May December

I thought it was boring and slow. They kept playing dramatic music like something horrible and shocking was going to happen. But nothing ever did.

I understand it's supposed to be about the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Indicating it was an unhealthy relationship. And how older women can take unfair advantage of younger men.

I thought technically it was done well. The acting was good. I like Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. And Charles Melton got a lot of raves on his performance.

But it seemed like this movie never went anywhere. I kept waiting for something to happen. But nothing ever did.

I think viewers will enjoy this movie more, if they know --- going in --- it's supposed to represent the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Otherwise like me, they may be left holding out their hands as if to ask, "What was that supposed to be?"

Before seeing the film I was very curious, I think the story was interesting, along with a renowned director and a very good cast starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and a surprising Charles Melton.

I felt that the film had a lot to exploit with the psychological aspect of the characters, because basically that's where the appeal comes from, an actress who has to analyze the person behind the media character to interpret her.

But I think the script rambles too much and ends up not being very conclusive in all the aspects it tries to cover, its story remains a big what if.

But it's also true, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton were brilliant with their performances, Julianne Moore too. I think it could have been a great movie but it fell short.

The movie was not what I expected. The aesthethics and the setting were beautiful and all the lead roles did a good job acting their parts HOWEVER everything else was, to put it mildly, underwhelming. The plotline was flat and didn't offer many surprises. Dramatic music and scenes building up the excitement made me long for some sort of a climax, and it just never came. It was basicly 2 hours of waiting, like smelling delicious food but never getting to taste it. The themes were interesting and important and offered a lot of potential for a great movie. The movie was just simply missing the turning point! All in all, I would not see this movie again.

Greetings again from the darkness. Contentedly, most us live our lives in a manner that would never be worthy of tabloid headlines. Not so for Gracie in this psychologically complex new film from expert director Todd Haynes (FAR FROM HEAVEN, 2002) and writers Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik. Early on, Haynes shows us those tabloids featuring Gracie's scandal following her seduction of 7th grader Joe in the stock room of the local pet store. She was 36 years old, and he was 13. Soon after, Gracie went to prison, where she bore their first child.

The story picks up 24 years later as Gracie and Joe are married, and their second and third children, twins Mary (Elizabeth Yu) and Charlie (Gabriel Chung), are graduating high school and preparing to ship off to college. In other words, they are all living a fairly normal life. However, as a harsh reminder that their lives are not actually normal, Elizabeth (Oscar winner Natalie Portman) arrives at their Savannah home to research her role as Gracie in an upcoming indie film about the scandal.

Oscar winner Julianne Moore plays Gracie, in her fourth collaboration with director Haynes. Charles Melton (THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, 2019) plays Joe, who is now the same age as Elizabeth, as well as the kids from Gracie's first marriage. Elizabeth is polite and apologetic as she initially treads carefully in asking probing questions of the family and their friends. Her approach generates some awkward moments, and although Gracie seems to hold firmly to her did-nothing-wrong stance, it's Joe who begins to question things ... mimicking the slow development of the Monarch butterflies he breeds.

Perhaps the film's best sequence occurs when actress Elizabeth shows up for a Q&A with Mary and Charlie's class. When the question gets a bit risqué, Elizabeth's answer borders on inappropriate, and is an honest depiction of the fine line between acting and reality. Back at the house, Elizabeth's questions raise previously unspoken doubts, as well as the ongoing impact of the scandal ... not the least of which are periodic postal deliveries of excrement denoting some of the public's view of a female predator.

The similarities to the true-life story of Mary Kay Letourneau are inescapable, though a twist here is that Gracie and Joe's recollection of how things started are not necessarily in sync. Savannah is always a character unto itself, and the accompanying music is eerily spot on ... including the repurposing of Michel Legrand's score from THE GO-BETWEEN (1971). The three lead actors (Ms. Portman, Ms. Moore, Mr. Melton) are terrific, and director Haynes has delivered yet another complex movie that gives the appearance of simplicity due to how beautifully it's done.

Opens in select theaters on November 17, 2023 and streams on Netflix beginning December 1, 2023.

So much tension between each characters and lust and surprisingly, motherly love. I can see why some people would find this movie uneventful, but I think each character is a story in itself, showing you all the conflicting parts of it.

Charles Melton (Joe) did a phenomenal job, playing someone who was a mature kid and a stunted adult, embodying both at the same time. Natalie Portman (Elizabeth) brings a narcissistic and condescending being into the spotlight. And Julienne (Gracie)!! The character was just so complex and conflicting, and sinister.

The soundtrack and the framing of characters add so much to this story.