Who miraculously snuck in? As usual, there's plenty to talk about. Let's see how the voters did. Click here for the complete list.

-Oppenheimer leads the pack with 13 nominations, with a decent portion potentially resulting in wins. That's the major story coming out of this, as many titles already earmarked for victories further solidified their frontrunner status. Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon followed with 10 nods, with the former even doing a little better than expected, dominating technical categories like Costume, Production Design, Cinematography and Editing. 

-Despite an 8 nomination haul, it's still hard not to look at Barbie's showing as somewhat of a disappointment. Sure, it got in for Picture, Adapted Screenplay (despite that controversial classification), both supporting categories and had two Original Song nominees, but Greta Gerwig (Director) and Margot Robbie's (Actress) snubs had to sting. They're in super competitive fields but Gerwig's absence really highlights the side effect of having ten Best Picture nominees: half those directors get left out.  

-You may as well give Christopher Nolan his Oscar now. Scorsese is probably his closest competition (and the oldest ever nominee in this category at 81) but his momentum stalled. Neither Anatomy of a Fall's Justine Triet, Poor Things' Yorgos Lanthimos or The Zone of Interest's Jonathan Glazer pose much of a threat, but can be proud their movies overperformed. Alexander Payne (The Holdovers) joins Gerwig on the sidelines, which is a shame since I'd switch out almost anyone not named Nolan or Scorsese for them and Maestro's Bradley Cooper. 

-All signs pointed toward DiCaprio being passed over for, if we're being honest, not one of his strongest performances in an unlikable role. Barry Keoghan for Saltburn, The Iron Claw's Zac Efron and Air's Matt Damon were sadly never realistic possibilities, leaving us with the predictably strong five of Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction). This race will come down to Giamatti vs. Murphy and it could get tight. 

-How about that ovation for Lily Gladstone? If that's any indication, Emma Stone's in for a battle and should probably be worried. The Academy rarely resists nominating Annette Bening (Nyad) so it's fair to say Anatomy of a Fall's Sandra Hüller took Robbie's spot. That Carey Mulligan got in for Maestro is good news for a film many wanted to see crash and burn, picking up up 7 nods instead. That indignity was reserved for May December which missed just about everything except Original Screenplay. This leaves Natalie Portman out in the cold despite delivering some of her most compelling work in years. But after the film's lackluster showing at the BAFTA and SAG, the writing was on the wall.      

-Sterling K. Brown's Supporting nod for American Fiction wasn't a total surprise, but it's nice he got in since the category is pretty stacked with Robert De Niro (KOTFM), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie) and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) all sliding in. Remember when people were talking about Charles Melton winning this whole thing for May December? Completely snubbed. The Poor Things slot went to Ruffalo instead of Willem Dafoe, but it sure would have been great to see The Holdovers' Dominic Sessa here, as it was starting to feel like a real possibility. Saltburn is burned again as Jacob Elordi is left out. Downey's victory has never seemed more certain.

-In the crowded Supporting Actress category, Emily Blunt scores her first ever nod for Oppenheimer. The Color Purple had a poor showing overall, but the one actress everyone thought could go the distance was Danielle Brooks. America Ferrera is an Oscar nominee for Barbie after months of back and forth speculation about her chances. Like Bening, voters couldn't pass up the opportunity to include her co-star Jodie Foster, who was arguably even more impressive in Nyad. If there's any lingering doubt just how little voters think of May December, even Julianne Moore was ignored. Ferrari's Penelope Cruz, Saltburn's Rosamund Pike, Air's Viola Davis and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret's Rachel McAdams failed to crack the top five, with the latter being the longest of long shots. The Holdovers' Da’Vine Joy Randolph just cemented her deservedly inevitable win.

-Best Picture is Oppenheimer's to lose at this point, with prestige picks like Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest establishing their status alongside wider known selections like American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, KOTFM and Maestro. As much as the AMPAS likes to tout all its changes, this was business as usual. The only real exclusions here would be the cursed May December, The Color Purple, Saltburn, Society of the Snow, All of Us Strangers and The Iron Claw. But good luck finding any takers to bet on those.

Other Random Observations:

-That Napoleon scored 3 nominations (Production Design, Costume Design, Visual Effects) has to be considered a success given the film's lukewarm reception.

