Jack and I didn't hate this story of "Victory," a colorful, lush 50s-style settlement in the California desert. I didn't think too hard while watching it and settled into the gorgeous cinematography, dazzling wardrobe, and now-laughable (to us, anyway) gender stereotypes. But the plot thickens as Florence Pugh's Alice begins to question reality. Harry Styles plays her loving husband Jack and Olivia Wilde is a knowing, helpful neighbor.
Wilde also directs, her second time behind the camera, from a screenplay by Katie Silberman.
John Powell's spooky original score, available on Apple Music, suggests that all is not as glossy as it seems, while the songs, some of which are also on Apple Music, and many of which we could hum along to, set the mood of a happy time.
Cinematographer Matthew Libatique channels Busby Berkeley with overhead shots of dancers in circles, as well as a rich palette of mid-century Palm Springs and Los Angeles interiors and locations. Arianne Phillips' costumes are fabulous.
Some years ago, Jack and I saw the play Maple and Vine with Molly and Craig in San Francisco, and Craig was distressed by the satire in which a modern couple has willingly given up their lives for the 50s lifestyle, but I found it creative. In this one, however, it's not clear how the folks ended up at Victory. You won't be faulted for thinking of Stepford Wives (2004) and The Truman Show (1998).
The production and release of the movie was rife with rumors about the possible feud between Wilde and Pugh and about the confirmed romantic liaison between Wilde and Styles, among others. And a process server interrupted Wilde as she was introducing the movie at a festival in April by handing her custody papers from her ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis, the father of their two children (Sudeikis did not condone the way papers were served). But there is much to consider in the movie itself. Here is a spoiler-filled analysis.
Pugh was mentioned but not profiled in my blog post on Little Women, for which she was Oscar-nominated, and Styles was blogged for Dunkirk. Wilde directed Booksmart and was in these pages for acting in Third Person plus mentions in The Change-Up and a cameo in How It Ends. Silberman was last blogged for co-writing Booksmart and Libatique for shooting A Star Is Born. Phillips designed the costumes for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics are plenty worried, averaging a scant 38%, while its audiences are more relaxed, coming in at 74. We rented it on Apple TV on October 26 and it's now also free with subscription to HBO Max.
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