May December
May December

May December

2023Movie117 minEnglish

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.

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Insights

IMDb6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes87%
Metacritic82/100
Google Users81%
Director: Todd HaynesGenres: Drama, Romance

Plot Summary

A famous actress preparing to play a controversial tabloid figure at the center of a scandalous relationship from years past, decides to visit her in Savannah. As the two women spend time together, exploring the complexities of their shared history, the line between performance and reality begins to blur. The actress grapples with understanding the woman she is to portray, while the woman she is to portray finds herself mirroring the actress.

Critical Reception

May December received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at the performances of Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton, as well as Todd Haynes's distinctive directorial style and the film's nuanced exploration of complex themes. The film was lauded for its sharp writing and its ability to blend dark humor with profound psychological depth.

What Reviewers Say

  • A masterfully crafted psychological drama with outstanding performances.
  • Haynes expertly navigates complex themes of identity, performance, and exploitation.
  • The film's unsettling tone and moral ambiguity are its greatest strengths.

Google audience: Audience reviews highlight the film's compelling performances, particularly from the lead actresses, and its thought-provoking exploration of uncomfortable subjects. Many appreciated the film's dark humor and stylistic choices, though some found the pacing and ambiguity challenging.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actress for Julianne Moore. Charles Melton received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film also garnered nominations from various critics' circles for its screenplay and performances.

Fun Fact

The film's screenplay by first-time writer Samy Burch was inspired by the real-life story of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, though it fictionalizes the characters and circumstances.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
justhappytobehere

justhappytobeher...

Mostly a boring affair, with a few nice pieces of performance from time to time. Portman was never a good actor and she delivers another dead eyed performance. Moore was quite good and so was the man child. I guess check it out or not, it r...
r96sk

r96sk

Bit of a odd one. It gradually lost my attention a little the longer it went on, though overall it's a film I'd consider as interesting. I know of the real life story that <em>'May December'</em> is "loosely" based upon, so it was intrig...
Brent Marchant

Brent Marchant

In moviemaking, there’s subtlety, and then there’s subtlety carried too far. In the case of director Todd Haynes’s latest, the filmmaker unfortunately indulges himself far too much in the latter. This story of an actress (Natalie Portman) w...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

This actually reminded me a little of "All About Eve" (1950) as television actress "Elizabeth" (Natalie Portman) arrives at the home of "Gracie" (Julianne Moore) about whom she is to star in a biopic. Initially welcoming of her and keen to ...
Lachlan Thiele

Lachlan Thiele

<b>INT. MOCKING-MOORE - DAY </b> May December is an excellent satire with incredibly dark themes at times. Portman's Elizabeth is an actress tasked with researching her next role, a movie based on the massively dramatised life of <i>Juli...