Cook review: ‘Poor Things’ is wonderfully weird … and for grownups only
By Mia Tucker
If you’re familiar with the name “Yorgos Lanthimos,” you’ll either be thrilled to know he directed “Poor Things,” or you’ll move on to an opportunity to see another movie.
Once again, just as he did in “The Favourite,” he makes Emma Thompson’s character the focal point for the bizarre goings-on in this grownups-only “Frankenstein”-type tale set in Victorian London.
‘Poor Things’ (IMDb)
Stone is Bella Baxter, who lives in a huge house with Dr. Godwin Baxter – known as “God” and played wonderfully by Willem Dafoe. He’s a sort of mad scientist who also serves as her instructor and father figure as he studies her behavior as she adjusts to her surroundings.
How she got there I won’t go into.
Ramy Youssef (“Mr. Robot”) plays Max McCandles, Baxter’s assistant who has been hired to observe Bella. Max is intrigued by Bella, begins to fall in love with her, and eventually asks her to marry him.
But Bella soon meets Duncan Wedderburn (a marvelous Mark Ruffalo,) a real cad who has only one thing on his mind.
In the meantime, Bella begins to learn more about the world and to try to find her place in it.
Stone is a wonder because as time goes by her character evolves. Stone matures Bella bit by bit, often to comedic effect, with subtle movements and postures.
The film is worth the price of admission for the cinematography alone. The story begins in black-and-white then, in parallel with its main character, transitions into a gorgeous, steampunk-ish world of colors and textures.
Please note: This darkly funny tale is for grownups only, and not for the faint of heart. It is one of the most original and outrageous movies of 2023.
4 stars
Rated: R for foul language, sexual situations, and nudity.
Running time: Two hours and 21 minutes.
At Cinemark, Davenport.
Watch the trailer here.
