Now that the holidays are winding down, it’s time to turn our attention once again to Oscar season. May December may have December in the title, but it’s far from a Christmas movie. This is a dark, disturbing portrait of stolen innocence and the predators who walk among us.
Todd Haynes returns to the big screen (or in this case whatever screen Netflix is playing on) to deliver another domestic drama about an illicit relationship between an adult woman Gracie (Julianne Moore) and a seventh-grader named Joe (Charles Melton). The subject matter is seedy, but Haynes is more interested in the aftermath than the events themselves as a fictional actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) studies Gracie’s life twenty years later to play her in a film. Portman and Moore are locks for Oscar nominations, but the rest of the film’s chances are anyone’s guess. Whatever happens, May December is a layered work of art that rewards viewers who are up to the challenge.
Join Jon and Tim as they discuss Christmas preparations, streaming movies on laptops, the best first Christmas movies of the season, Jon’s theater pizza disaster, a review of The Holdovers, the true story behind the movie, rewatching Home Alone, why Julianne Moore is a true movie star, a bold soundtrack choice, why Tim thinks Meryl Streep is overrated, Oscar-caliber writing, Natalie Portman’s best role, Charles Melton’s shining moment, Todd Haynes’ mise en scène, honoring life’s seasons, letting feelings be our guide, why it’s the kids who suffer most, and the devastating effects of innocence lost.
