‘Anora’ Review Thread

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: Another marvelous chronicle of America's strivers by writer-director Sean Baker given some extra pizzazz by Mikey Madison's brassy performance, Anora is a romantic drama on the bleeding edge.

Metacritic: 90 (29 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

Peter Debruge, Variety – Taken alone, “Anora” is a profane kick. But seen in the context of Baker’s recurring fixations — from “Starlet” to “Red Rocket” — it stresses his belief that sex work is real work, that it’s more central to society than we’re willing to admit.

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter – [Anora] is a very satisfying watch, deftly commenting on questions of class, privilege and the wealth divide. The director continues firmly staking out his niche as a chronicler of the messy lives of an often invisible American underclass.

Steve Pond, TheWrap – Big and bold and glossy and very funny, a raucous comedy unlike anything else in Baker’s filmography.

Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal – [Sean Baker] continues to show a knack for finding charm in the sleaziest characters.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star – Sean Baker’s flair for rough-edged characters, as seen in Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket, pays off handsomely in this high-voltage screwball comedy. 3.5/4

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian – It is a terrific performance from Madison, who owns the screen, and Eydelshteyn’s turn as the shiftless Vanya is also very watchable. Baker’s film-making is muscular and fluent. 4/5

Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK) – Every character in Anora might be an utter nightmare, but they’re also a joy to spend time with, and the cast understand them down to their smallest behavioural tells. 5/5

Kevin Maher, Times (UK) – …The story reaches a new pitch of Coen brothers-style black comedy. Then, just when you think you have it worked out, Baker hits you with a final scene of sobering poignancy. 5/5

Maddy Mussen, London Evening Standard – Anora barely ever loses its humour, something that might surprise viewers expecting a more gritty or depressing watch. 5/5

Tara Brady, Irish Times – An inspired cast jolly along Baker’s back-alley Lubitsch towards an unexpectedly circumspect denouement. Tart observations about money, class, and power are encrypted in a lumpenprole romp. 5/5

Namrata Joshi, The New Indian Express – From disgust to laughter to tears, Baker audaciously makes you traverse an entire range of emotions.

Nicholas Barber, BBC.com – Anora fizzes with energy and laugh-out-loud moments, but it isn't recommended for anyone with high blood pressure. 4/5

Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly – In Madison, Baker has found a perfect conduit for his ideals, making Anora a culmination of the themes that have dominated his work for years. B+

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair – Baker is working in a more broadly accessible comedic tone and tempo. It suits him, even if a little of his earlier scrappiness is missed. What’s thankfully still in play is Baker’s sensitivity to the humanity behind the antics.

Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine – If you can trust any filmmaker, you can trust Baker. He’s promised us they’ll be OK. And so they will…

Justin Chang, New Yorker – Baker’s multifaceted love for his characters proves infectious and sustaining, as does his belief that acts of unexpected kindness can redeem even the darkest nights of the soul.

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture – For all its charm, Anora is a movie in which just about everybody’s fighting for survival, and they only ever manage to succeed when they start working together.

Wendy Ide, Screen International – A wildly entertaining, modern-day screwball comedy set in 2018 that barrels through New York and Las Vegas. Mikey Madison is a revelation.

Sophie Monks Kaufman, Little White Lies – While the film remains entertaining thanks to the calibre of the performances, there are few surprises in store and not many places for Ani's character to go.

Dave Calhoun, Time Out – It shouldn’t all be so funny, but it is, and it’s to Baker’s huge credit that he’s able to inspire laughs and huge enjoyment from this madcap story without leaving you feeling that the woman at the heart of this mess has been short-changed. 5/5

David Ehrlich, indieWire – The visceral undertow that “Anora” is able to create between the collective urgency of its characters and the inescapable chokehold of their aspirations eventually crashes ashore with enough power to crush you in your seat. A

Esther Zuckerman, The Daily Beast – The film is very funny, until it punches you in the gut with a beautiful ending, and it entirely rests on Madison’s performance as the tough-as-nails Anora.

Jason Gorber, AV Club – A work as heightened as a rich Tchaikovskian symphony, but sung with the purity of a simple folk tune. A

Kristy Puchko, Mashable – Altogether, Anora is a visceral experience, making its audience not voyeurs but one of the crew. Thus embedded, our pulses race, our eyes grow wide, our hearts dance as our heroes do. Anora offers a glorious thrill, as bold as it is brilliant.

Mark Hanson, Slant Magazine – The film’s initial pull lies in the way that Sean Baker intoxicatingly keys his aesthetic to the fervor of a budding romance that we clearly know won’t end well. 3/4

Adam Nayman, The Ringer – At this point in his career, Baker has cultivated his own style of breathless, relentlessly pressurized urban realism, and Anora is as assured a piece of filmmaking as you’re likely to see this year.

Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com – Anora is boundlessly alive with a quality we’ve seen continually in the movies of Sean Baker, among the most humanist filmmakers working today. There is joy next to sadness. There is comedy inside a tragedy. 4/4

Kristen Lopez, Kristomania (Substack) – Anora is a movie that wraps you up in its fun, pop-tinged fur coat and, by the end, leaves its soul exposed. A

SYNOPSIS:

Sean Baker's Palme d'Or winner ANORA is an audacious, thrilling, and comedic variation on a modern day Cinderella story. Mikey Madison (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) captivates as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire. However, when Vanya's parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.

CAST:

• Mikey Madison as Anora / Ani
• Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov
• Yura Borisov as Igor
• Karren Karagulian as Toros
• Vache Tovmasyan as Garnick

DIRECTED BY: Sean Baker

WRITTEN BY: Sean Baker

PRODUCED BY: Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Ken Meyer, Clay Pecorin, Milan Popelka

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Drew Daniels

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Stephen Phelps

EDITED BY: Sean Baker

COSTUME DESIGNER: Jocelyn Pierce

MUSIC BY: Matthew Hearon-Smith

RUNTIME: 139 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2024