2006’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ succeeded thanks to the sheer star power of its cast and a sharp script from Aline Brosh McKenna that spotlighted workplace comedy in the rarified air of a luxury fashion magazine. So what does that world look like these days? As you might expect, struggling legacy media, the rise of AI and our main characters reflecting on changed circumstances in their lives. But can it channel the charisma of the original?
With McKenna once again drawing (even more loosely this time from Lauren Weisberger’s original source novel), the screenplay has plenty of Miranda Priestly Zingers and some –– pun entirely intended –– blunt putdowns. And while the story feels rushed in places, it at least has something on its mind beyond the fashion world.
David Frankel, meanwhile, does a workmanlike job on keeping things (mostly) light and fun, and the new movie feels of a piece with the original.
Though Hathaway’s Andy can still come across a little bland, the actor’s innate charm helps keep her watchable. But we all know we’re here for Streep, Tucci and Blunt, and they certainly deliver.
Around the main foursome, the supporting cast is solid –– Rachel Bloom steals scenes as Andy’s book publisher pal, while Justin Theroux is good value as billionaire, Benji Barnes, Emily’s current beau.
Though it occasionally falls into the trap of rehashing old storylines (perhaps that’s a nod to the cycling of fashion trends) and rarely rises above the level of serviceable sequel, this second visit with Miranda, Andy and the rest still offers plenty for fans who have wanted to see these characters back on screens.
Twenty years on, Miranda (Meryl Streep), Andy (Anne Hathaway), Emily (Emily Blunt) and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine.
(L to R): Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith in ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Photo: ABC.
Preview:
Sony has a new ‘Charlie’s Angels’ movie in development.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ co-writer Pete Chiarelli is on script duty.
There are no casting or director details yet.
Despite some less-than-successful attempts across the last decade or so, Sony clearly sees the upcoming 50th anniversary of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ as a reason to try to craft a new movie featuring crime-fighting women.
We’ll have to wait and see who ends up taking this one on –– will it be a totally fresh take or could the company look to reunite movie trio Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz (more on them below)?
(L to R) Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska and Naomi Scott in 2019’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The show, a crime drama about a trio of women working at the Townsend private detective agency, debuted in 1976 and quickly dominated the pop culture conversation. The series originally cast Kate Jackson,Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith in the leading roles — and catapulted them into TV history.
Cheryl Ladd joined the show in season 2 and starred through the rest of its 115-episode run. John Forsythe voiced their unseen boss, Charlie Townsend, who directed the operation over the telephone.
Barrymore, Liu and Diaz starred in two movie versions in 2000 and 2003, but more recent attempts, including a new TV series and director Elizabeth Banks’ 2019 film, didn’t fare as well.
There’s no word yet on what Chiarelli’s take might be.
When will the new ‘Charlie’s Angels’ movie be on screen?
Sony hasn’t announced anything yet, so with this in “early development,” we’ll have to wait and see when it might arrive.
(L to R) Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in 2000’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Movies and TV shows in the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ franchise:
With David Frankel back as director and writer Aline Brosh McKenna once again working from Lauren Weisberger’s novel source, it’ll be interesting to see how the characters have moved forward in the (gulp) 20 years since the first film.
The first movie saw the ambitious yet occasionally overwhelmed Andy Sachs (Hathaway) taking on the role of junior assistant to the powerful Miranda Priestly (Streep), editor-in-chief of a high-profile fashion magazine.
The sequel follows Priestly as she navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing and as she faces off against Blunt’s character, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs.
From the looks of the trailer, Priestly is just as imperious as ever –– but is her attitude towards everyone just her usual shade or is she struggling with memory issues?
When will ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ be in cinemas?
In theaters expanding its release on December 9 is ‘Rosemead,’ a taught, powerful new drama that spotlights the troubles of Asian American parents struggling to deal with mental health issues among their teenage children.
(L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
Given that the true story it is based upon is full of tragedy and pain, you should certainly go into ‘Rosemead’ expecting some downbeat developments.
But don’t let that deter you from a powerful and thoughtful movie that boasts a typically great performance from Lucy Liu, here fully taking the chance to shine in a difficult, nuanced role.
