EDDINGTON -- It’s Aster’s World, We’re All Just Dying In It

Review by Adam Donato

Where would Ari Aster and A24 be without each other? This beautiful marriage produced two of their biggest hits together, Hereditary and Midsommar. Beau is Afraid was not met with similar success as the story did not connect with mainstream audiences, which was reflected by the pitiful box office. A24 is sticking by their man here with a prime summer release of Eddington. This new school western tackles the hysteria of the pandemic. Joaquin Phoenix plays a local sheriff who decides to contest for the mayor’s office in light of the COVID restrictions put upon his town. With a much more grounded concept and an all star supporting cast, can Eddington assert itself once again as the prize director of the hip studio?

The summer of 2020 was a complicated chapter in this country’s history. Eddington seeks to encapsulate the whole experience in one two and a half hour movie. An ambitious feat to say the least. Considering it was a highly divisive time politically, the reaction to this movie is sure to be similarly split down the middle. Aster succeeds here in making a movie that covers the major symptoms of the pandemic, while also being equally critical of both sides of the coin. This makes for an extremely hilarious experience that is equally as cringe inducing. It’s painful to be reminded of a time filled with so much hardship, but time has done its thing and these topics have become ripe for discussion. The movie perfectly showcases how we’re all hypocrites and our efforts for change are fruitless.

Phoenix reteams with Aster here and it’s proven to be a winning combo. His performance and character is reminiscent of Tim Robinson’s in Friendship earlier this year. Two social inept losers whose family hates them as they go on their insane crusade to assert their value. It probably won’t garner any nominations as Phoenix’s reputation is at an all time low after Joker: Folie à Deux was a massive failure and Phoenix didn’t handle the press well. The character here can easily be made two dimensional, but Phoenix plays him as this complex simpleton, who is so easily influenced by social media and the people in his town. He doesn’t actually care about politics. It’s all about reclaiming his masculinity and establishing a legacy. 

The movie is littered with great supporting characters and performances. The brightest of all is Pedro Pascal who plays the acting mayor that our protagonist decides to go to war against. Again, the movie had the opportunity to paint things as black and white, but chose to keep things in a more interesting gray area. It’s so difficult watching his character handle the selfish citizens of this town in an attempt to keep people safe. Emma Stone and Austin Butler are featured members of the supporting cast, who don’t get an incredible amount of screen time or things to do. This is a complaint in the sense that their characters were so interesting that audiences will be left. Other standouts include Deidre O’Connell, Michael Ward, and Cameron Mann who brilliantly fill out this ensemble and play pivotal roles when it comes to the themes of the film. 

Eddington feels like a box office disaster, but hopefully A24 is not short sighted about it. It’s a bonkers wild ride that will keep you guessing at every turn. Nobody is safe and there’s red herrings everywhere. It’s a dense film with plenty to say, but doesn’t sacrifice its entertainment value. Mainstream audiences should connect with this more than Beau Is Afraid, but with how inherently political the context of the film is, it’s doubtful audiences will be rational about the messaging. Definitely worth catching in theaters for an abundance of food for thought. 

Eddington is in theaters on July 18. 

Rating: 5/5