-How about that audience response for Godzilla: Minus One? Almost Gladstone-level.

-91 year-old John Williams picks up his 49th (!) Oscar nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.            

-Am I the only one surprised that Asteroid City didn't get either a cinematography or production design nod? Like all of Wes Anderson's work, it's divisive, but even those who despised it seemed to at least acknowledge the visual achievement. Apparently this just got lost in the shuffle with its earlier release, much like Air.

-The most overlooked snub has to be the exclusion of Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, the award-winning feature on the actor many thought had not only secured its ticket to the ceremony, but should win. The Academy never tires of screwing up this category, but they really hit a new low with this one.    

           

Killers of the Flower Moon

Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, Jason Isbell, William Belleau, Scott Shepherd, Tatanks Means, Sturgill Simpson, Charlie Musselwhite, Pat Healy, Jack White, Barry Corbin, Pete Yorn
Running Time: 206 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

There's this chilling moment toward the end of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon when Robert De Niro's villainous character predicts that any outrage about the murders he ordered won't last. People move on and history fades, until disappearing, rarely given a second thought. Sadly, he ended up being right. Long removed from public consciousness, it took David Grann's 2017 non-fiction bestseller for the Osage Nation killings to be widely acknowledged for the pure savagery it was.

Now the basis for this three and a half hour epic, Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth are put in the unenviable position of not only doing justice to real events, but molding it into a piece of art and entertainment that doesn't feel like a preachy history lecture. On that front, Scorsese again proves his worth, giving shape and meaning to a gigantic story too well crafted to be merely written off as a cinematic miniseries.   

During the annual "Flower Moon" ceremony, a discovery of oil deposits beneath the ground brings abundant wealth to Oklahoma's Native American Osage tribe, even as their revenues are legally overseen by white court-appointed guardians. But World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart's (Leonardo DiCaprio) return to the states in 1919 to live with his uncle, William "King" Hale (De Niro) soon makes a bad situation worse. A reserve deputy sheriff and local political honcho, Hale's been posing as a friendly benefactor to the Osage inheritors while orchestrating their murders for money. Now with Ernest in the fold, he has even more help.

When not committing armed robberies with his brother Byron (Scott Shepherd), Ernest works as a driver for Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an Osage whose family owns oil headrights. But after Ernest falls in love and marries her, Hale convinces him they need to target his new wife's relatives to gain control of the inheritance. With Mollie suffering from diabetes and caring for an elderly mother, Hale and his nephews sets their sights on eliminating her sisters first. As the reservation's body count rises, Hale uses his pull with local law enforcement to cover up the killings, until the arrival of F.B.I. agent Thomas Bruce White Sr. (Jesse Plemons) threatens to expose it all.

It's somewhat difficult to reconcile how Mollie marries Ernest to begin with since there's hardly a minute where he doesn't come across as a hopelessly dense creep. And DiCaprio, fitted with bad teeth and mealy mouthed drawl that makes him sound like Sling Blade's Karl Childers, plays this to a hilt, with him initially tagging behind her like a lost puppy. Despite Mollie having a good head on her shoulders and seemingly aware of his faults, Gladstone succeeds in making her believably vulnerable enough to fall for this. The character's sadness over the Osage's plight, her own declining health and continuous family tragedies could be counted as contributing factors she thinks marrying him may lessen.

The gullible Ernest doesn't start out gunning for Mollie's money until his uncle tells him to, knowing once this lost soul feels wanted and important, there's no looking back. And since the grandfatherly Hale's hands are in everything as he projects the aura of an upstanding community leader, covering up these murders becomes that much easier. Ernest expresses occasional doubt about the atrocities he carries out, but mostly because he's too dumb to fully comprehend them. He's also a major screw up who still somehow increases their chances of being caught despite Hale having local law enforcement and doctors in his pocket, declaring the gruesome murders as suicides and accidents. 

After much of Mollie's family is buried, it's easy to assume she must know who's responsible. When exactly that happens we're not sure, which is what makes Gladstone's performance such a delicate dance. Using little other than unreadable expressions and body language, she plays Mollie as outwardly guarded and composed while playing her cards close to the vest, realizing that could be the only remaining chance at survival. 

