Mikey Madison in the movie “Anora”.
(Cannes Film Festival)
In a main competition filled with laughs, Sean Baker's outrageous crime-action rom-com, starring Mikey Madison (“Better Things”) as a stripper who gets embroiled in a Russian family drama, landed the biggest left hook ever. I met. I always wanted. When the 21-year-old son of a high-profile oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn) frequents her club, Anora (Madison) ends up being his nighttime companion and, like no one who looks a gift horse in the mouth, turns the night into something more permanent. At least until her disapproving parents find out and the movie suddenly catches fire, shifting gears with a riveting, madcap set piece reminiscent of “Midnight Run” or “Something Wild.” Racing like a pinball through the Russian-American enclaves of Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay, Baker draws a host of comic characters as quickly and accurately as a feisty guy, including a trio of thugs you won't soon forget. And as a center… or is it a cause? – From the maelstrom, Madison brilliantly adds her signature to the “tough and broad” archetype, packed with fighting spirit, a foul mouth, and unparalleled negotiation skills. The effect of all this is so electric that it is likely to leave you levitating. — Matt Brennan
