Life Through the Lens: Netflix movies and their invisible ceiling
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"It's almost nostalgic for a time that never existed, you know?"
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Streaming services have an obvious strength: they shower the universe with content. It feels as if every idea has a place -- every half-baked premise, every ill-advised origin story, every unasked-for reboot. In 2022, Netflix alone produced almost three originals PER DAY! I said, "PER DAY"! And that is just one streaming service. We are living in the age of constant content.
The clear weakness is the conscious choice to prioritize quantity over quality. It can't matter how good a product is when the stream flows so quickly. The product is only meant to be partially viewed on the way to something else. The question is now: is it good enough to be white noise?
Netflix movies have an invisible ceiling. When viewed, they seem to only ever be good enough to pass but never good enough to last. Frequently, they feel forgettable on purpose, like the viewer is intended to gorge instead of savor. There have been exceptions -- Klaus (2019), Roma (2018), All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) to name a few -- but the vast majority are just aggressively-average.
In the vast ocean of unexceptional, Netflix plops three more in.
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Fate befell the eager assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic: the 25-year-old Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) takes the stage when the conductor falls ill. With little preparation, he ascends the podium and seizes destiny by the baton. From that moment on, Leonard Bernstein was a sensation.
Although a practicing homosexual, he becomes smitten with young actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). The two eventually marry and have three children.
Decades pass, musicals are composed, scores are scored, orchestras (and affairs) are conducted, big smiles are posed for the camera while many tears are spared for home. With fame comes sexual freedom for Leonard but personal stagnation for Felicia. Something's gotta give.
If this movie does one thing, it is try really hard. You know that kid in middle school that answered every question and made sure you noticed...well, this movie is that kid. Director/writer/star Bradley Cooper is vying for that Oscar, and he refuses to go unnoticed. It is that ostentatious tone that irritates my sensibilities. Frankly, it drives me crazy. The directing has some flare but more hot air. The writing stumbles on this story with nearly no drama. His acting hits some notes but gets lost in the music.
I found the entire project to be boring. I literally fast-forwarded through parts, which I almost never do! The moments felt tedious. The music felt monotonous. It took the genre of Biopic absolutely nowhere new. Nowhere.
REPORT CARD: "Maestro."
Grade: D+.
Assessment: A movie about a dude who did some stuff.
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Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) has been given the role of a lifetime. One that will take her career into the next level. One with depth. One with intrigue. It has it all: a torrid affair between a teacher and her seventh-grade student, an illegitimate child birthed in jail, the controversial marriage that followed...oh, and it is a true story! It is the role of Gracie Atherton-Yoo.
To truly get into the role, Elizabeth goes and spends time with the real-life Gracie (Julianne Moore), who is still married to her once-child-lover Joe (Charles Melton). Elizabeth finds a normal family, one that bakes cakes, throws parties, celebrates milestones, but can't help but notice a current under the surface. An unspoken shadow that is avoided rather than processed. In dedication to her upcoming role, Elizabeth feels the desire to illuminate that darkness.
Each conversation with someone related to the incident, creates more doubt instead of providing clarity. Was it love? Is it even love now? The deeper Elizabeth ventures, the less this character makes sense...but the more fun she'll be to play on the big screen!
The only thing interesting about this movie was its moral unease, its uncomfortable questions. Everything else: total snooze. For a while, the thrill of that difficulty is enough...and then even that grows cold. The direction of Todd Haynes is increasingly stale; the movie simply never goes anywhere. The screenplay by Samy Burch is full of suggestion but little substance.
I believe Natalie Portman a capable actress, but this role was disappointing. Her robotic approach was more numbing than nuanced. Watching her practice speaking with a lisp was a cringeworthy moment, for sure. The real low point was the music by Marcelo Zarvos. It was headache inducing noise -- it was "locate the volume button immediately" level disastrous.
I am always impressed with Julianne Moore; she is as sincere as humanly possible. Another standout was Charles Melton; he showered this difficult character with empathy abounding.
REPORT CARD: "May December."
Grade: C.
Assessment: A movie that asks some questions...that's about it.
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With every whiff of annoyance and shrug of apathy, Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) hates humanity. She can't run home fast enough from work, longing to escape the endless parade of stupidity that roam the New York City streets. She makes an impulsive decision: weekend getaway for her and her family...like...right now!
Her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) is excited for the family-time while her two children Archie and Rose don't get much of a say. Pack up -- let's go!
The vacation home is stunning and elegant: the beach, the amenities, the pool. It pays to have a blindingly hateful mom, I guess! Then things get a bit weird: local kooks stockpiling necessities, tankers running a-beach, electronics gone haywire, wildlife giving the stank-eye. Just to amp-up the weirdness a bit more, the actual homeowners come knocking that night and all-but demand entrance to their house.
When a blackout hits NYC, G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) fled to their beachside home. Amanda is wary (as always), Clay is inviting (as always), and G.H. is obviously hiding something. Weird then turns to violent: Arabic pamphlets raining from the sky, Teslas set on murder-mode, and paralyzing noises begin to be commonplace. You like your teeth? Psh, say goodbye!
This houseful of strangers is now getting a front-row seat to the apocalypse. Well, the American-apocalypse at least.
With a bevy of A-list stars, this movie promised to be exceptional...but not all promises are upheld. In true Netflix fashion, it was just OK. Writer/director Sam Esmail has a knack for uncovering and exposing cultural anxiety, but the execution and resolution feel a bit "Shyamalan" (and I do not use that label with affection). The cinematography of Tod Campbell has moments of beauty but is often muddied by CGI.
Two of Hollywood's most consistent stars, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, couldn't save this movie from mediocrity. They showed up to work but were only given crumbs in which to make a feast. Spoiler alert: it wasn't enough.
REPORT CARD: "Leave the World Behind."
Grade: C.
Assessment: I guess I can check this one off my list.