OPUS (2025)
(director/writer: Mark Anthony Green; screenwriter: ; cinematographer: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw; editor: Ernie Gilbert; music: Daniel Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans; cast: John Malkovich (Alfred Moretti), Ayo Edebiri (Ariel Ecton), Juliette Lewis (Clara Armstrong), Amber Midthunder (Belle), Melissa Chambers (Bianca Tyson), Murray Bartlett (Stan Sullivan), Stephanie Suganami (Emily Katz), Mark Siverteen (Bill Lotto), Young Mazino (Kent); Runtime: 103; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Collin Creighton, Brad Weston, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Mark Anthony Green, Josh Bachove; A24; 2025)
“Its attempt to skewer celebrity cultists goes nowhere.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Mark Anthony Green, the former GQ editor, makes his debut as director and writer of this pretentious horror pic a forgettable musical satire that’s silly, irritating and poorly crafted. Its attempt to skewer celebrity cultists goes nowhere, even if along the way it scores a few laughs and scares.
In Green River, Utah, the 27-year-old rookie NYC magazine entertainment investigative journalist Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) is excited to get an invite, thanks to her boss, to a top-secret gathering musical listening party for an album release by the former pop star musician Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) at his remote desert compound. The recluse dropped out of the music scene many decades ago and now promises to have made a great album (“Caesar’s Request”) on his return to the musical world.
There’s a cult-like atmosphere that fills the compound with oddball characters, sycophants and robe-wearing ‘yes’ men in attendance. These hot shots include the social media influencer (Stephanie Suganami), the tabloid paparazzi photographer (Melissa Chambers), the rock star turned podcaster (Mark Siverteen), the TV host (Juliette Lewis) and, Ariel’s boss, the ‘zine editor (Murray Bartlett).
Despite a talented cast, the film never finds its beat or is it well-thought out (in fact, its climax is preposterous).
In the end it fails to make much noise about the in-bed relationships between media and celebrity, which it supposedly set its sights on doing.
It played at the Sundance Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 3/16/2025 GRADE: C+
dennisschwartzreviews.com