Movie Breakdown: May December
Pre-Screening Stance:
May December looks like the sort of movie that would be featured on Lifetime, but I’m still looking forward to it. The cast is rock solid, and I’m a fan of Todd Haynes, who directed Carol and Dark Waters.
Post-Screening Ramble:
May December makes for a pretty interesting ride. The plot is centered around Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), an actress doing research for an upcoming film about a couple – Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) – who were long ago a hot topic for the tabloids due to their age gap. Or well, to be fair, the age gap was only part of the problem, there’s also the tiny tidbit that she was a much older woman (who was married with kids) and he was in the 7th grade. Yikes. Somehow though, despite what they each had to go through once their sordid affair was exposed, Gracie and Joe have remained together and generally seem unfazed by the whole ordeal. That is, of course, until Elizabeth starts to dig into their lives.
Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d totally think May December was indeed a cable TV movie. It’s got a soft, warm look to it that feels lifted right out of the 90’s, and the content is just specific enough to make you wonder if it’s a dramatized version of some bizarre true story (it sort of is, see here). The film is elevated though by two really great (and thoroughly odd) performances from Portman and Moore, and the way that director Todd Haynes stops short of turning the film into a full-on Lifetime feature of the week. Now, he does dangle that carrot and you’ll feel like the film may shoot off the rails at any moment, but instead it just plods forward, delivering darkly funny moments, eyebrow-raising revelations, and an entirely unsettling vibe. Ultimately, this gives it both a trashy and high brow spin, which is really weird but it works. May December hits select theaters this Friday, November 17, and then will land on Netflix on December 1. You should watch it.
One Last Thought:
I’ve never once thought that Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore look alike, so I was legit taken aback by the handful of scenes in this movie where they sport wildly similar appearances.
