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‘Thank You for Coming’ Review: Hindi Sex Comedy Finds the Elusive Female Orgasm in a Coming-of-Age Tale

Marya e. gates.

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That’s because the film isn’t actually about sex, as we follow Pednekar’s spunky Kanika Kapoor from childhood through her first orgasm — at the age of 32, the film uses this journey to explore the dampening effects societal expectations and patriarchal traditions have on the independence and fulfillment of women in India. 

The daughter of an unmarried gynecologist, Kanika was born to stand out. At every stage of life, she bucks conventions of how a proper young woman should behave, although as an adult she suffers from the same dissatisfied longing for something more — in this case actual sexual satisfaction — that plagues most rom-com heroines.

As a child, she interrupts a school pageant presentation of a fairy tale to explain to her classmates how sex works and then is made to apologize for it by school officials. Thanks to the staunch support of her mother and grandmother, Kanika continues to forge a rebellious path as an independent woman. She’s decided her princess is going to kiss — and sleep with — a lot of frogs to find the perfect prince charming. As a teenager, she sleeps with her first boyfriend. As a college student, she sleeps with one of her professors. In her twenties, she wastes nearly a decade in a long-term relationship with a man with commitment issues. 

Things go awry, however, when Kanika gets rip-roaring drunk at their engagement party, flirts with all her exes, and blacks out, only to wake up the next morning realizing she’s finally experienced the big O. Unable to find out who her carnal partner was, she sets out to solve the mystery with the help of her besties. It takes the entire first hour to establish what becomes the main thrust of the film, and while it does help reveal a lot about Kanika, it also drags “Thank You for Coming” out much longer than it needs to be.

As Kanika reconnects with her exes, their love stories are no longer presented through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. Rather than rebellious romances, there’s a history of trauma. In high school, she was slut-shamed by her teenage lover and his friends. In college, she was just one of many young girls seduced in the same way by her dashing professor. In her twenties, her boyfriend’s commitment-phobia was rooted in something more personal than she could have ever imagined. These revelations push Kanika to reevaluate herself as well, barrelling the film toward its fairly obvious ending. 

Although “Thank You for Coming” is overstuffed with too much plot and too many characters, director Boolani brings Kanika’s world to life with sumptuous visuals, kinetic editing, a jaunty soundtrack, and punchy rat-a-tat dialogue. He films the parties — which of course include a handful of spontaneous yet synchronized group dances, with rich, colorful lighting and fluid, music video-style cinematography.  

Always in the center of the frame, Pednekar is almost too luminous as she dances and seduces many a night away. However, she balances her overwhelming beauty with the same kind of scrappy screwball energy that made comedy stars out of similarly impossibly gorgeous actresses like Carole Lombard or Goldie Hawn. 

The biggest fault of “Thank You for Coming” is that Anand and Singh’s script tries to tackle too many thematic issues, ultimately short-changing most of them. However, it’s hard to deny Pednekar’s irrepressible charm and importance of the empowering if somewhat basic message of female solidarity and self-actualization at the film’s heart. 

“Thank You for Coming” premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival . It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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Bhumi Pednekar gives a stellar performance that elevates this comedy about the perils of finding happiness in bed and elsewhere.

Remember Cinderella ? You know, the classic fairy tale about a prince trying to find the foot that matches the shoe of his love interest that has been remade over and over ? Well, Karan Boolani ’s Thank You for Coming is, thankfully, not that story, but it does put a more slightly raunchy twist on some of its elements. Specifically, it follows the 32-year-old Kanika Kapoor ( Bhumi Pednekar ) who is looking for something much more than a shoe. She is trying to discover the person who she believes may have just given her the first orgasm she’s ever had. She has been trying to find the love of her life for quite a while, which she refers to as frogs in one of many fairy tale references, but no partner has managed to fulfill her deepest desires.

That seems to have changed on the night of her engagement, which represents her finally settling for not finding what she was looking for, but the trouble is that she was too drunk to remember exactly who it was she was with. It could be her boring husband-to-be or any number of people she will then have to look into in order to get to the bottom of what it was that happened. The promise at the core of this sexual whodunit does get a bit buried under its set-up, with it taking nearly an hour before we really get into the thick of it, and the other many ideas it tries to address. Some narrative swerves towards the end further add to the sense of the film feeling rather busy. It has a lot on its mind that it wants to tackle, but that leaves much of the explorations it is undertaking feeling half-baked. This doesn’t drag things down too much, as it is mostly able to keep light on its feet, but it does make things a bit wobbly.

Bhumi Pednekar Is Brilliant in 'Thank You for Coming'

What ensures it never falls as it goes along is its central performance. Pednekar is just so good as she throws herself into every new situation, elevating each of them into something more. Even as the film itself can feel oddly chaste, with more conversations taking place about sex than there is much of happening, there is a boldness to the way she approaches each scene. Whether it is when her character has to sit through the most embarrassing wedding video you’ll ever see or each step she takes to piece together who it was that gave her the orgasm, Pednekar brings a real panache to each of them. Her performance captures all the relatable messiness Kanika is trying to navigate and the pressures she must also shoulder at the same time. Without her, the film would not nearly have the same charm.

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it is hard enough to just be a person trying to find love, but then to also have to deal with the various expectations placed upon women both interpersonally as well as in society writ large? It is this pressure that Thank You for Coming immerses itself in order to tease out greater reflections on life, sex, and happiness. Are there still elements that feel rushed rather than patient and that we could have used more time to sit with? Most certainly, but there is still a heartfelt glue to it all that keeps it from falling apart. There is a version of the film that could have been a lot more kinetic in a way that would make the humor cut a bit deeper, but Pednekar ensures that even the more baggy aspects feel alive with her to carry them forward. By the time we then get answers to the search for the secret orgasm-giver, the fun to be had in the reveal is as playful as it is pointed. It provides the best reveal to the mystery possible.

'Thank You for Coming' Has an Appropriately Cheeky Conclusion

Without providing any indications about what ends up happening at the end of the search, the truth that is found there ensures everything goes out on a high note. Though some might have been able to piece together the reality based on some of the hints the film dropped along the way, that still doesn’t rob it of being the perfect way to end it all. Of all the various ideas the film was playing around with, it is this last one that hits the most resonant note of them all. It retroactively makes much of what preceded it that much funnier as the answer was staring Kanika in the face all along. There is something also genuinely heartfelt about its closing reflections and the way the character has come into her own, making it hard to begrudge it too much for wanting to spend time seeing her finally take center stage with all that entails.

After a life full of uncertainty, the closing catharsis of Thank You for Coming offers Kanika a fitting punchline as revealing as it is sweet. It is appropriately chaotic while also being emotionally sincere with a delightful performance by Pednekar to hold it together. When all is stripped away, it is about falling in love with yourself as much as it is anyone else.

The Big Picture

• Thank You for Coming puts a raunchy twist on classic fairytale elements, following Kanika's search for the person who gave her the first orgasm she'd ever had.
• The film takes a while to get into the central plot and explores many different ideas, making it often feel busy and half-baked.
• Bhumi Pednekar's brilliant performance elevates the film, capturing the relatable messiness of Kanika's journey and the pressures she faces.