A lot of the smaller turns add up, such as Cara Jade Myers' role as Mollie's unpredictably promiscuous sister Anna and Jason Isbell's quietly intense Bill Smith, the brother-in-law who spooks Ernest with his suspicions. The most effective subplot involves melancholy alcoholic Osage Henry Roan (William Belleau), a friend of Hale's who finds himself in the crosshairs of hired assassin Alvin Reynolds (Charles Musselwhite). Singer/songwriter Pete Yorn also cameos as an explosives expert, but the artist whose presence looms largest is the late Robbie Robertson, with The Band co-founder's bluesy score proving subtly impactful, heightening the film's most powerful stretches and overall tone. Jack Fisk's production design also aids in that regard, somewhat reminiscent of his work in There Will Be Blood. 

All bets are off when the FBI close in, with Ernest and Hale scrambling to tie up loose ends while a bedridden Mollie is neutralized, hallucinating and wasting away despite being one of the few in the country to obtain insulin. Hardly an appendage, Mollie's story continues uninterrupted into the second half, where her character's physically incapacitated. Teetering between life and death, some of Gladstone's best scenes come as the full brunt of her husband's actions reign down. And while the kingpin role may not be a huge leap for De Niro, you'd have to really go back years to find a part he's been able to devour quite like this.

Jesse Plemons' agent White projects an aw shucks demeanor off the bat, but proves cunning enough to let the perpetrators implicate themselves and each other with their lies. Fittingly, Ernest can't manage to make the most obvious, face-saving choice without briefly getting suckered by Hale and Brendan Fraser's bombastic defense attorney W.S. Hamilton. And even when Ernest comes close to doing the right thing out of circumstantial necessity, it doesn't take long for him to ruin that also, failing to take responsibility for the worst he's done.   

While many will understandably find it taxing to spend the entirety of this picture with DiCaprio's easily manipulated sleazebag character, it could help explain why Scorsese strays from Grann's source material, foregoing a heroic FBI origin story to put increased focus on the victims. This adds some depth, transforming what could have been a law enforcement procedural into a gripping meditation on prejudice and corruption.   

Scorsese finds a completely fresh and inventive device to close on, letting us know what's become of these people in a stylistic approach that puts to shame your ordinary closing title cards that vomit historical data. The movie is more cut and dry than you'd expect, but it's what happened, and for any quibbles about various portrayals, all those continuous murders still hit hardest. No matter how much money the Osage had, they lacked power and a voice, at least until they finally convinced the right people to listen. 

Maestro

Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Vincenzo Amato, Greg Hildreth, Michael Urie, Brian Klugman, Nick Blaemire, Mallory Portnoy, Sarah Silverman, Zachary Booth, Maya Hawke, Gideon Glick, Josh Hamilton
Running Time: 129 min.
Rating: R

**The Following Review Contains Major Plot Details For 'Maestro' **

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Mocked by some for being calculated Oscar bait, actor/director Bradley Cooper's long gestating dream project covering the life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein does share certain similarities with traditionally familiar biopics. But in condensing the essence of this towering, troubled figure into barely over two hours, Maestro also takes some big swings that will probably rattle purists only interested in Bernstein's process as an artist. This focuses more on the moments, as Cooper and co-writer Josh Singer cleverly forego the nuts and bolts of the man's career to focus entirely on his rocky marriage.

Spanning decades, Cooper's selective in what's covered, displaying an incredible grasp of time and place when exploring the challenges of being caught in the orbit of a conflicted, complicated talent who never feels satisfied. After a deliberate start, it only gets better, building momentum before landing a devastatingly painful and realistic final blow. There's a Kane-like quality to how this all unfolds that extends past its monochrome opening, as Cooper makes adventurous creative choices both in front of and behind the camera. Held up by Matthew Libatique's astounding cinematography, the makeup, costuming and production design, the film's a marvel to look at, and for all the jokes about Cooper's self serious intentions, it's the results onscreen that speak loudest.

It's 1943 when 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) fills in for an ill Bruno Walter, with the performance earning strong enough accolades to launch the young talent to considerable fame. While still in a casual relationship with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), he soon meets aspiring actress Felicia Montealagre (Mulligan) at a party, eventually leaving him to date and marry her. 