Script and Direction
Director Eric Lin on the set of ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
With a script from Marilyn Fu (‘The Sisterhood of Night’) which also features additional writing from director Eric Lin, ‘Rosemead’ has its roots in an L.A. Times article by Frank Shyong about a Laotian mother living in the US who discovered her teen son’s disturbing fascination with school shootings even as he lived with schizophrenia.
Director Lin finds the sensitivity in the story, focusing on an aspect of Asian American life not often touched upon, and bringing it to screens with the plenty care and thoughtfulness.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
Lucy Liu is the clear standout here; given the chance to really show what she can do as an actor, she proves she’s more than capable of filling out a character and bringing real heart and depth to a complicated person.
She’s well supported by Lawrence Shou, who makes his feature film acting debut, and has the equally tough job of portraying her son, Joe, who grapples with his own demons.
Final Thoughts
Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
‘Rosemead’ is a painfully sad story, but also a vital one, and has urgent things to say about the lack of communication between different generations of families, but particularly in the Asian American communities where silence can be as dangerous as fraught emotion.
‘Rosemead’ receives 72 out of 100.
(L to R) Lawrence Shou and Lucy Liu star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
What’s the story of ‘Rosemead’?
Lucy Liu stars as Irene, who takes drastic measures to protect her troubled teenage son (Lawrence Shou).
As his dark obsessions grow and time runs out, she is forced to make impossible choices: how far will she go and what is she willing to sacrifice?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy Liu about her work on ‘Rosemead’, her first reaction to the screenplay and the true story it is based on, her approach to her character, her character’s relationship with her son, and working with director Eric Lin.
Lucy Liu stars in ‘Rosemead’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Liu, Lawrence Shou and director Eric Lin.
MF: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and true story that it is based on and as a producer and actress why you wanted to tell this story?
Lucy Liu: This project was just heartbreaking when I read it. The fact that it was based on a true story crushed me. I signed on for many different reasons. I think one of them was that this is a movie that is just not in the lexicon for our community, and I think it’s a universal message behind it. For that reason alone, it was crucial because I think that there’s so many other movies that are made about women or about families, but not for our community.
MF: Can you talk about how you prepared both emotionally and physically for this role?
LL: I think the preparation beforehand with the language was the most taxing part of it. But it also brought me into the performance because I was able to tether the performance to my own lineage and my history of my family, of where they came from, where their parents came from, and the struggle and the trauma of coming over to this country. Also then having to deal with racism and stigmatism and the separation of what this woman felt from her own community, I think was what was so devastating to me.
(L to R) Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou star in ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Can you talk about the relationship between Joe and his mother and what it was like creating that on screen with Lawrence Shou?
LL: Lawrence did an unbelievable job. This is his first foray into feature films. He’s incredibly talented and just a wonderful person. He’s all new and he’s just open and receives anything around him. I think for me, working together on this project, most of the people in it were from the Asian community and most of the people spoke the language. It was just a really nice place to be after being in the business for over 30 years and seeing how intimate and how special it could be. It also opened conversations within our own crew about our own personal stories of things that we’ve experienced, whether it was mental health or otherwise. So, I haven’t had that very often because normally you’re busy running around, kicking down a wall or whatever it is, or climbing a wall. So, it’s nice to have a nice connection with people in a different way, in a more intimate way.
MF: Finally, can you talk about your experience collaborating with director Eric Lin on set both as a producer and actress?
LL: Eric was able to really start from page one, and he came on very early and he was able to really digest it, and he has his own personal stories about why he wanted to do this movie. So, I think understanding that everyone had a struggle from somewhere, he was able to weave that into this movie and make it authentic and make it something that was able to be received in a way, and to gently bring that performance out of all of us without forcing it. He really understood the ability to generate what he needed in a kind and beautiful way.
Director Eric Lin on the set of ‘Rosemead’. Photo: Vertical.
What is the plot of ‘Rosemead’?
In a race against time, an ailing woman (Lucy Liu) is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s (Lawrence Shou) violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family.
‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ will finally hit screens.
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has worked with Lionsgate on the new version.
The combined movie experience lands in December.
It has taken more than 20 years, but the two ‘Kill Bill’ movies made by writer/director Quentin Tarantino are finally landing in theaters the way the filmmaker intended –– as one big film called ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’.
