UPDATE: The Wrap, THR, Screen, The Times, The Playlist, Vanity Fair, IndieWire, The Telegraph, Total Film are either mixed or negative.
However, Variety’s Peter DeBruge and The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw are positive. Ditto Cinevue’s John Bleasdale.
Ehrlich via Tweet:
“Florian Zeller's follow-up to "The Father" is turgid and emotionally pornographic. Hugh Jackman is great, but the last 20 minutes of this thing make for the most sadistic movie ending since Antichrist, only much less fun. hard pass.”
Meanwhile, very much on-brand, as if totally oblivious to the bad reviews, Variety’s Clayton Davis is calling “The Son” a major Oscar contender. What?!
Jackman seems to be getting decent ink, but what looked like a shoo-in for Best Actor is turning into now a massive hurdle for a nom. The more I think about it, the more Brendan Fraser is looking like a lock. But, honestly, this year’s Venice has destroyed the chances of Cacho (Bardo), Driver (White Noise) and Jackman (The Son).
This means that Austin Butler (Elvis), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Bill Nighy (Living), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) and, yes, Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick) have had their stocks rise these last few weeks. Also, watch out for Diego Calva (Babylon) in the coming months.
What a weak batch of male acting candidates.
EARLIER: A lot of press has already left the Venice Film Festival, so reactions to Florian Zeller’s “The Son” are far and few. I’ve managed to speak to a few people, the consensus is mixed so far, but reviews could change that in a few hours. Meanwhile, you can scroll through the Letterboxd reviews. Stay tuned for an update.