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Chicago Tribune
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Mountainhead' review: A movie from ‘Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong covers familiar territory
During its four-season run on HBO, there was a critical consensus around 'Succession' that I did not share. Most felt the series was an entertainingly scathing, darkly funny dissection of the rich and their ridiculous, deeply unhappy lives. I admired the show's glossy craft and absurdist performances, but my issue with 'Succession' is that it never had anything to say beyond the straightforward point that these pampered monsters have all-too-human sources of anxiety and this makes them dangerous to the world at large. OK. Sure. But what kind of commentary is that, exactly? Where does it get us? The show's creator returns to the insular world of the uber-wealthy once again in his latest project, the HBO movie 'Mountainhead,' about four exceedingly vapid, highly-resourced men — including one who is seemingly based on Elon Musk — who arrive at a sleek, modernist mountainside villa for a weekend getaway, while the outside world devolves into one crisis after another. The project had a fast turnaround, greenlit in December, filming in March over just five days and now premiering less than two months later. Clearly, writer and director Jesse Armstrong was inspired by everything that's happening around us in this particularly fraught moment and I appreciate the speedy approach; rarely is TV or film able to be this responsive. It's also nice to see HBO dip its toe back into the original film business. I just wish it had been with a project far better than this. At least Armstrong didn't make 'Mountainhead' into a series. So there's that. The megalomaniac Mountainheads of 'Mountainhead' are as follows: Jason Schwartzman is the home's owner named Souper aka Soups; Cory Michael Smith is Venis, the obnoxious Musk-inspired character; Ramy Youssef as Jeff, an AI founder who, at the very least, seems semi-alarmed at what's happening in the world compared to his compadres (it's a low bar to begin with); and Steve Carell as Randall, the elder statesman — or 'dark money Gandalf,' as one of them calls him affectionately — with a terminal diagnosis and therefore an interest in finding a workaround to that pesky reality of his mortality. To call them friends would be a bridge too far. Real human connections seem beyond them. Ven's social media app has just launched a deep fake feature he describes as a content tool that's 'gonna make the (expletive) printing press look like pre-cum.' Armstrong has a fixation on this kind of dialogue, as if audiences wouldn't pick up on how crass these characters are unless they're talking in outrageous obscenities. I always think a little goes a long way with this sort of thing, whereas Armstrong is a maximalist. 'You only build a pedophile lair once, so you gotta get it right,' Jeff says sarcastically as he looks around Soup's cavernous house. Instead of a subversive excavation of the way men like this talk, it plays out like giddiness on Armstrong's part, thrilled to be manufacturing a context that allows him to put those words in a character's mouth. But when it comes to stories of the rich and corrupt, I want a writer who has something — — meaningful to say beyond 'Aren't these people gross? But get a load at what all that money can buy!' It's an observation that fails to answer the unspoken question: What do you, the writer of this script, want to with this observation? Armstrong is both uninterested in narrative consequences for his targets and content to remain on the periphery, simply making the same observation over and over again, as if that has meaning in the end. (This pattern will feel familiar to anyone who has watched 'The White Lotus.') The men are awkward and immature, with stunted social skills, presumably because they never bothered to learn otherwise. They didn't have to. Schwartzman is the only one who seems to be playing his character with a sense of 'Actually, why would I take this guy seriously as a human being?' and it works. Materially, these characters do not think or act in ways that differentiate themselves from anyone on 'Succession.' They are power hungry and profoundly insecure, living empty, unsatisfying lives where all relationships are transactional — a reality that holds true even when their net worth goes up. 'Mountainhead' is a talky movie and I tend to like talky movies. But at some point in the nearly two-hour running time, it just becomes boring. It's also worth mentioning that the film is strangely disingenuous about AI, a technology Ven supposedly needs for his app to mitigate the spread of false information. Not one person expresses any skepticism, which suggests we're meant to take this premise seriously. The reality is that AI itself creates lies. The idea that it could be the stopgap to the very problems it creates is not just laughable, it's embarrassing that Armstrong made it a key plot component. 'Mountainhead' — 1.5 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: 7 p.m. Saturday on HBO (and streaming on HBO Max)
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What to watch on Netflix Canada, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+ and more: New TV shows and movies in May
