Two out of four stars
Beloved, let's get this out of the way: Drama it is not for everyone.
Sensational film by A24, written and directed by Christopher Borgliasks a guilt-ridden question: How well do you know your partner? And in the week of your wedding, is there anything that person will reveal to you that will make you question your entire relationship?
Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are getting married in just a few days. While chilling over a bottle of wine with the best man (Mamoudou Athie) and the maid of honor (Alana Haim), the four start talking about the worst things they've ever done – think cyberbullying and beyond.
No spoilers here, but the big reveal that happens just moments into the film, in theaters from April 3rd, is a fitting twist that hypes up all the rom-com marketing. While the first sharp dialogue between the two lovers sets up an impressive, boundary-pushing drama, Drama it ultimately fails to be funnier than its twisted opening moments, despite a handful of sick, fun gags throughout its 105 minutes.
The dark humor clearly defies the argument – it's already abundant on the Internet, and you can Google the opening twist if you like – but it can't go beyond superficial shock, even with some help from the worst moments. (Scary viewers, take note!)
Drama
A24Zendaya and especially Pattinson use their best movie star charms and settle into a disturbing chemistry that occasionally succeeds in getting the audience to empathize with them and their unusual situations. The biggest among the characters is the burning Haim (Licorice Pizza) as Emma's maid of honor. Richeng is able to perfectly balance the uneasy energy around the movie and make it work, drawing uncomfortable laughs and shocks from his few scenes. Alas, the movie often includes its characters (including comedy Zoë Winters as a wedding photographer) in a text that revolves around the same irritation, leaving the final moments never gelling.
Weddings often bring different people and ideas together, but this one can't fully combine the plot of love with a different American horror show.
Mother Nature may be tempting you to head outside with the warmer weather this spring, but Us Weekly has a list of must-see movies that will keep you indoors and glued to the screen. March, April and May offer plenty of options for moviegoers, starting with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's drama. […]
The film currently sits at 80% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. Below, what some critics had to say about it Drama.
The New York Post: “Dramafor all its heat, it is not perfect. I didn't get its climactic series of dominoes in rapid succession. However, many movies are completely forgotten by the time the credits roll. This one, like it or not, lasts for days. It will probably end up being one of the most controversial films of the year.”
IndieWire: “The genius of Kristoffer Borgli Dramaor at least the wisdom of the comic strip – the near conceit that it uses to mixed results, based on the fact that Emma's confession is impossible to laugh at completely. Like the anti-romantic thriller it crumbles into, the film's twists are twisted enough to be entertaining and grounded in reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke. It's shocking, yes, but mostly because it's rare to see a mainstream movie so eager to stick its tongue out and lick the last real thirds of American speech.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “In depressing truth, though, this film is just a re-imagining of very familiar things. It's a deceptively simple game of cold feet, pre-marital jitters, only in the face of a high, burning public question. What Emma reveals directly in the end doesn't matter.”