Thank You for Coming had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Thank You for Coming comes to theaters on October 6.

'Thank You For Coming' Movie Review: Bhumi Pedneker takes us on a fun ride in this bold, bawdy film

Climax. The first thing that probably comes to our mind when we hear this is films. No matter how good a film is, if the climax is a letdown, then the audience walks out unhappy. But Bhumi Pedneker’s Kanika in  Thank You For Coming , has a different problem with... ahem.. a different climax. Her sexual encounters always end with an anti-climax. Does she ever get the ending she deserves? Answers Thank You For Coming.

Two weeks ago, Netflix released the final season of  Sex Education , and when I saw Kanika, I instantly got reminded of Otis (Asa Butterfield) from the show. Just as a young Otis knows more about sex than his peers, Kanika too does, thanks to her progressive-gynaecologist-unmarried-single mother Beena (Natasha Rastogi). As a young child, Kanika orates in a stage play, “Men and women have sex, and that’s how children are born.” From that day, Kanika is called ‘Kaandu Kanika’, a tag that sticks on for life.

The film then proceeds to show us a grown-up Kanika and her two best friends, Pallavi (Dolly Singh), and Tina (Shibani Bedi). However, we aren’t shown much about how they became friends. Adding that detail would have helped us connect more with these characters. For example, Tina has a teenage daughter Rabiya, but we assume that she’s 32 just like Kanika. So, did she give birth in her late teens? We will never know…

Thankfully these vacuums in detailing, don’t pull down the quality of the film. As the trailer suggests, Kanika finally has a day where her carnal desire is met with a crescendo of a conclusion. Woefully, a drunk Kanika doesn’t know whose libido made her reach her sexual pinnacle. And there begins the hunt, as she tries to eliminate every man she has had a relationship with. Starting from Anil Kapoor’s cameo as Professor to Sushant Divgikar’s bejewelled dance number, this exploration by the protagonist - although shortlived - takes us on a humourous ride.

Kanika’s investigation and the film’s short and sweet portrayal of gay culture (something I wish not to spoil) are funny and impactful, but also fleeting. The film’s tone quickly shifts to a sense of tragedy as she realises who might have written her the climax she was desperate for. From there, we enter the world of bullying and cybercrime. Again, in 120 minutes most of these concepts come and leave pretty quickly one after another. Although the portrayal of these issues is like great foreplay, it misses the G-spot. The impact of bullying on Kanika, for instance, is shown through short montages. As bullying is a much-needed topic to be addressed, if it was dealt with in detail, the effect would have been much more satisfying.

Coming to the main matter, does  Thank You For Coming  have an apt climax? Well, like every other film about feminism, self-realisation and individual choice, this film also has a monologue by the lead actor. In fact, when Bhumi grabbed the mic and began her spiel, I was quickly reminded of America Ferrera’s soliloquy from  Barbie . But, the speech rapidly takes a turn towards genuine emotions and feelings and is then backed by enjoyable humour. The film too, ends without reiterating the 'Happily Ever After' trope; leaving us with a good filmgasm on the whole. At the end of the day, what’s the use of a good ride without a bang-on ending?

Director: Karan Boolani Cast: Bhumi Pedneker, Dolly Singh, Shibani Bedi, Shehnaz Gill, Pradhuman Singh, Sushant Divgikar, Gautmik

Rating: 3/5

(The story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

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Thank You For Coming movie review: Bhumi Pednekar-Shehnaaz Gill starrer is brave & bold despite its shortcomings

Thank You For Coming doesn’t only showcase the modern-day issue in the boldest manner but also inspires a person to live a life on his/her own terms and conditions

Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, Karan Kundrra, Anil Kapoor and Shibani Bedi

Director: Karan Boolani

Language: Hindi

Well, 70 per cent of women have never experienced an orgasm, and 90 per cent of men don’t know the proper process to do it. While the discussion of sex and women’s desires has always been considered taboo in the society, in recent times many ventures have explored this conversation to put forward its importance. Now, talking about Thank You For Coming , it doesn’t only showcase the modern-day issue in the boldest manner but also inspires a person to live a life on his/her own terms and conditions.

Thank You For Coming narrates the story of Kanika Kapoor, who is called Kaandu Kanika since school times for her bold attitude as it is not considered graceful by teachers and classmates. She compares her life to a fairytale where a princess kisses a frog, who turns into a prince and later they live happily ever after. However, in her fairytale, she wants to experience orgasm and for that, Kanika engages in multiple relationships from her teenage to 30s but no male individual gives her that experience.

After giving up on her fairytale, she plans to get married to a simple middle-aged man Jeevan Anand, who strongly likes her. At the roka ceremony, she invites all her exes to be a part of the event. During an after-party, she gets high and for the first time, she experiences an orgasm.

The next morning, she jumps with joy and tells her besties about this experience. However, Kanika doesn’t with whom she experienced that orgasm since she was high. She panics and tries to figure out whether that person is her would-be husband or anyone from her exes. And in this complex and complicated situation, Kanika learns some important life lessons, which you need to watch on the silver screen.

Kudos to the producers for backing this project and director Karan Boolani for narrating this bold and brave subject. The film looks vibrant due to the glossy look set by the legendary lensman Anil Mehta. Editors Shweta Venkat Matthew and Manan Sagar deserve brownie points for keeping the fun ride intact with razor-sharp editing as the runtime is under two hours. However, the film does get a bit preachy in the climax while talking about misogyny and other issues, which look unnecessary.

Talking about the performances, Bhumi Pednekar is good as Kanika Kapoor but it is definitely not her best act. Shehnaaz Kaur Gill’s presence is magical thanks to her bubbly aura on the silver screen. Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi as Kanika’s besties played their parts to the T. Karan Kundrra and Anil Kapoor ’s cameos add fun elements to Thank You For Coming. Sushant Divgikar nails his portrayal and makes his character memorable.

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Thank You For Coming is playing in cinemas near you

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.

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‘Thank You for Coming’ review: You can’t say that they didn’t warn you

Karan boolani’s film is led by bhumi pednekar..

There is no subtext to this film’s title – the reference is intentional, direct and the overriding theme of the 120-minute Thank You for Coming . Karan Boolani’s comedy, based on a script by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, hinges on the threadbare conundrum of a 32-year-old woman seeking her first orgasm.

In an attempt to find her “happy ending”, Delhi native Kanika (Bhumi Pednekar) has been kissing frogs since her school days. Even as a thirtysomething, she is still seeking her Prince Charming. Her friends Tina (Shibani Bedi) and Pallavi (Dolly Singh) mock her, encourage her and rally around.

Kanika has been raised by a single gynecologist mother Bina (Natasha Rastogi), so conversations around sex are commonplace in the Kapoor household, much to the chagrin of Kanika’s grandmother (Dolly Ahluwalia). The older women have differing views. Granny wants Kanika to settle down, whereas Bina advises her pleasure-seeking daughter is to “do it yourself”.

After a string of bad choices, Kanika awakens after her engagement party – she has hastily decided to marry besotted businessman Jeevan Anand (Pradhuman Singh) – with both a hangover and the realisation that she has finally experienced the big O. But she has no recollection of who is responsible for her happiness.