It's an exciting month for new TV shows and movies coming to streaming sites. Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy star in a new Netflix series Sirens, while Succession creator Jesse Armstrong wrote, directed and executive produced a film titled Mountainheads, premiering on Crave in Canada in May. Benito Skinner's (aka Benny Drama) is releasing a new comedy series on Prime Video, and the reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returns to Disney+ for Season 2. And Alexander Skarsgård stars in the upcoming Apple TV+ show Murderbot. A live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga "Kakegurui" by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura, Bet is set in an elite boarding school, where underground gambling determines the school's hierarchy. But when a transfer student shows up with some impressive skills, the status quo gets a shake up. Starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock and Kevin Bacon, Sirens follows Devon (Fahy) on Labor Day weekend at a luxurious estate, after she has concerns about her sister Simone's (Milly Alcock) relationship with her boss, socialite Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore). "Michaela and Simone are friends. They're trauma-bonded. They're codependent," creator and executive producer Molly Smith told Tudum. "But they also really need something from each other. And what they need from each other shifts throughout the show." Watch TV shows, movies on Netflix Getting back into the drama of #MomTok, the Utah reality show is coming back, introducing Taylor Frankie Paul's "ex-best friend" Miranda McWhorter, who wants to "set the record straight" on the swinging scandal. Meanwhile, Jennifer Affleck is having more marriage troubles with her husband Zac, and it looks like Whitney Leavitt is making a comeback. Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, executive produced by Nick Kroll, Adults is a new comedy that follows a group of five friends in New York, Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao) and Anton (Owen Thiele), who are all crashing in Samir's childhood home. Charlie Cox, Julia Fox, D'Arcy Carden, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, John Reynolds and Ray Nicholson will appear as guest stars. Benito Skinner's upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy series Overcompensating. Filmed in Toronto, the show's main character Benny (Skinner) is starting college as a former football player and homecoming king Benny. But he has a secret, Benny's a closeted gay man who just wants to fit in. Nicole Kidman returns as Masha for Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers as a new group of guests sign up for her wellness retreat, based on the book by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty. The Season 2 cast includes Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, and Mark Strong. Paul Reubens, the man behind Pee-wee Herman, Pee-wee as Himself gives us a look into the personal life of the famed comedic actor, including his alter ego. Written, directed, and executive produced by seven-time Emmy-winner Jesse Armstrong (Succession), the film Mountainhead is about a group of billionaires who get together for a mountain retreat amid an international crisis. The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, Ramy Youssef, Hadley Robinson, Andy Daly, Ali Kinkade, Daniel Oreskes, David Thompson, Ami MacKenzie, and Ava Kostia. Watch TV shows, movies on Crave The comedic thriller starring and executive produced by Alexander Skarsgård, Murderbot is based on Martha Wells' best-selling book series. Skarsgård plays the titular character, a self-hacking cyborg who's puzzled by humans, but has to hide his free will and complete dangerous missions. The film Bono: Stories of Surrender is a reimagining of Bono's one-man show, based on his memoir, looking at his life and the "family, friends and faith that have challenged and sustained him." It's also set to premiere on Apple Vision Pro, on the same date, for an immersive experience. Set in 1980s Staten Island, Rose Larusso (Emily Bader) discovers her father, Joe (Domenick Lombardozzi), is an emerging mafia kingpin. The movie is the directorial debut of Jennifer Esposito, who also wrote and co-produced Fresh Kills. A 2024 New Zealand medical-drama film, A Mistake follows surgeon Elizabeth Taylor (Elizabeth Banks), the only female consultant at her hospital, but one an operation goes wrong, she's not sure she'll survive the mistake. Creator, host and single mother Connie Britton teams up with experts in parenting, style and home, to help other single moms create more "balanced and fulfilling lives for themselves and their families." The preview of Rick and Morty Season 8 shows Jerry excited about Easter, but we're still anxiously waiting to see what goes on with Jerry, Summer, Beth, and the other Beth. Before "Brat," Charli XCX asked her fans to help her make an album during COVID-10 quarantine regulations. That emotional journey is documented in the documentary Charli XCX: Alone Together. Starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, Sasquatch Sunset is about a family of Sasquatches who go on a journey together for a year. Watch movies on Mubi
