Eddington
2025
**½
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka
While the local sheriff decides to run against the town’s mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories, racial tensions, and social media hysteria push the small New Mexico town of Eddington to a boiling point. Ari Aster's modern Western takes a satirical swipe at some topical issues from recent history. The set-up is intriguing and believable, even if most of the characters are grating, but the film turns out to be a bit of a mess. The bizarre and surreal shootout in the final third sticks out like a sore thumb. Although the cast is amazing, some performances, particularly from Emma Stone and Austin Butler, leave very little impression.