While the combined version has been seen on home entertainment formats and the occasional speciality screening, this is its first wide theatrical release, via Lionsgate, which will include a seven-minute animated segment not included in the prior cinema outings of Volume 1 and Volume 2 back in 2003 and 2004.
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This was what Tarantino had to say about the new opportunity:
“I wrote and directed it as one movie—and I’m so glad to give the fans the chance to see it as one movie. The best way to see ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ is at a movie theater in Glorious 70mm or 35mm. Blood and guts on a big screen in all its glory!”
Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover, Bill, ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.
To exact her vengeance, she must first hunt down the four remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad before confronting Bill himself. With its operatic scope, relentless action, and iconic style, ‘The Whole Bloody Affair’ stands as one of cinema’s definitive revenge sagas — rarely shown in its complete form and now presented with a classic intermission.
What else is happening in Tarantino’s movie world?
Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
While the filmmaker is still making decisions about his cinematic future –– he scrapped one planned movie, ‘The Movie Critic’ and is considering other options including stage work and novels –– his cinematic universe rolls on.
And on the returning side of things, two more cast members from the original movie will be back: Tracie Thoms, will reprise her part as Lily, the handbag-loving best friend of Hathaway’s Andy Sachs, and Tibor Feldman is on to once again play Irv Ravitz, the chairman of Runway’s parent company Elias-Clark.
(L to R) Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Adapted by Aline Brosh McKenna from Lauren Weisberger’s novel and directed by David Frankel, the original follows Andy Sachs (Hathaway), a recent journalism graduate who moves to New York City and lands a job as a junior assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the powerful and demanding editor-in-chief of high-fashion magazine Runway, with Blunt as Emily, Priestly’s primary aide.
Andy initially struggles with the high-pressure environment and Miranda’s relentless demands but gradually adapts, gaining confidence and style. As she becomes more involved in her work, she faces personal challenges, including a strained relationship with her boyfriend, Nate (Adrian Grenier), and ethical dilemmas about the fashion industry’s values.
The movie was a hit, earning close to $125 million in the US and more than $326 million worldwide. Streep was nominated for an Oscar along with costume designer Patricia Field.
What would the new movie be about?
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in 2006’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada .’
With the cast all back for this one, the sequel’s plot would reportedly pick up the story with Priestly still the head of Runway, but the magazine has endured the financial headwinds of contemporary publishing and is in a diminished state.
Blunt’s one-time assistant would now be an executive at a luxury brand conglomerate that advertises with Runway.
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Grenier won’t be back, but we do know that Branagh will be playing Miranda Priestly’s husband, which as anyone who has seen the first film knows, is not an easy gig given the hard-charging, perfectionist character’s style.
Behind the scenes, McKenna has written the new script and Frankel is once again calling the shots.
What else is happening in the ‘Devil Wears Prada’ world?
Anne Hathaway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
In addition to the sequel, a musical adaptation with an original score by Elton John, is playing in London’s West End.
Novak’s work has been more behind the scenes of late, though he did have a role in TV series ‘Poker Face’ this year, and he’s a contributor to a documentary about comedian Mitch Hedberg.
Is there anything left to say in the crime genre, more specifically in stories about hitmen? Well, last year’s ‘Hit Man,’ in fact, tried some different, sexy, and refreshing things, but this year’s ‘Old Guy’ seems content to recycle the same old tropes that we’ve seen a million times before.
Directed by Simon West – best known for disposable action fests like ‘Con Air,’ the first ‘Tomb Raider,’ and ‘The Expendables 2’ – ‘Old Guy’ isn’t exactly awful, and has some great actors in it. Yet it lives up to its title by exuding exhaustion from every frame. The progression of the plot is easy to predict from the word “go,” and the movie offers nothing particularly insightful or witty to counteract that. It’s the kind of material that you might find yourself second-screening on Netflix one day, and if that’s enough, then ‘Old Guy’ might be for you.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Director Simon West and Christoph Waltz behind the scenes on the set of the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) is an aging, legendary hitman just coming back from surgery on his hand. Since it was his gun hand, Danny’s been unable to work for a couple of months, but when he shows up at the British countryside home of his boss Opal (Ann Akinjirin) ready for duty, he’s in for a shock: with Danny getting older and potentially less effective, she’s teaming him with a young killer named Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman) who she wants Danny to train and observe in the field, although Danny senses that he’s ultimately going to be replaced.