The second half involves Kanika trying to retrace her inebriated steps from party to climax. Unequal screen time is accorded to her visiting her former “frogs” (including Anil Kapoor, Sushant Divgikar), only to realise the true nature of those relationships and acknowledging her feelings for the awkward Jeevan.

The story believes that it is doing a lot, but leaves plots half-baked. Dispensable characters pop in and out, such as a rival from school (Kusha Kapila) and the uber-confident younger woman Rushi (Shehnaaz Gill), who overreaches when she describes herself as “happiness”. The more robust relationships leave you wanting. Like, who are these best friends when they are not talking about Kanika’s unfulfilled desires? What is Kanika’s identity outside of her sexual escapades? How did she meet Jeevan in the first place?

Juxtaposed with Kanika’s conflict and angst is Tina’s daughter Rabya (Saloni Daini), who is experiencing her share of growing pains, confusion, sexual insecurities and slut-shaming. Through Rabya, Boolani has a fleeting brush with generational issues of patriarchy and gender politics. The conflict, which feels force-fitted, slightly redeems the frivolity, but it is too deliberate an attempt at ticking boxes.

Present in almost every scene, Pednekar’s spirited performance breathes O2 into a one-dimensional film. Daini’s depiction of the teenaged student also pops out of the overdressed frame.

The script is adept at taking swings at selfish men who put their own pleasure before that of their sexual partners, but it doesn’t answer the pressing question: why doesn’t a 32-year-old modern woman appreciate the value of self-help?

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Home » Movies » Cinematic Delight: Thank You For Coming Movie Review

Cinematic Delight: Thank You For Coming Movie Review

In the realm of Indian cinema, Thank You For Coming emerges as a bold exploration of female sexuality, a topic often shrouded in societal taboos. Directed by Karan Boolani and boasting a script penned by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, the film attempts to navigate through the complex landscape of sexual liberation and female empowerment. The narrative centers around Kanika Kapoor (played by Bhumi Pednekar), whose journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening forms the crux of this comedic venture.

Plot Analysis

Kanika Kapoor’s character, a quintessential Delhi girl, embarks on a quest that challenges societal norms and personal inhibitions. Raised by a single mother and grandmother, she confronts the stigmas associated with her family background while grappling with her own sexual identity. The film introduces a diverse cast, including Shehnaaz Gill, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, and Shibani Bedi, each bringing their unique dynamics to the story.

The Struggle with Tradition and Modernity

Kanika’s struggle represents the broader conflict between tradition and modernity faced by many Indian women. Her interactions with various characters, including Sushant Divgikar, Karan Kundrra, and Anil Kapoor, offer glimpses into the complexities of romantic and sexual relationships in contemporary India. These encounters, while enriching the narrative, also expose the often-conflicting expectations placed upon women in a rapidly evolving society.

Thank You For Coming Review

Thank You for Coming” has garnered a diverse range of reactions. Viewers appreciate its themes of self-love, happiness, and empowerment, especially for women, with standout performances from Bhumi Pednekar and Shehnaaz Gill. The film is noted for its humor, engaging storytelling, and music that resonates with life’s meanings. However, it also faces criticism for its chaotic narrative and controversial handling of sensitive topics like female sexuality and empowerment. Some reviewers perceive it as an empowering story for women, while others criticize it for promoting female toxicity and pseudo empowerment. Despite mixed reviews, the film’s unique approach to societal issues and its ability to provoke conversation makes it a must-watch for many, particularly youth and those interested in progressive cinema.

Thank You For Coming Review On IMDb

This movie was named Veere di bedding after the grand success of the Nolanesque masterpiece Veere di wedding. But the moviemakers wanted to try something different and completely new with this film. So they changed it to Thank You For Coming (huge sly to the censor board. Also, no Thank You For Smoking title was harmed during the making of this movie) and added world class jokes and even better acting by internet content creator sensations. You will feel like a zombie while watching this film because throughout the movie, you would be looking for “brains”. But unfortunately you ll starve as it has none. If you don’t like your money, time, energy and your mind, please watch it. rahulvaidya055

The Comedy and its Underlying Messages

Though the film is marketed as a comedy, it delves into deeper issues of female autonomy and sexual liberation. The comedic elements, such as Kanika’s 30th birthday monologue and the pre-wedding sequences, serve as vehicles to address serious themes in a light-hearted manner. However, the film sometimes struggles to balance its comedic aspirations with the gravity of its subject matter.

Bhumi Pednekar’s Portrayal of Kanika

Bhumi Pednekar delivers a compelling performance as Kanika, infusing the character with authenticity and depth. Her portrayal goes beyond the surface-level caricature of a “self-obsessed daughter” to reveal a woman in search of her identity amidst societal pressures.

Supporting Cast

The supporting cast, particularly Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi, contribute significantly to the film’s charm. Their portrayal of friendship and solidarity provides a counterbalance to the film’s exploration of individual struggles.

Fans Reviews On Twitter

Bollywood keeps ruining the concept of feminism.The movies of big directors show that how a girl should strive to lose her virginity. A movie thank you for coming's motive was to smash the patriarchy, pic.twitter.com/24F07ptyKL — Hello Oswald… (@notasecularone) December 20, 2023

Script and Direction

While the film’s intent is commendable, the execution falters at times. The script introduces intriguing plot points but often leaves them underdeveloped. This lack of depth in character exploration and relationship dynamics weakens the overall impact of the narrative. Karan Boolani’s direction, while adept at handling comedic sequences, sometimes struggles to weave together the disparate elements of the story into a cohesive whole.

Cultural Impact and Social Commentary

“Thank You For Coming” stands as a testament to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, where topics like female sexuality are gradually finding a voice. The film’s attempt to normalize conversations around female sexual pleasure is noteworthy, even if its execution is not flawless.

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In conclusion, “Thank You For Coming” is a film that sparks important conversations about female sexuality, empowerment, and societal norms. While it may not be revolutionary in its approach, it represents a step towards more open and nuanced portrayals of women in Indian cinema. Despite its shortcomings, the film offers entertainment and food for thought, making it a worthwhile watch for those interested in the evolving dynamics of gender and sexuality in film.

Sanya Rehman

Sanya Rehman is our digital marketing guru, turning streaming buzz into booming business with her savvy strategies and contagious enthusiasm. She’s the secret sauce behind our viral success! Expertise: Research Specialist Education: Master in Business Administration

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TIFF 2023: THANK YOU FOR COMING Is The Hangover Meets Sex And The City

Sex comedies are nothing new in Bollywood, with varying degrees of success and quality. But very few have been from a female perspective. The closest would be Veere Di Wedding, which, while being very open-minded, focused more on a wedding. But the same makers are behind a new movie that is all about the female orgasm, as I’ll discuss in this Thank You For Coming review . The movie premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023. 

Thank You For Coming Is A Rare Sex Comedy About Women

The raunchy sex comedy genre does pretty well in theatres, although, I’m usually not a big fan. But Thank You For Coming is an interesting one as it deals with the often taboo topic of the female orgasm. And I don’t mean taboo by Indian standards, but even in general. Even in the West. Kanika (Bhumi Pednekar) is a woman in her thirties who has had some failed relationships and has never had an orgasm, much to her chagrin. Realizing this, she sets out on a path to change it. However, it’s harder than it sounds. No pun intended.

