UPDATED Listen, let’s get real. Jennifer Lawrence hasn’t made a good movie in ten years.
It’s hard to believe that David O. Russell’s “Joy” came in 2015. Lawrence had a good run with Russell, winning an Oscar for her sensational work in “Silver Linings Playbook.” She had a terrific turn in “American Hustle.”
Lawrence probably made a lot of money from “The Hunger Games” movies, so she’s in no chance of starving to death. But for the last several years, things have been going down hill. Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother” was an unwatchable, self indulgent fiasco. A not funny comedy called “No Hard Feelings” was beneath her and pointless.
Now comes “Die My Love,” for which streamer MUBI paid $24 million at Cannes last May. “Die My Love,” directed by Lynne Ramsay, is dead at the box office after two weeks. It’s made less than $5 million. Audiences don’t want to see it. They gave it a 45% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have bent over backwards to say something nice, but they couldn’t get beyond 75%.
Cinemascore gives “Die My Love” a D plus. Their audiences really hated it.
When Lawrence did those early movies, she was astounding. “Winter’s Bone,” the Russell films, even a small film called “Causeway” showed that she was capable of becoming a huge star as well as a fine actress. A lot was expected.
But “Die My Love” is drivel. It’s a waste of time and talent. The initial hype was that Lawrence gave an incredible performance even if the movie wasn’t worth it. Okay, maybe this is true because Lawrence has the ability to make almost anything work. But a movie only counts if people want to see it. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Lawrence is getting bad advice, that’s for sure. In “No Hard Feelings,” an utter waste of time, she was running around fully naked for no reason. In “Die My Love,” it’s again about showing off her body (hey, not bad, but why?) and perfecting white trash. Ramsay’s movie has a lot of nice images of a rural, charmless, and hopeless life. Lawrence’s new mother is doing “Diary of a Mad Housewife.” But who cares?
Sorry to be so difficult on this one, but no one’s getting any younger. There have to be better projects for Jennifer Lawrence than acting crazy and carrying around a butcher knife. This is not headed to the Oscars, but even worse, it’s not going anywhere.
On the imdb, Lawrence has a Scorsese project coming up called “What Happens at Night.” That could be her ticket out of this mess. But a comedy with Amy Schumer, and a murder mystery are not important. It’s time to buckle up and get serious.
As for “Die My Love,” maybe MUBI should get serious, too. Spending a lavish amount of money at Cannes or any other festival is not going to turn them into Netflix, or even Criterion. What does MUBI want to be? They made a splash with Demi Moore and “The Substance,” a bad movie with a likeable star. But the movies actual substance for MUBI to be taken seriously.
