May December is constantly on the precipice of something major happening, but then nothing ever does. Even great lead performances can’t save it.
You know those movies that constantly feel like something major is about to happen, like the shoe is about to drop, like the suspense and setup is about to all be worth it, but then nothing ever happens and it just ends? That is May December. Sure, there is one small moment towards the end that almost makes the movie worth a watch, but it is ripped away so quickly and not addressed in the way that would elevate the film, so it doesn’t really count.
This movie is extremely uncomfortable to watch, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It follows Gracie Atherton-Yoo (played by Julianne Moore) and her husband Joe (played by Charles Melton). Their relationship started when she was 36 and he was 13. Yes, you read that right. But they swear they are in love and so that justifies it. Gross.
Thankfully the story takes place when they are older, and their twin children are getting ready to graduate high school. This means the audience is never exposed to their early relationship, except for in letters and conversations of how they came to be where they are now.
Natalie Portman enters May December from the start as well, as actress Elizabeth Berry who is set to play Gracie in a film. She ends up spending quite a bit of time with Gracie so that she can understand what makes her tick. She learns her mannerisms, the way she applies makeup, and attempts to dive into her relationship with her children and ex-husband.
You see, she met Joe because he went to school with one of her children. They were in class together and the same age when their relationship started. Double gross.
May December tries very hard to be a thriller. As Elizabeth starts to embody Gracie, as research for her role, the lines start to become blurred. Joe becomes comfortable with her, and she takes advantage of that. She also inserts herself into the family life far more than most of the family wants her too, especially the children. The point is for Elizabeth to understand Gracie and find a way to connect with her so she can portray her correctly, but it all just feels a bit too icky.
Even the score does its best to get more and more intense as it seems like some big twist is about to hit, but that never happens in May December. Aside from a the small beginnings of something that could have been much more impactful, which we mentioned early but will not go into details in an effort to remain spoiler free.
Here’s the thing, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton all do what they can with what they are given. They try their hardest to make this film a memorable one, but May December ultimately falls flat. The runtime clocks in just shy of two hours, but it feels much longer due to the dragging and anticipation of a payoff that never comes.
Rating: 2 out of 5
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About May December
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu and her husband Joe (twenty-three years her junior) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school. When Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be playing in a film, family dynamics unravel under the pressure of the outside gaze.
Joe, never having processed what happened in his youth, starts to confront the reality of life as an empty-nester at thirty-six. And as Elizabeth and Gracie study each other, the similarities and differences between the two women begin to ebb and flow.
Set in picturesque and comfortable Camden, Maine, May December is an exploration of truth, storytelling, and the difficulties (or impossibility) of fully understanding another person.
May December is playing in select theaters now, and comes to Netflix on December 1st.