Kanika struggles to, not only find the elusive orgasm, but the right man that can help her achieve one. The story then stumbles a little going back and forth and conflating lack of sexual pleasure with lack of companionship or love. But I guess it’s all kind of related anyway, so it’s not that big of a sticking point for me. However, Kanika does end up finding pleasure, but after a drunken night where she doesn’t remember anything. Or anyone. So she has to sober up and find the elusive man who finally made her orgasm. That’s the story.

It’s Giving The Hangover Meets Sex And The City

While the premise of the movie is very sex-comedy, as in outrageous, unrealistic and at times very cringey, it kind of works. Director Karan Booolani is great at keeping the energy of the movie up, so it’s never dragging, but the messages of the film get a little mixed and all over the place. On the surface, the story really deals with sex-positivity and the hypocrisy behind women not being able to be open sexually without the labels of society. Which is great, and definitely more Indian films need to address these topics.

However, Thank You For Coming almost loses that message in service of the characters’ stories which take us away from that. In between we do get some great moments about companionship, love and where sex factors in a relationship, but it’s at the expense of the premise. It almost seems like the filmmakers wanted to make a raunchy sexy comedy, but also wanted to play it safe. Which is absolutely fine, but I personally wish they had gone a little further and taken more risks.

Thank You For Coming Review Is Spoiler-Free

Ultimately though, this Thank You For Coming review focuses on a film that works on many different levels. There are some issues the story does not compromise on. Like Kanika’s mom (Natasha Rastogi) having her out of wedlock and maintaining her single woman status all these decades. Which is probably more sex-positive and empowering for women than anything else in the movie. There are some characters that become caricatures, but for the most part, everyone is serviceable here.

The standout moments are when Anil Kapoor appears, probably playing his age for the first time in years. He absolutely steals every scene he’s in, as the butt of the joke, which is even more surprising. Shehnaaz Gill as the uplifting girl boss-bestie is all kinds of awesome. While I thought they would do more with that character, her inclusion in any scene won me over. There are some great comedic moments that had me rolling in my seat. And ultimately the movie works as a comedy, despite some inconsistencies in tone and messages.

If seen as a movie that has a message, like sexual empowerment, feminism or anything else, you will find it lacking. But as a sex comedy that is all kinds of bonkers, and deals with the stigma of being single and how loneliness makes us all act in crazy ways, then Thank You For Coming works.

Thank You For Coming is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023.

For continued coverage of TIFF 2023, subscribe to The Movie Blog and follow me on X (Twitter) at @theshahshahid.

• Acting - 7/10 7/10
• Cinematography/Visual Effects - 7/10 7/10
• Plot/Screenplay - 6/10 6/10
• Setting/Theme - 7.5/10 7.5/10
• Watchability - 7/10 7/10
• Rewatchability - 5/10 5/10

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Thank You For Coming Ending Explained: How Does the Bhumi Pednekar Movie End?

By Shruti Kotiya

Bhumi Pednekar ‘s latest comedy movie, Thank You For Coming , made waves due to its genre with an all-female lead cast, most of which included popular content creators.

Directed by Karan Boolani and produced by Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, the film stars Bhumi Pednekar,  Shehnaaz Gill , Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila and Shibani Bedi. Written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, Thank You For Coming has been produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Anil Kapoor Films & Communication Network.

The plot of the film revolves around five best friends who discover the true depth of their friendship and love. Thank You For Coming premiered at the 48th 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Gala Presentations section on September 15, 2023. It was theatrically released on October 6, 2023, and premiered on Netflix on December 1, 2023.

Check out the trailer of the film here:

How did the Netflix movie Thank You For Coming end?

After several bad choices, Kanika hastily decides to marry a businessman, Jeevan Anand. She finally awakens after her engagement party in a hangover and realizes that she has experienced the big O. However, she has no recollection of who is responsible for her happiness. Kanika then goes on a mission to retrace her steps from the party to the present morning.

During her quest to find her mystery man, Kanika receives a text from Rahul, which makes her wonder if he was the one. The trio then drives to Rahul’s location and finds him in a drag get-up at the club. Going by the name Anjali, Kanika learns that Rahul turned to be a drag queen during their relationship. This confirms the fact that Rahul would not be her mystery man.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bhumi Pednekar (@bhumipednekar)

After seeing Rahul off at the airport, Kanika bumps into Neha, who complains about not being able to find the after-party the previous night. Neha walks Kanika through the events of that night, and that’s how Kanika realizes that she was partying alone in a room with Pallavi’s husband, Karan.

On her way back home, she tries calling Pallavi but instead gets a call from her fiancé, Jeevan. He questions her about the photo he received from Karan, where she can be seen in a drunk state and wearing someone else’s shoes. Kanika gets another flashback from the night as she recalls having a conversation with Karan about his relationship and their insecurities.

Is Kanika able to find her mystery man?

All this overthinking gets Kanika into an accident on the highway. Thankfully, she does not get hurt, and Jeevan comes to her rescue. However, she hands him her engagement ring and tells him she cannot do this anymore.

On her way home, she gets a call from Rabeya, Tina’s daughter, who cries on the phone. She tells Kanika about her intimate video going viral in school right before her graduation speech. This takes Kanika back to her school days, where she had a similar experience. She consoles Rabeya and tells her to be brave.

As soon as Kanika reaches home, she is confronted by Pallavi, who went through the CCTV footage at the hotel. The two fight, and Pallavi accuses her of sleeping with Karan. They are joined by Tina, who also accuses Kanika of ruining Rabeya’s life. However, Nani Kishori steps in and stops the brawl.

While getting her wounds cleaned up, Bina tells her that the sixth-grade anonymous letter was from Karan. Kanika then tries to remember the events of the previous night and realizes that Karan had left the room after putting her to bed. The two never indulged in any intimate activity, and the reason behind Kanika’s happiness was nobody but herself.

Who was the reason behind Kanika’s big O?

Joyful about her new realization, Kanika heads over to Rabeya’s school. There, she bumps into Karan, who tells her that nothing happened between them. She then heads for the auditorium and takes over Rabeya’s speech.

She asks the audience why Rabeya should apologize for what happened to her and questions why women have to apologize for everything, be it for feeling happy or being alone. Rabeya then takes over and stands up for herself, only to receive cheers from her schoolmates.

At the end of Thank You For Coming, Tina and Pallavi come over to apologize, and the trio gets back together. The movie closes with Kanika’s narrative of how happiness is something that needs to be chosen and not handed over.

Thank You For Coming is currently streaming on Netflix.

A MARVEL fanatic who loves to discover new movies and series to binge on. Shruti likes to spend her time consuming new content, spoiling her rescued cat, dancing to Taylor Swift, reading, obsessing over Harry Styles.

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Thank You For Coming Movie Review: On the whole, THANK YOU FOR COMING is a progressive film.

On the whole, thank you for coming is a progressive film that raises some important topics and has its share of entertaining scenes, thank you for coming review {2.5/5} & review rating.

