Unsubtle even by TikTok standards, writer/director Mark Anthony Green’s Opus has a hot take on celebrity worship: It is bad. Mind blown yet? Troublingly, the film seems to accidentally file journalism into the naughty bin too, implying that critics and writers are wannabe fame seekers facilitating the problem. Ouch! Personal attack aside, can we maybe give reporters and reviewers just a bit of a break right now? The field is facing a wee bit of a fascism problem.
Opus makes up for its lack of nuance by putting John Malkovich in ridiculous costumes and making him dance. Apology accepted. It also features another charming, coy performance from Ayo Edebiri, who should be in more things if not every one of the things. Because so much of the film hinges on the pair, it works more than it doesn’t, even if the end result is a Midsommar-adjacent pop culture scolding that fails to capitalize on its most interesting elements, Malkovich in Lady Gaga drag aside.
Taking place almost entirely in a secluded retreat owned by Alfred Moretti (Malkovich), Opus follows Ariel Ecton (Edebiri), a young culture writer whose editor, Murray Bartlett (Stan Sullivan), is the same narcissistic boss we’ve all had. When Moretti comes out of a 30-year hiatus, he invites the pair to come to a special listening event, along with TV host Clara Armstrong (Juliette Lewis), influencer Emily Katz (Stephanie Suganami), podcaster Bill Lotto (Mark Siversten), and paparazzi Bianca Tyson (Melissa Chambers).
It can be safely revealed, as it is in the trailer, that Moretti is running a cult. A cult run by Malkovich-turned-Elton-John is endlessly tempting, to be fair. From weird concierges like Belle (Amber Midthunder) who act like ever-present bodyguards to the most unhygienic family-style appetizer in cinematic history, things start bad and get worse. It all leads to an underwhelming climax followed by a good 15 minutes of exposition that tells us in great detail the point of all of this, which we weren’t confused about.
However good you think it feels to watch Malkovich make awkwardly sexual dance moves while wearing a disco-ball tracksuit, you’re wrong. It’s better. Also better than expected: the music from Nile Rodgers and The-Dream. Often in movies about uber-famous musicians, the “fake” songs are laughably bad. Opus has legitimately engaging tracks that could believably lead to boogying. Edebiri doesn’t get as much fun stuff to do, as she’s more the glue that holds it all together. Nobody is ever like “that glue was fantastic,” but it is essential, and so is she here.
If only… If only Green either took things one step further or two-stepped less seriously. It is definitely intentionally funny at times but never lets the laughter land. And, again, the theme of it all is stale and marginally misguided. It seems to suggest creativity may be dangerous or bad, doesn’t address the racial/socioeconomic underpinnings, and honestly doesn’t even have much to say about the cult part of things. And saying something about cults feels very appropriate these days.
All that said, if you think I’m going to give an A24 Ayo Edebiri movie where John Malkovich dry humps people while dancing to a club banger a bad grade, you don’t know me at all.
Grade = B-
Other Critical Voices to Consider
Mary Beth McAndrews at Dread Central says “A smart but ultimately weak script lacks the meat on the bone to sustain Opus from beginning to end. It’s really like any generic pop song: catchy, interesting, but lacking a proper chorus to really make it stick in your head.”
Kelechi Ehenulo at Movie Marker says “There’s a good premise at heart. The intention is there. Green certainly has talent and ambition for the themes he wants to explore, and one hopes he gets further directorial opportunities to delve into his curious mind. But I can’t help but think if another script redraft would have solved the trick he tried to master.”
Charles Pulliam-Moore at The Verge says “Moretti reads like an aging amalgam of David Bowie and Prince with a splash of vintage Lady Gaga thrown in for good measure. That vibe is almost enough to make you understand why Ariel’s cohort can’t keep from fanning out in his presence. But that spell is hard for Opus to maintain as its story starts dropping predictable twists that are telegraphed from more than a mile away.”