Naturally, Danny does not take to this well, especially when Wihlborg turns out to be a croc-wearing, nail-painting hipster who looks like he’d be more at home at a Marias concert than the bars and nightclubs Danny likes to frequent. Unlike his would-be mentor, Wihlborg doesn’t drink, smoke, or show much interest in women (even being around alcohol makes him “uncomfortable,” he says) and takes his work very seriously: “This is a craft for me. Actually more like an art,” he tells Danny, who quickly retorts: “We’re no artists. We’re sanitation workers. We take out the garbage.”
Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Typically, their first job together – which takes them to Belfast — does not go according to plan: Danny has Wihlborg wait in the car against Opal’s wishes, but when he screws up the kill due to his hand still healing, Wihlborg comes on the scene and dispatches the target and two bodyguards with ruthless efficiency. As a result, Danny develops a grudging respect for his younger partner, while still offering him advice when needed.
It turns out that the pair are going to need each other. That first target was the No. 3 man in a Belfast-based crime organization that Opal wants to take out so that she can consolidate her own empire. The next targets are Nos. 1 and 2. But there’s also a mole inside Opal’s organization who betrays everyone – forcing Danny and Wihlborg to work together to save their own skins. Also involved in all this is Anata (Lucy Liu), a bar owner who’s Danny’s weapon supplier and his great unrequited love. She improbably comes along on the trip to Belfast for a date with a doctor she’s met there — Danny is squarely in the friend zone for her — but it’s not long before her life is in danger as well.
Much of ‘Old Guy’ is taken up by the usual double-crosses, shootouts, chases, standoffs and escapes, with Danny finding his mojo again as the stakes are raised for him, Anata, and Wihlborg. The best thing we can say is that West shoots it all efficiently enough, with some gorgeous Northern Ireland scenery to gaze at when the action upfront falls flat, which is often the case.
The Cast and Performances
(L to R) Lucy Liu and Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Ever since veteran Austrian-German actor Christoph Waltz burst into Hollywood with his stunning performance as the sadistic SS officer Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ in 2009, his career on this side of the Atlantic has been a checkered one. While winning the Oscar for both ‘Basterds’ and his second Tarantino performance as King Schultz in 2012’s ‘Django Unchained,’ Waltz has also turned in scenery-chewing, hammy work in films like ‘The Green Hornet,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and the lasttwo James Bond film, where he played an unfortunately reinvented Blofeld.
Waltz can be an engaging, charismatic presence, and is a bit more restrained in ‘Old Guy’ than he’s been before. But the character is a cliché: the aging assassin who still has a moral code but finds the world moving past him, he’s disdainful of rules dictating what he can and can’t say, suspicious of people who don’t like to drink as prodigiously as him, and wary of working for criminals who treat their regimes almost as corporate entities. We’ve seen this before, and Waltz doesn’t offer any surprises in the role.
Cooper Hoffman in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
More interesting is Cooper Hoffman’s Wihlborg, although the idea that a young fellow who wears pajama pants on jobs can be taken seriously as a killer is a bit of a stretch. But rising star Hoffman does bring some shading to a somewhat underwritten role, showing some glimpses of the psychopath lurking under his soft exterior who’s at one point willing to kill a child.
On the other hand, the fabulous Lucy Liu is wasted in her role as Anata, the love interest who comes along on the ride for no other reason than to be placed in danger so that Danny can rescue her and make her realize that he’s been there for her all along. Liu is always magnetic to watch, but she deserves better and seems disinterested in this one-dimensional role.
Final Thoughts
Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Crime as a numbers-crunching game, gangsters who still go home to see mom, wise-cracking banter, and hip-sounding needle drops – all elements that have played out over and over again in better movies. Even a cast that features top names like Waltz, Liu, and Hoffman can’t do anything but make this somewhat more watchable, although you know what’s going to happen every step of the way.