THANK YOU FOR COMING is the story of a girl trying to find love. Kanika Kapoor ( Bhumi Pednekar ) lives in Delhi with her mother Beena (Natasha Rastogi) and nani Kishori (Dolly Ahluwalia). Since she was a child, she has been shamed for being raised by a single mother and for her liberal views. She gets involved with several guys and it never translates into a healthy, long-term relationship. She is about to turn 32 and is shattered that she hasn't found her prince charming yet. Moreover, she has never experienced an orgasm in her life. On her birthday, Arjun Malhotra (Karan Kundra) shows interest in her and gets invited to her party. However, he lands up at the bash with a date, Rushi Kalra (Shehnaaz Gill ). Rushi and Kanika become friends and the former advises the latter that she should marry someone who loves her. She finds that person in Jeevan (Pradhuman Singh), a simpleton selling toilet showers and who loves her immensely. Kanika agrees to marry him though her mother and her best friends - Pallavi (Dolly Singh) and Tina (Shibani Bedi) - advise her against doing so. At the engagement party, she calls her ex-boyfriends like Booni Bhatia, Shekhar Sinha, Rahul Kasturia (Sushant Divgikar), and Professor (Anil Kapoor). She drinks like crazy at the engagement party. The next day, she wakes up with no memory of the previous night. But she does remember that she experienced orgasm for the first time ever. However, she doesn't remember who she slept with - was it Jeevan or Booni or Shekhar or Rahul or Professor? What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Radhika Anand's story is promising and could have translated into a path-breaking film. Radhika Anand's screenplay, however, is a mixed bag. While some scenes are very impactful and entertaining, a few of them could have been penned in a better manner. Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh's dialogues are too funny but only in select places. A character in the beginning remarks that she attains orgasm simply by looking at her hot body. This dialogue will bring the house down and ideally, the film should have been replete with such one-liners from start to finish.

Karan Boolani's direction is decent. To give credit where it's due, he touches upon some important topics like childhood traumas, women being shamed for living life on their terms, women being shamed by other women, the majority of women not experiencing orgasm ever etc. Instead of getting preachy, he uses humour and some touching scenes to convey the message. Moreover, the plot is outrageous and one does get intrigued especially when Kanika begins her mission to find out who she slept with on her engagement.

On the flipside, the film moves too quickly and doesn’t let the characters grow organically. Kanika’s decision to marry Jeevan seems sudden. Moreover, it’s bewildering that the makers never show what Kanika and her friends do for a living. Professional achievements are also important for women. But the women in the film are not focusing on it at all. The humour is limited and moreover, the finale at the school is quite silly.

Thank You For Coming | Official Trailer | Bhumi Pednekar | Shehnaaz Gill

Speaking of performances, Bhumi Pednekar plays the character with aplomb. For an actor who played these semi-urban and rural characters, it can be challenging to crack a part that is so drastically different. Bhumi, however, comes out with flying colours. Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi lend able support. Pradhuman Singh is unrecognizable and does well. Natasha Rastogi is lovely and Dolly Ahluwalia is dependable, as expected. Shehnaaz Gill is entertaining but is hardly there. Kusha Kapila (Neha) is wasted. Gautmik (Karan; Pallavi's husband) and Saloni Daini (Rania Das; Tina's daughter) leave a mark. Sushant Divgikar is quite good and has a fine screen presence. Karan Kundrra is okay. Anil Kapoor is excellent in a cameo.

Songs are well-woven into the narrative.  'Desi Wine'  works the best followed by  'Pari Hoon Main', 'Haanji'  and  'Baaraat' . None of the songs, however, are of the chartbuster variety. Aman Pant's background score is functional.

Anil Mehta's cinematography is neat. Manisha Melwani and Devanshi Tuli's styling is one of the highlights of the film. Disha Dey's production design is realistic. Shweta Venkat Mathew and Manan Sagar's editing is too sharp.

On the whole, THANK YOU FOR COMING is a progressive film that raises some important topics, has its share of entertaining scenes, and delivers a shock value. But it suffers on account of the script, limited humour, and silly climax. At the box office, the lack of awareness will prove detrimental to its business, and it will be appreciated only by a tiny section of the multiplex audience.

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Thank You For Coming Movie News

Bhumi Pednekar hopes Thank You For Coming wins praise worldwide; says, “TYFC is a project that made people sit up and discuss what women want”

Bhumi Pednekar starrer Thank You For Coming release on THIS OTT platform

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Bhumi Pednekar calls Thank You For Coming "perfect film"; speaks on the need for it in a patriarchal society

Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor confront misogynistic comments on Thank You For Coming; defend their vision

Rhea Kapoor opens up about Thank You For Coming’s empowerment message beyond sex: “It’s one of the ways to set yourself free”

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Movies | ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ review: Anya…

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Movies | ‘furiosa: a mad max saga’ review: anya taylor-joy tastes hot asphalt and cold, cold revenge.

Forty-six years of rough road later, here we are at the fifth “Mad Max” movie. Now 79, Miller remains an action fantasist of the highest order and has become the spiritual if very-much-alive cousin of the eulogized character in his first smash hit. (Its budget was $350,000, roughly $1.5 million in 2024 dollars.) “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a prequel to 2015’s lavishly nutty “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and is the work of a director full of living, albeit guided by an ever-darker vision of humankind barreling toward the cliff. He has run the franchise on it.

I’ll try to explain why I’m all over the highway on “Furiosa,” even as I’m recommending it. The best of it is spectacular, tapping into so many different ways to create and assemble images in contemporary big-budget filmmaking, you can barely keep track.

The story belongs to Furiosa, who we meet as a young girl played by Alyla Browne. In the barely human patriarchies of this parched post-apocalypse desert land, only the Vuvalini, aka the Tribe of Many Mothers, living in the Edenic paradise known as the Green Place, point to a better way.

The optimism lasts about 45 seconds in movie terms. Right off, Furiosa is abducted by the snarling, drooling Biker Horde, ruled by Dr. Dementus. This is the major new character; he’s played by Chris Hemsworth, who has most of the screenplay’s verbiage for better or worse. Visually, the character borrows Charlton Heston’s nose, Heston’s “Ben-Hur” chariot (pulled here by three tricked-up motorcycles; the vehicles in the “Mad Max” universe remain unbeatably weird and fantastically convincing), and Heston’s “Ten Commandments” beard.

“Furiosa” is actually pretty light on narrative, as written by director Miller and “Fury Road” co-writer Nick Lathouris. The crafty survival machine of the title meets a series of grueling, generally sadistic circumstances. Both Dementus, a nattering, twisted father figure of a psycho, and his sometime enemy, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, taking over for the late Hugh Keays-Byrne) have uses for Furiosa. She knows the location of the Green Place, though the miseries she has survived, painfully, and the rage in her heart, renders her mute for years. Even as a young adult, once Anya Taylor-Joy takes over the role an hour into the picture, Furiosa has little use for words.

There’s world-building aplenty. One fiefdom, The Citadel, resembles a sand-swept Middle-earth, or the Tower of Babel’s ambitious new condo development. Dementus cuts a deal with his enemy and gains control of nearby Gastown. The realms of “Fury Road” and now “Furiosa,” like their “Mad Max” franchise predecessors, run on petroleum (scarce), water (scarcer) and blood (spilling constantly, corpses and vivisected limbs strewn all over the desert).

