May December
Directed by Todd HaynesTwenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Where to Watch May December
May December Ratings & Reviews
- VarunOctober 19, 2024A very weird and uncomfortable viewing. Using Natalie Portman’s actress character as a meta narrative tool to explore difficult subject matter was a great choice. The acting was quite magnetic from Moore and Portman, but Charles Melton really gives a standout performance. This film is very multi layered, exploring themes of abuse, victimhood, manipulation, the acting process, exploitation, and so much more. There’s a lot of subtle things happening in the background that forces the audience to analyse each scene and character more deeply. This is a unique movie that’s delivered quite effectively but one I don’t want to visit again.
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025I did not care for this in the slightest. And that’s super disappointing because I love Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman and I was really looking forward to this. I did not, however, know anything about the story before pressing play. In the opening minutes, though, it’s made clear that it’s inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau child rapist case. The story made massive headlines nation wide, but even moreso in Burien, WA where we grew up and we were having a very hard time not projecting what we know about Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau onto the characters in the film. For that reason, the melodramatic treatment, the camp, and the humor….really none of it worked for me and was at times kind of sickening to see it portrayed as such. Admittedly, Charles Melton’s performance, particularly in the third act when he’s coming to grips with his lost innocence, is quite moving and is the only earnestly emotional moment of the film. I get it, though. Elizabeth employs her method acting to farm this scandal and the people involved so as to portray something true. But ultimately, she winds up creating some melodramatic schlock. It is certainly a deeply ironic ending — on multiple levels. I really just didn’t care to explore any of it.
May December Trivia
May December was released on November 16, 2023.
May December was directed by Todd Haynes.
May December has a runtime of 1h 57m.
May December was produced by Christine Vachon, Natalie Portman, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Sophie Mas, Tyler W. Konney, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler.
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
The key characters in May December are Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), Gracie (Julianne Moore), Joe Yoo (Charles Melton).
May December is rated R.
May December is a Drama, Comedy, Romance film.
May December has an audience rating of 6.5 out of 10.