Chris Close Photography & Film

I realise I am in a minority but I found this turgid, predictable and incessantly woke. It held no surprises and the music did nothing for me. Perhaps if I was a teenage girl it would have more appeal. The performances and visual elements were all fine but yet another film about female bitchiness with excessively camp characters - all walking clichés. I’m a fan of the Wizard of Oz, it’s a masterpiece but this is such a dumbed down version of a film that is little more than a manifesto, written by a 14 year old. Thin at best. I am pleased to say I spoke to one of my lefty female friends who walked out of this film and shared my opinion that it was a patronising snooze. David Bowie once wrote, “to be insulted by these fascists, is so degrading”. This film feels like it is for people hijacking the moral high ground but with absolutely no originality or take. It beat you up with the obvious and became quite tiring to watch. One for the young girls, perhaps but beyond that it is a struggle to like much about this film. And there’s a part 2 to come. I wonder what surprises will unfold, yawn.

Three stars is quite a harsh review for a film that is desperately screaming for Oscars. The performances are masterful but I came away, wondering what it was actually about. The passion did not convey itself to the audience. Perhaps Bernstein aficionados took more from this, but his most famous piece was deliberately ignored. It was one of these films that had brilliant acting, some brilliant moments, but the sum total of the emotional journey flatlined to the point that it became a chore and a feat of endurance to stay to the end.