As gratifyingly different as the “Mad Max” movies have been, at heart Miller is making ever-more-grandiose biker movies, but with more than bikes. “Furiosa” lives and breathes righteous retribution, setting her unblinking sights on the pig-men who killed her mother, and who enslave women as harem chattel.

The new film, rather portentously divided into solemn-sounding chapters, covers many years, which marks a change from previous “Mad Max” sagas. More pertinent to the overall viewing experience (mine, at least), “Furiosa” is the grimmest and most deliberately punishing of Miller’s visions. The occasional stabs at black comedy feel a little off. In this awful if fabulously designed near-future, as Dementus’ resident History Man (George Shevtsov, a wizened Shakespearean fool) asks in voiceover, “how must we brave the cruelties?” The movie provides the two hour, 28 minute answer.

The internal tensions within “Furiosa” fill the screen, even when they can’t resolve their contradictory natures. Miller’s not kidding around. He doesn’t like how humankind mistreats its home or degrades the culture with “ridiculous perversions and witty mutilations.” That phrase is actually heard in voiceover here; it’s Miller, and the franchise, having a little fun with the paradox at the center of the “Mad Max” universe. Cheap thrills, beautifully executed, plus some unsettling food for thought: That’s the idea. Beautifully executed cheap thrills without the “unsettling” part are rare enough.

I’ll see “Furiosa” again for many reasons, none purer or more pleasurable than the peak action vignette, a roughly 15-minute chase involving a tanker truck (aka the War Rig), steroidal dune buggies, motorcycles and para-sailing warriors. It’s a wonder, exceeding even the best of “Fury Road.” To their huge credit, Miller and editors Eliot Knapman and Margaret Sixel keep the longer takes of speeding warriors and their flame-throwing weapons of doom flowing, lucidly, excitingly. Yes, there’s considerably more digital futzing going on in “Furiosa,” compared to “Fury Road” (which was hardly all-analog). But Miller’s passionate artifice and eye for detail — including dreamy, digitally rendered sights such as Dementus’s biker army, swarming as one across the desert — are as good as it gets in modern visual effects.

Is the movie fun? Well, Furiosa’s story doesn’t really welcome that word. It’s gripping, even when it’s a bit of a trudge. Miller’s a visual genius. And a pile-driver. He’s also an adult, with a mature master filmmaker’s sensibility and serious intentions to go with his eternal-adolescent love of speed and noise. Budget estimates for Miller’s latest run between $168 million and $233 million, which is a tad more than the $350,000 “Mad Max” had going for it. But some things do not change. Even amid new depths of misery, “Furiosa” still delivers the clean, electrifying, inches-above-asphalt camera perspectives that made the Cinemascope-shot “Mad Max” so arresting nearly two generations ago.

Even if they’re not their own best screenwriters, some directors just know what they’re doing.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” — 3 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images)

Running time: 2:28

How to watch: Premieres in theaters May 23

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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Review: 'The Garfield Movie' feels like a cynical cash grab

The film turns the mouthy, shamelessly lazy Garfield into an action hero.

It’s hard out there for family audiences. First the quality deficit of last week’s "IF" and now the further descent of "The Garfield Movie," only in theaters and probably your first destination choice for kids over the Memorial holiday weekend. What a bummer.

This misbegotten misfire looks to score at the box office until dire word of mouth kills it. Why the letdown? "The Garfield Movie" is brand marketing from filmmakers who don’t even bother to hide the blatant product placement. Lacking inspiration and perspiration, this despairingly off-kilter toon looks like a movie, talks like a movie, but feels like a cynical cash grab.

All the elements are there. It’s an outdoor adventure for everyone’s favorite indoor cat. There’s Chris Pratt voicing Garfield, the tubby orange tabby who hates Mondays and loves lasagna. Samuel L. Jackson does the honors for his cool cat dad Vic.

What goes wrong? Start with the basic idea. Gone is the deadpan sarcasm of the comic strip that Jim Davis started in 1978 and continued in a syndicated TV series. The casual putdowns that Bill Murray built into two "Garfield" live-action movies from the aughts is also MIA.

2024 summer movie guide: All the biggest films to have on your radar

"The Garfield Movie," soon to be infamous for its bad decisions, turns the mouthy, shamelessly lazy Garfield into an action hero, voiced by Pratt with an energetic whoosh you hear in his Mario in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." What the whoosh is doing here defies understanding.

After a prologue showing Garfield abandoned as a kitten by dad Vic and adopted into a cushy life by the human and humane Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult), Garfield is off to the mischief races with Jon’s not-too-bright dog Odie (Harvey Guillén does the barks and whimpers).

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In no time, Garfield and Odie are kidnapped by the feline Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), a criminal crony of Vic’s who blames him for botching a milk heist that sent her to the pound. Having escaped, Jinx forces Vic, Garfield and Odie into a second robbery that intensifies the risk.

It’s doubtful that creator Davis and Garfield fans of the last half century would recognize the over-caffeinated kitty in these generic pyrotechnics directed by Mark Dindal ("The Emperor’s New Groove," "Chicken Little"). "I do my own stunts," brags Garfield, "me and Tom Cruise."

So there goes smartphone junkie Garfield (the better to order food), zipping around like a speed demon on a mission impossible that Cruise himself would envy as the tabby bends back a tree branch like a slingshot to shoot himself through the air and onto a speeding train.

Yikes! Who is this super kittycat? Did you ever imagine sleepyhead Garfield mixing it up with Jinx and her doggie criminal peeps, Roland (Brett Goldstein) and Nolan (Bowen Yang). It’s a wonder they didn’t put Garfield in a mask and pass him off as a Marvel superhero.

Credit the movie with tugging at the heartstrings by reuniting Garfield and his daddy. But the script by Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove and David Reynolds feels like like artificial intelligence cobbled it together from other, better movies (think "The Secret Life of Pets").

Nowhere to be seen is the cat who made a joke out of casual indifference. To enjoy "The Garfield Movie," it will help to be five years old or under, though even the toddler set is likely to cough up this recycled 101-minute hairball and move on. I suggest you do the same.

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From 'Atlas' to 'Dune 2,' here are 10 movies you need to stream right now

If you plan on reusing your "Dune: Part Two" popcorn bucket for your Memorial Day food festivities this long holiday weekend, then we know what you'll probably be streaming.

The super-cool sci-fi sequel is one of several new movies available on your favorite services: Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Max, Hulu and Disney+ have a bunch of good stuff to watch from your couch. There's original fare like a Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action extravaganza and documentaries on the Beach Boys and the Blue Angels, plus theatrical releases arriving on streaming, such as Michael Mann's Enzo Ferrari biopic and a Dakota Johnson superhero flick.

Here are 10 notable new movies you can stream right now that nicely pair with burgers and hot dogs:

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'American Fiction'

Amazon is finally streaming one of last year's best movies ! Better late than never to see Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright at the absolute top of his game as a curmudgeonly academic who writes a book with stereotypically Black tropes as a joke and is shocked when it becomes a hit in this tremendously funny and thoughtful film.