Together the couple have three children, with Leonard composing several successful Broadway musicals as Felicia's stage career flourishes. With the 60's wearing on, his affairs with men and dependency on drugs and alcohol become impossible for her to ignore, taking a toll on their marriage and tearing the family apart. But after finally rediscovering his love for Felicia and his work, unimaginable tragedy strikes, altering the remainder of Leonard's life.  

The story kicks off in black and white with an energetic opening sequence that sees Leonard jumping out of bed and sprinting to Carnegie Hall as the strains of his On the Waterfront score blast over the soundtrack. It grabs you right away, moving a mile a minute before settling into a slightly more predictable rhythm when he first meets Felicia. The first of the film's visually spectacular sequences comes with a rehearsal for On the Town where he all but announces his bisexuality to Felicia, even as it's clear she's fallen too hard to take the hint. Headstrong as Felicia is, her naivete lies in believing her future husband's vices won't matter if she can just keep him in line. 

Cooper plants the seeds early that Lenny's a man constantly craving the presence of others, to the point he can't even be in a bathroom without the door open. For him, the solitary nature of composing is a struggle compared to the satisfaction he gets conducting, which comfortably places him at the center of attention. Part egomaniac and insecure basket case, Cooper conveys these contradictions while also physically capturing Bernstein in eerily accurate ways, such as his nasally vocal inflection. As for the prosthetic nose, it's a lot of fuss about something that would hardly get a second look if not for all the manufactured controversy. 

Kazu Hiro and his makeup team deserve credit for flawlessly aging Cooper into the 70-year-old Bernstein who appears in the bookending scenes. And true to the period, get ready to see enough cigarette smoking for the film to justify its own Surgeon General's warning, which is almost comical considering how the notoriously safe and family friendly Steven Spielberg co-produced. 

The shift from black-and-white to 60's and 70's Technicolor accompanies the dramatic momentum when Lenny and Felicia's marriage crashes amidst his addictions and infidelity. Mulligan's sensational in this section, portraying the pain of a woman unable to continue standing on the sidelines as he flaunts his escapades in her face. When they eventually have it out in a Thanksgiving screaming match at their New York City Dakota apartment, their argument ends with a brilliantly surreal cameo from a cartoon icon that speaks to Cooper's directorial talents and his understanding of the absurdity found in everyday life. 

That showdown and Lenny lying straight to college-aged daughter Jamie's (Maya Hawke) face about his infidelities hit in powerfully different ways, but his conducting of Mahler's second symphony at England's Ely Cathedral is the picture's pinnacle. It's a euphoric and moving six-minute sequence that sees Cooper enthrallingly recreate the maestro's sweaty 1973 performance with tireless physicality, hypnotizing us as the sensation of pure cinema courses through our veins.

If it's hard to buy the claim this is Felicia's story when she's rarely given a scene without him, Carey Mulligan still makes a great case for her being his equal, adding depth and dimension to a thoughtfully written part. That it comes in support of someone else is fine since Lenny's supposed to suck up all the air in the room as she laments his inability to change, or rather a refusal to. The script doesn't evade Lenny's moral shortcomings, but gives him the redemption of being there when needed most, as Mulligan owns the last act with her heartbreaking portrayal. The grim cancer diagnosis is unflinchingly difficult to watch, with the actress continuing to display the character's same grit and stubbornness, even as she fades away in her family's arms. 

There's no mistaking this is a showcase for Cooper, but it's also his career best, touching on more than a few elements that run parallel to the star's own career. Directing this as if he really has something to prove, it's an intriguing quasi-prequel to 2022's Tár, which centered around another embattled conductor, albeit a fictional one. And now her idolization of Bernstein strangely makes even more sense after this. If that film had the market cornered on provoking debate, Maestro is all about feelings and vibes, giving viewers a peek into the tormented genius whose life seemed to flash before everyone's eyes.                                                                               

Saltburn

Director: Emerald Fennell
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Medekwe, Carey Mulligan, Paul Rhys, Ewan Michell, Sadie Soverall, Dorothy Atkinson, Shaun Dooley
Running Time: 131 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

Emerald Fennell's Saltburn is one of those "blank check" movies where a studio is so bowled over by a director's early success that they've granted them the keys to the kingdom for a follow-up. It's a creative luxury many have used to make their ambitious dream projects that wouldn't usually see the light of day, polarizing critics and audiences alike. Now after 2020's Promising Young Woman, Fennel gets her shot, but deservedly so, since the last thing we need is for big swings like this to disappear as artists are shackled and second guessed.

