Anora (2024)

Amy, Jack, and I really liked this frenetic story of a New York stripper/sex worker who impulsively marries the immature son of a Russian crime family. X rated with lots of nudity, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, this Palme d'Or winner is no Pretty Woman. Mikey Madison and her luminous smile shine as the street smart title character nicknamed Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn is her hapless prince who looks younger than his age of 22. Lindsey Normington, who plays Ani's strip club nemesis Diamond, has worked as an exotic dancer and was a big help in the production.

Director/writer/editor Sean Baker keeps the energy high throughout the 139 minute run time. Amy commented that the story is good but the last scene is sad. The soundtrack consists of 59 (!) songs listed on imdb. 

The movie has earned 83 wins and 172 nominations so far, up from when I checked even yesterday, and is the first American Palme d'Or winner in thirteen years.

After I wrote about Madison in Nostalgia (when I mentioned her 52 episodes in the wonderful FX series Better Things), she was in the huge cast of Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. Baker was last blogged for Red Rocket and this is Normington's second feature.

Because I was so eager to see this acclaimed title, we went ahead and bought it to stream on Apple TV since it can't yet be rented, to fulfill our 19 year family tradition of watching a movie on Christmas day.