41/14
In a scene in Vegas, a character refers to “McCarran Airport”
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets the son of an oligarch and spontaneously marries him. When word gets out in Russia, their fairytale is threatened when his parents head to New York to have their marriage annulled, Sean Baker wanted to cast Yura Borisov after seeing him in Coupe No. 6 (2021).. While Las Vegas International Airport was known as McCarran International Airport for decades, in late 2021 its name was changed to Harry Reid International Airport. Igor: PLEASE!
Mentioned in Close-Up: Anora (2024)
STOP IT! SCREAM!. Daddy AFWritten by and starring Catherine Slater (aka Slayyter). We all know the old saying: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. This idea applies not only to what can happen in everyday life, but also to what is portrayed on screen, as the latest film from writer-director Sean Baker demonstrates.
However, achieving this goal ultimately proves more difficult than expected
This widely acclaimed independent film follows the misadventures of a Brooklyn belly dancer and sex worker (Mikey Madison) who falls in love with the insanely rich, self-sufficient and completely irresponsible son of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn). Together, they plunge into an edgy, crazy, dark fairy tale romance fueled by steroids, Quaaludes and crack. Their whirlwind affair soon takes them to Las Vegas and culminates in a green card wedding that Junior’s mobster parents (Darya Ekamasova, Aleksey Serebryakov) are determined to stop at all costs, even if it means using their dirty, inept gang of friends to do it. ask the thugs (Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov) to put pressure on the supposed lovebirds. During the chase in the field, a series of wild events infuriates Mom, Dad and friends and disillusions Gotham’s Cinderella, mistakenly believing that this time she really has hit the jackpot.
But I really can’t fathom the level of praise heaped on this release
So it would be easy to think that this premise would be a solid basis for an outrageous, hilarious comedy, but unfortunately the film only occasionally lives up to its potential. Sure, there is some truly hysterical, wonderfully imaginative material, but it only hits about half the time. Furthermore, much of the story (especially the first half of the film) is predictable, almost clichéd, and some parts drag on unnecessarily. I’m actually a little confused about what all the fuss is about, as perhaps best evidenced by the film’s Palme d’Or win at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the event’s top honor. I’ll readily admit that I’m a fan of Baker’s work, having thoroughly enjoyed his previous works Red Rocket (2021), The Florida Project (2017), and Tangerine (2015).
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It’s a good film in many ways, but the filmmaker clearly nailed it, and previous offerings offer better viewing options in my opinion. Don’t fall for all the hype, because this really is one of those cases where something is too good to be true.