With a script more interested in obsession than social commentary, its "eat the rich" tale combines elements of The Talented Mr. Ripley, A Clockwork Orange, Brideshead Revisited, and more unfortunately, the fourth season of Netflix's You. Intentionally lacking in depth, viewer enjoyment mostly depends on whether you feel the disgusting shocks are justified by a pitch black satire that starts promisingly enough before flying off the rails. Multiple bodily fluids are ingested and exchanged, as it bombastically hurls toward its destination, making for one of the weirder cases of style over substance.

It's 2006 and scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is starting his freshman year at Oxford University, awkwardly attempting to fit in before befriending wealthy and charismatic upperclassman Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Sympathetic to his troubled upbringing, the popular Felix takes Oliver under his wing, accepting him into his circle of friends. Reeling from the news of his father's sudden death, Oliver accepts Felix's invitation to stay the summer at the Catton family's Saltburn estate to relax. While there, he meets Felix's eccentric parents Sir James (Richard E. Grant) and Lady Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), his unpredictable sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) and Elspeth's frequent houseguest Pamela (Carey Mulligan). 

Also joining them is Felix's cousin and Oliver's Oxford nemesis Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), a longtime fixture at the mansion who's becoming increasingly skeptical of the new guest's intentions. But Elspeth takes an immediate liking to Oliver, as he's quickly intoxicated by this opulent lifestyle surrounding him. Feeling truly accepted for the first time, his fascination with Felix escalates, along with the Catton family's bizarre behavior. The question isn't when Oliver will leave Saltburn, but whether he can, or even wants to.

You can sense Oliver's fortunes transform overnight after Felix's endorsement, almost immediately establishing him as popular by association. Felix casts such a spell over everyone that just being in his orbit gives Oliver a respectability he couldn't ever achieve on his own. The film's at its best when exploring this massive power imbalance that informs the essence of their parasitic friendship. And the two actors play those notes to perfection, with Keoghan's nerdy, withdrawn, deer in headlights protagonist thirsting for validation, even as we brace ourselves for the possibility he's being used. 

If Keoghan excels as this desperately awkward outsider, Elordi radiates an effortless cool factor that helps explain why so many are high on his potential as a major screen star. His performance remains remarkably consistent when the screenplay zigs and zags, subverting expectations of what was originally assumed about both characters. But once the action shifts to Saltburn and Felix's dysfunctional family enters the equation, the story heads into more polarizing territory.

Nothing that unfolds is particularly "offensive," just skeevy and gross, which could be the purpose. Even while inconsistently straddling the line between dark comedy and thriller, the production design of this intimidating estate (complete with a Shining-like hedge maze) is a sight to behold. Gorgeously lensed with some really impressive tracking shots, sets and costuming, it's nearly impossible to criticize on a technical level. The supporting performances from Grant, Oliver and Madekwe also make their marks, but it's Pike's deliciously droll Elspeth that leaves the largest. And Carey Mulligan is unrecognizable in her hilariously credited "Poor Dear" Pamela cameo, looking like she just escaped the set of a Pieces of April sequel.  

The real danger isn't this family or the estate itself, but what it represents for Oliver, whose compulsions know no bounds. And within these walls Felix is sent crashing back down to earth, the charming aristocrat he portrays on campus giving way to a scared, spoiled boy crying out for attention. Fennell needlessly holds viewers' hands at the end, overexplaining details that should be obvious to anyone paying attention. But the closing moments are a doozy, as the film gleefully basks in its own hedonistic excess with a final shot that wouldn't have seemed out of place in American Psycho.  

Overindulgent but never boring, there's just no telling how huge a disaster this could have been with a someone else at the helm. Leaving just enough of an impression to transcend the insanity, it's hard not to be impressed and repulsed by what Fennell does, knowing she'll come out of this a bolder filmmaker than she was going in. While way inferior to her previous effort, Saltburn's far from an atrocity, its admitted faults rarely stemming from a lack of vision.