The new Julia Roberts movie didn’t go over so well today in Venice.
Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” has been roundly panned by critics, landing it at an unfortunate 46% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Roberts stars along with Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ayo Edibiri, and Chloe Sevigny in what is described as a #Metoo thriller/mystery.
But the main critics in Venice didn’t appreciate it. Neither did Variety or The Hollywood Reporter.
David Rooney said in THR: “It seems almost implausible that the gifted filmmaker who just gave us the sizzling buoyancy of Challengers and the heady intoxication of Queer could deliver something so dour and airless.”
Owen Gleiberman in Variety: “After the Hunt has been made with a fair amount of craft and intrigue, but it’s also a weirdly muddled experience — a tale that’s tense and compelling at times, but dotted with contrivances and too many vague unanswered questions”
“After the Hunt” follows Guadagnino’s “Challengers” from last year, which at least had tennis for a distraction.
This isn’t good news for Amazon/MGM which is in the hunt for Oscar level movies.
But this is what festivals and screenings are for, to separate the wheat from the chaff.