If there’s any word that describes ‘Old Guy,’ it’s “unambitious.” As we suggested earlier, this is the kind of movie that ends up as streaming fodder, perfect for background noise on a weekend afternoon while you do other things. It’s a shame that the cast and filmmakers can’t do much to rise above that.
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What is the plot of ‘Old Guy’?
An aging assassin (Christoph Waltz ) is teamed up by his boss with a younger, brasher killer (Cooper Hoffman) to ostensibly train him, but suspects that he’s ultimately going to be ‘retired’ by his prodigal partner. The two must work together to stay alive, however, when they’re betrayed from within the company itself.
(L to R) Lucy Liu and Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu about their work on ‘Old Guy’, their first reactions to the screenplay, their characters, Danny and Anata’s friendship, Danny’s reluctant partnership with his replacement, and working with Cooper Hoffman.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Moviefone: To begin with, Christoph, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what appealed to you about playing this character?
Christoph Waltz: Frankly, it’s been a while, so I don’t really recall my first reaction, but somewhere during the events I must have thought, “Yeah, I can do that.” I liked that he’s old and that he must deal with it. He does and that’s inspiring. I’m practicing.
MF: Lucy, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what was your approach to playing Anata?
Lucy Liu: Well, knowing that Christoph was already connected to the movie was exciting to me. When I read the role of Anata, I really thought that she was just the right amount of condiment in the movie. They didn’t need a lot more. The amount of spice that she added and the connection that she had was enough. Because a lot of people said, “It’s a smaller role.” But I think that the relationship is really between him and Wihlborg. I liked that she was not the main event and that she came on board and was sort of the third wheel, and that it became something much deeper. I also love the idea of doing independent movies. It gets less diluted because sometimes when you’re working on a bigger movie, there’s so many people giving their thoughts and their opinions, it starts to lose what you originally read. I think Simon was able to hold onto what he had originally.
Lucy Liu in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
MF: Lucy, can you talk about Anata’s friendship with Danny and what she sees in him?
LL: I think she’s great. She’s very raw, and I think she doesn’t want to be vulnerable, but it turns out that she is, and it hurts. I think she’s passed her prime, and I think that when that gentleman says to her, “We can still go back to the hotel,” she realizes he just thinks of her as a prostitute, nothing more than that. Like a good time and it really destroys her and breaks her heart.
MF: Christoph, can you talk about Danny’s reluctant partnership with Wihlborg, who is the person sent to replace him?
CW: I can, but you won’t understand. You’re too young. The moment comes when you’re being pushed aside, and not because you’re lacking anything other than maybe muscle tone. But you have more experience, you have seen how the world works, all of that. Yet you’re being pushed aside because someone just is younger than you are, which is not a good reason. Interestingly in industry, and I hesitate to say normal society because I think that concept is going out the window, but in any case, in our lives, you see that. Sure enough, youth does have to take over sooner or later. That does not necessarily mean that the generation above must be pushed aside. Those are the reasonable arguments. The unreasonable emotional argument is, it hurts to be discarded, to be thrown on the heap with the rest of the old iron. It hurts and it’s difficult to come to terms with that hurt.
Cooper Hoffman in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
MF: Finally, Christoph, what was it like working with Cooper Hoffman?
CW: Same thing. Same thing, by the way.
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What is the plot of ‘Old Guy’?
An aging assassin (Christoph Waltz ) is teamed up by his boss with a younger, brasher killer (Cooper Hoffman) to ostensibly train him, but suspects that he’s ultimately going to be ‘retired’ by his prodigal partner. The two must work together to stay alive, however, when they’re betrayed from within the company itself.
Callina Liang as Chloe in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
‘Presence’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on January 24th, ‘Presence’ is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh, who seemingly never stops wanting to play with format and style, and usually to interesting effect.
While his new supernatural drama certainly has some elements to recommend it, what works about the movie does end up getting a little lost within his format-tinkering, the style somewhat overcoming the substance of the emotional, human story at its core.
Callina Liang as Chloe in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
Soderbergh really does enjoy pushing boundaries, trying out different genres such as action or heist movie and seeing what he can do within the playground he assigns himself.
