Saltburn

Another boring film thrust upon us during the holiday season.

Directed by Emerald Fennell following her sensational Promising Young Woman (2020) where she won an Oscar for best original screenplay. I entered the theater with a bit of excitement. I left shaking my head with disappointment.

The film takes place in 2006, where Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) enrolls in Oxford University. Struggling, he is befriended by Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), a wealthy student. Distraught over his father’s sudden death, Felix asks him to spend the summer at Saltburn, his family’s estate.

At Saltburn, Oliver meets Felix’s parents, Sir James (Richard E. Grant) and Lady Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), his sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) and his cousin Farleigh (Archie Madeswe). Given that this family is borderline insane, Olver wins them over.

The film is a tedious mess that will cause many of you to resist the urge to leave the theater. Sure, it has some great acting, particularly by Ms. Pike, but the boring plot forces me to reveal the film’s ending. Spoiler Alert! Stop reading this review if you want to hunt down this cinematic mess.

Not only did Oliver lie about his father being dead, but he kills Felix, his mother and sister so he can lay claim to Saltburn. As I watched the film conclude with Oliver dancing naked through what is now his mansion, I was forced to laugh as I began to doubt my interest in the movie world where movies like this, May December, and Maestro receive critical acclaim.