Eddington review

EDDINGTON: 

ASTER AND PHOENIX’S LATEST COLLAB DIDN’T BREAK ME THIS TIME, BUT…! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

A24

Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler in Eddington

 

            Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, Her, Joker 1 and 2) and director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid) reunite after 2023’s Beau is Afraid in the neo-Western black comedy, Eddington. Regardless of the film’s quality, I think Joaquin Phoenix is a very fascinating actor for better and worse as he’s almost always unhinged and gives a million percent onscreen, even in a film as bad as Joker: Folie à Deux, Phoenix wasn’t phoning his performance in and I both respect that and am terrified at the same time. 

            On top of that, Ari Aster is a fascinating director himself with Hereditary and Midsommar being some of my favorite films of 2018 and 2019 and his first collab with Phoenix, Beau is Afraid was such an ambitious and bizarre oddity, it broke me when I reviewed it. Needless to say, I was certainly interested in their next project, Eddington when it was making its rounds at film festivals and garnering very polarizing reactions. 

            After seeing it for myself recently…yeah, those mixed reactions were completely warranted because holy fuck! Eddington is a chaotic, often puzzling movie that leans into satire of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and social commentary with no real understanding of what it’s trying to say so it just comes off as confused and rather dull at times. 

            The film is set in Eddington, New Mexico during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and chronicles a standoff between Sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal-The Mandalorian, Materialists, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) which sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in the contested mayoral election and examines the political and social turmoil caused by it. Oh, and there’s a drunk homeless man screaming shit throughout the movie…kinda hits too close to home given the city I live in. 

            The film also stars Emma Stone (Zombieland 1 and 2, La La Land, Poor Things) as Joe’s wife Louise Cross, Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Elvis, Caught Stealing) as radical cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak, Luke Grimes (American Sniper, Fifty Shades trilogy, Yellowstone) as Guy, Deirdre O’Connell (City of Angels, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Requin) as Dawn, Michael Ward (The Old Guard, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence) as Michael, and Clifton Collins Jr. (Traffic, The Last Castle, Capote) as Lodge. 

            Overall, Eddington certainly has a lot going for it and will likely hit differently with moviegoers. For me, while there are things about it that are undoubtedly impressive like the production design, the performances by Phoenix, Pascal, and Butler, and how Aster shoots his scenes, I just found it too preachy to be fully invested. 

            There are some great scenes in this movie with incredible acting and the film touches on relevant social themes like racism and abuse of power, but they’re so awkwardly handled and when you see the big picture with everything put together, it’s a huge mess. It’s an example of a film that had a lot to say but didn’t know how to convey them in a coherent plot with compelling characters thus making it hard to care in the long run. 

            You have these big scenes with heated arguments, people screaming at each other, guns firing left and right, but all throughout it I was just asking “What is this movie trying to say!?!” I get that this is trying to dive into the impact and emotions of the pandemic, but this is 2025 so the shock value is gone. 

            Compared to the first Joker which was also a pretty divisive film, I understood its themes and social commentary a lot better while being captivated by its dark character journey and getting wrapped up in the plot. It knew how to convey its subject matter better in a feature film where this gets too focused on social themes that it loses any sense of intrigue or emotional investment it once had. 

Despite the lackluster material, Joaquin Phoenix still gives his all though I don’t think he’s really acting here, I think they just followed him around with a camera in 2020 and shot a movie around it. Tell me you wouldn’t be shocked if that was how Joaquin Phoenix acted during the COVID-19 pandemic, oh well, he’s a standout regardless! 

Pedro Pascal isn’t quite as prominent as Joaquin Phoenix, but he gives a solid performance in the amount of screen time he has with the banter between him and Phoenix coming off as both frightening and comedic sometimes simultaneously. Austin Butler and Emma Stone have some amazing moments too, but they’re nowhere near as focused on as Phoenix and Pascal. 

The cinematography is amazing and I love how Aster shoots his outdoor scenes with tons of wide shots; the movie is a mixed bag but at least it looked great on the big screen. Also, like Beau is Afraid, Ari Aster pretty much went for broke with this movie and even though I didn’t really enjoy the film much, I have to respect him for sticking to his vision. 

Eddington is the kind of movie that will certainly be discussed a lot amongst film enthusiasts and honestly, nobody is wrong with their opinions on this film. One may see it as a confused slog with dated pandemic satire and another will admire the ambition and tenacity behind Aster’s vision, I am genuinely curious to know what people think of this movie because it truly is…a movie.