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Where to watch: Prime Video

The futuristic sci-fi thriller casts Jennifer Lopez as a counterterrorism expert out to take down a robot (Simu Liu) bent on wiping out most of mankind. What's better than rom-com J.Lo ? Action-hero J.Lo making friends with an AI and taking on villainous machines in mechanized armor.

Where to watch: Netflix

'The Beach Boys'

You guessed it, this documentary chronicles the musical legacy of the Beach Boys . With interviews and archival footage, the film digs into the origins behind their signature harmonies, the genius of Brian Wilson , a rivalry with The Beatles in the 1960s and the game-changing influence of their "Pet Sounds" album.

Where to watch: Disney+

'Biosphere'

Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass play best buds living in a biosphere, the last two dudes on Earth after an apocalyptic situation, when evolution throws them a curve ball. That's all you should know going into this clever character study about sexuality, masculinity and friendship, because it's got quite the twist.

Where to watch: Hulu

'The Blue Angels'

"Top Gun: Maverick" star Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams produce this documentary taking viewers behind the scenes of the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron. The movie chronicles a year in the lives of these elite pilots, with veterans helping rookies get up to speed for a thrilling and dangerous show season.

'Dune: Part Two'

Timothée Chalamet 's Paul Atreides gets to know love interest Chani (Zendaya) better and might even be a messiah in Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi sequel, which boasts plenty of staggering visuals, all the gigantic sandworms you’d ever want, and deep thematic exploration of power, colonialism and religion.

Where to watch: Max

Adam Driver stars in Michael Mann's drama as Italian automaker Enzo Ferrari, who enters his racing team in a dangerous event to save his empire. Come for the domestic drama – with Penelope Cruz as Ferrari's wife and Shailene Woodley as his mistress – but stay for four-wheeled scenes that show the sport's beauty and brutality.

'Madame Web'

In this clunker of a "Spider-Man" spinoff , Dakota Johnson at least exudes sassy scrappiness as a suddenly psychic paramedic who has to protect a trio of potential future crimefighters. Unfortunately, everybody in this thing gets stuck in its web of nonsense, which boasts bad dialogue and rampant B-movie silliness.

'The Sweet East'

For those needing a road trip – and not wanting to actually go on one – this whimsical satire centers on a high school senior (Talia Ryder) who ditches her classmates on a D.C. field trip. She sets off on a surrealist odyssey where she meets a white-supremacist professor (Simon Rex), an excitable director (Ayo Edebiri) and an A-list actor (Jacob Elordi).

'Thelma the Unicorn'

The "Napoleon Dynamite" filmmakers are behind this engaging animated comedy featuring musical animals and nifty songs. Farm pony Thelma (voiced by Grammy winner Brittany Howard) becomes a viral singing sensation after she's accidentally covered in pink paint and glitter, but finds out being famous has its drawbacks.

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• User reviews

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west. Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west. Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.

• Kevin Costner
• Sienna Miller
• 5 User reviews
• 16 Critic reviews
• 50 Metascore

• Hayes Ellison

• Frances Kittredge

• Hugh Proctor

• Diamond Kittredge

• Colonel Houghton

• Owen Kittredge

• First Lt. Trent Gephardt

• Walter Childs

• Sgt. Major Riordan

• Caleb Sykes

• Roland Bailey

• Matthew Van Weyden

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The 2024 Festival Films You Need to Know

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‘The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan Plays Donald Trump in a Docudrama That Nails Everything About Him but His Mystery

Ali Abbasi's film is arresting when it shows us Donald Trump being schooled by Roy Cohn. But was that enough to make him the Trump we know?

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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A lot of people would disagree with me, but I think there’s a mystery at the heart of Donald Trump. Many believe there’s no mystery, just a highly visible and documented legacy of bad behavior, selfishness, used-car-salesman effrontery, criminal transgressions, and abuse of power. They would say that Trump lies, slurs, showboats, bullies, toots racist dog whistles so loudly they’re not whistles anymore, and is increasingly open about the authoritarian president he plans to be.

All totally true, but also too easy. What it all leaves out, about the precise kind of man Donald Trump is, is this:

Popular on Variety

And that, in its way, is the hook of “ The Apprentice .” Written by journalist Gabriel Sherman, and directed by Ali Abbasi (who made a splash two years ago with the Iranian serial-killer drama “Holy Spider”), the movie is a spirited, entertaining, and not overly cheeky docudrama about the years in which Donald Trump came to be Donald Trump. Which is to say: He wasn’t always.

And that’s when a pair of eyes fixate on him. Seated at a table in the next room is Roy Cohn ( Jeremy Strong ), the infamous HUAC lawyer and Red Scare architect who became notorious for being the man who sent the Rosenbergs to the electric chair. Twenty years later, he’s a private lawyer and fixer who’s friends with everyone that counts (mobsters, politicians, media barons). He eyes Donald Trump like a hungry dragon looking at a virgin. Cohn’s head is tilted down, his black eyes are tilted up (so that there’s half an inch of white at the bottom of them). This is the Cohn Stare, and it can accurately be described as a look of homicide. It’s not that he wants to kill you. It’s that he wants to kill something — it will be you, or it will be another party on your behalf.

Cohn summons Trump over to his table, and Jeremy Strong, speaking in a fast, clipped voice that fires insults like bullets, instantly possesses us. With silver-gray hair cut short and those eyes that see all, Strong does a magnetic impersonation of the Roy Cohn who turned bullying into a form of cutthroat vaudeville (and a new way to practice law), putting his scoundrel soul right out there, busting chops and balls with his misanthropic Jewish-outsider locker-room wit. He’s not just cutting, he’s nasty . And that’s to his friends! Trump, by contrast, seems soft — maybe shockingly soft if you’ve never seen a clip of him from the ’70s. He’s like a big shaggy overgrown boy, and though he’s got his real-estate ambition, his power-broker dreams (he drives a Caddy with a license plate that says DJT), he has no idea how ruthless he’s going to have to be to get them.

Cohn the reptile looks at Trump and sees a mark, an ally, maybe a kid with potential. He’s very good-looking (people keep comparing him to Robert Redford), and that matters; he’s also a lump of unmolded clay. As Trump explains, his family is in a pickle that could take them down. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization for discriminating against Black people when it comes to who they’ll rent their apartments to. Since the family is, in fact, guilty, there doesn’t seem to be a way out of it. But Cohn, right there, floats a plan for how to do it. He says: countersue the government. It’s part of his strategy of attack, attack, attack (the first of his three rules for living).

That Roy Cohn successfully beat the government on behalf of the Trump Organization, neutering the discrimination suit, is a famous story. If Gabriel Sherman’s script is to be believed, “The Apprentice” tells an even more scandalous version. In the movie, Cohn is going to lose the case and knows it. (The Trump Organization has rent forms by Black applicants marked with the letter “C.”) So at a diner, he and Donald have a casual meeting with the federal official who’s authorizing the case. He won’t budge. But then Cohn pulls out a manila envelope. Inside it are photographs of the official frolicking with cabana boys in Cancun. Cohn, who is gay, turns his own closeted existence into a form of power. A deal is struck. And Trump is off and running, his empire built on a poison pill.