For ‘Presence,’ the focus is seemingly on the likes of the ‘Paranormal Activity’ movies, supernatural stories with people at their core, though with a twist –– using the camera as main viewpoint, the drama here unfolds before the gaze of a spirit haunting a house that sees a new family move in.
As they bicker and deceive, we watch, initially passively until the entity decides to try and influence matters. And suffice to say, there are plenty of reasons to get involved, since bad decisions lead to life-threatening situations and head into areas we won’t spoil.
Trouble is, with the main story effectively happening in front of our floating eyes, the connection with most of the characters feels remote, and its hard –– at least until the later stages –– to really empathize with much of the drama unfolding.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, Lucy Liu and Julia Fox in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
Veteran writer David Koepp, who has some experience working with Soderbergh at this point (via the likes of pandemic era-thriller ‘Kimi’ and 2025 release ‘Black Bag,’ is also no stranger to supernatural themes.
As both writer and director, he previously brought us ‘Stir of Echoes’ (coincidentally featuring a “Special Thanks” credit for Soderbergh, who presumably gave notes on the film as it was developed and then edited), in which a haunted Kevin Bacon sees visions of a missing girl.
While that movie saw him adapting a Richard Matheson story, ‘Presence’ is an original work from Koepp, albeit one that was clearly written to satisfy Soderbergh’s wish to look at viewpoint and family from a different angle.
The trouble is, as mentioned above, it also sacrifices connection –– when the technical prowess and experimentation with style subsumes relatability with the characters, that distance makes the film less than the sum of its parts. And the storylines contained within are fairly rote; you’ll likely see where the one truly satisfying plot is going from early on.
As director (plus cinematographer and editor), Soderbergh is someone who has plenty of skill and talent to bring to bear, but you do sometimes wonder if he gets lost in the joy of experimentation and forgets to craft a truly rounded project. Still, no one should reject him for trying something different.
‘Presence’: Performances
As has been discussed, the performances here, barring one that stands out, are a little limited in terms of their impact.
Callina Liang as Chloe
Callina Liang stars in director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’.
Liang, a relative newcomer with some TV credits and a couple of other movies to her name, is tasked with carrying the emotional heavy load here. As the haunted Chloe (literally), grieving the death of her friend and dealing with the fact that her mother is focused almost entirely on her athlete brother, Liang brins nuance and pain to the role.
And when things become more dangerous for her down the line, she is one of the few performers who invites you into the story, her expressive face conveying more than the script.
Lucy Liu stars in director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’.
The matriarch of the family, Liu’s Rebecca is a seemingly complicated person who us in some trouble at work, but like most of the family, she’s largely a cipher, driving the plot along and saddled with a storyline that sometimes dips into very familiar squabbling parent syndrome.
Chris Sullivan stars in director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’.
Sullivan is good at bringing world-weariness and unease to his character, Rebecca’s husband and the one person in the family who really seems to connect with Chloe. Sullivan does what he can with a role that, like the others, is at times underwritten.
Eddy Maday stars in director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’.
As the eldest child of the family a swimmer with ambition and ego, Maday makes a solid acting debut, bringing the right levels of petulance and a loaded mean streak to the role.
Like Liang, he’s also entirely believable as a teenager used to getting their own way and also seeking friendship and acceptance in the world.
West Mulholland stars in director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’.
Ryan is the chaotic element of the movie; though we won’t exactly say how –– he’s Tyler’s new friend from school and shows a lustful interest in Chloe, one she initially indulges. Mulholland is solid in the part, particularly when called up to show the character’s more dangerous side.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Chris Sullivan and Lucy Liu in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
If there’s one movie that ‘Presence’ puts me in mind of, it’s Robert Zemeckis’ recent effort ‘Here,’ whose gimmick was locking down the camera to show one room through decades and even millennia of time.
While Soderbergh’s effort is more successful, it still doesn’t feel like a complete movie, and at times like a film school project that is on the way to working but hasn’t quite gotten to that point. A skimpy 85-minute running time means you’ll never be bored, but it also tries to cram in several different character arcs and only really has time for one of them to become satisfying.
A sudden surprise near the end as the revelation occurs can’t compensate for what is an experiment that is noble yet crucially flawed.
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What is the plot of ‘Presence’?
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