New York, at this point, is in its shabby edge-of-bankruptcy ’70s dystopian era, and Donald is determined to change that. His dream is to buy the boarded-up Commodore Hotel on 42nd St., right next to Grand Central Terminal, and turn it into a glittering luxury Grand Hyatt hotel. The area is so decrepit that most people think he’s nuts. But this is where we can see something about Trump: that he wasn’t just a charlatan with a big mouth — that he had a perception of things. He was right about New York: that it would come back, and that deals like his could be part of what brought it back. But the art of the deal, in this case, comes from Roy Cohn. He’s the one who greases the wheels to make it happen. And Donald is now his protégé.

Ali Abbasi stages the “The Apprentice” with a lot of jagged handheld shots that look a bit too much like television to my eyes, but they do the job; they convince us of the reality we’re seeing. So does the décor — as Trump starts to develop a taste for more lavish surroundings, the movie recreates every inch of baroque merde -gold vulgarity. And Sebastian Stan’s performance is a wonder. He gets Trump’s lumbering geek body language, the imposing gait with his hands held stiffly at his sides, and just as much he gets the facial language. He starts out with an open, boyish look, under the mop of hair we can see Donald is obsessed with, but as the movie goes on that look, by infinitesimal degrees, turns more and more calculated.

For its first half, “The Apprentice” is kind of a knockout: the inside look at how Trump evolved that so many of us have imagined for so long, and seeing it play out is both convincing and riveting. Yet I have an issue with the movie, and it all pivots around the mystery of Trump. I don’t think “The Apprentice” ever penetrates it.

There’s a moment when Trump is getting too big for his britches, ignoring another lesson that’s there in the Cohn worldview, which is that you have to maneuver in the real world. Cohn questions Trump’s obsession with building a casino in Atlantic City, a place Cohn says has “peaked.” He’s right. Trump winds up making bad investments, flying too close to the sun, and ultimately shutting Roy out ­— treating Roy the way that Roy treats everyone else. It’s an evolution of supreme hubris, especially when you think back to the slightly sheepish kid from Flushing who lined up to kiss Cohn’s ring.

The trouble is, we don’t fully see where that side of Trump comes from. In a relatively quick period, starting from around the time of the Atlantic City deal, and building through the moment when he pisses off the Mobster and Cohn crony Tony Salerno (Joe Pingue), which results in the half-built Trump Tower being set on fire by Salerno’s goons, Donald turns into the Trump we know today: the toxically arrogant man-machine of malignant narcissism, who treats everyone around him like crap. His marriage to Ivana devolves into a loveless debacle. He turns on his downward-spiraling alcoholic brother like a stranger. He becomes so heartless that he makes Roy Cohn look civil. He turns on Cohn, in part because Cohn has AIDS, which freaks Donald out.

We know Donald Trump did all these things. But what we don’t see, watching “The Apprentice,” is where the Sociopath 3.0 side of Trump comes from. His daddy issues, as the film presents them, won’t explain it (not really). The fact that he gets hooked on amphetamines, popping diet pills around the clock, is part of it. Yet the Trump we see goes through a looking glass of treachery, leveraging his empire — and what’s left of his emotions — to within an inch of his life. And once that happens, we’re simply watching a well-acted TV-movie made up of familiar anecdotes built around the Trump we already know. At that point, “The Apprentice,” good as much of it is, becomes far less interesting. The mystery the movie never solves is what Trump was thinking, deep down, when he chose to become Donald Trump.  

Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (In Competition), May 19, 2024. Running time: 140 MIN.

• Production: Kinematics LLC, Baer Development/Gidden Media presents, in association with Rocket Science, Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology, Project Infinity, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, a Scythia Films, Profile Pictures, Tailored Films production. Producers: David Bekerman, Jacob Jarek, Ruth Treacy, Julianna Forde, Louis Tisné, Ali Abbasi. Executive producers: Amy Baer, Mark H. Rappaport, Emanuel Nunez, Grant S. Johnson, Phil Hunt, Compton Cross, Thorsten Schumacher, Levi Woodward, Niamh Fagan, Gabriel Sherman, Greg Denny, James Shani, Noor Alfallah, Andy Cohen, Andrew Frank, Neil Mathieson, Lee Broda, Blair Ward, Anders Erdén.
• Crew: Director: Ali Abbasi. Screenplay: Gabriel Sherman. Camera: Kasper Tuxen. Editors: Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Olivier Bugge Coutté. Music: David Holmes, Brian Irvine, Martin Dirkov.
• With: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Catherine McNally, Charlie Carrick, Ben Sullivan, Mark Rendall, Joe Pingue, Jim Monaco, Bruce Beaton, Ian D. Clark, Valerie O’Connor.

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Overall, the documentary doesn't amount to much more than a slightly involving personal story.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 2, 2018

Cannes Film Festival 2024: All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is underway with Quentin Dupieux’s The Second Act starring Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel serving as the opening-night film.

This year’s lineup includes major Hollywood premieres like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, Kevin Costner’s first film of a planned four-part series Horizon: An American Saga , Francis Coppola’s long-gestating Megalopolis , Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness in a reteam with Emma Stone, Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada and Andrea Arnold’s Bird to name a few.

They are joined by new films from stalwart auteurs including David Cronenberg, Jacques Audiard, Ali Abbasi, Jia Zhang-Ke, Christophe Honoré, Paolo Sorrentino, Gilles Lellouche, Mohammad Rasoulof, Michel Hazanavicius, Guy Maddin, Noémie Merlant and Oliver Stone.

Read all of Deadline’s takes below throughout the festival, which runs May 14-25. Click on the title to read the full review and keep checking back as we update the list.

Section: Un Certain Regard

Director: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

Cast: Renate Reinsve, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen, Endre Hellesveit, Øystein Røger, Vera Veljovic

Deadline’s takeaway: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s lineage should give you a fair idea of what's in store here, but, surprisingly,  Armand  doesn't dig especially deep into the human psyche, finally falling into a strange no man's land between intense character drama and jet-black comedy.

The Balconette (Les Femmes au Balcon)

Section: Midnight Screenings

Director: Noémie Merlant

Cast: Noémie Merlant, Sanda Codreanu, Souhelia Yacoub

Deadline’s takeaway: The bulky shade of Pedro Almodóvar looms over all these shenanigans, which could be read as “Women on the Verge of Heat Exhaustion” if there were more sense of it actually being hot, one of several flavors missing from Merlant's confection of genres.

Director: Andrea Arnold

Section: Competition

Cast: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Jason Buda, Jasmin Jobson, James Nelson Noyce, Frankie Box, Franz Rogowski,

Deadline’s takeaway: Andrea Arnold knows just how to get under our skin. She embellishes the film with fantastical elements, but whether they're really happening or part of Bailey's childlike desperation to believe in anything magical, the film doesn't make clear. But Arnold certainly wants us to know one thing: Bailey will be OK.

Caught By the Tides

Director: Jia Zhangke

Cast: Zhao Tao, Zhubin Li

Deadline’s takeaway: Jia Zhangke leads his partner and muse, Zhao Tao, on a decades-long romantic odyssey in  Caught By the Tides , which tries too hard to play with time and form for the connection between its leads to be its central preoccupation.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point

Director: Tyler Taormina

Section: Directors’ Fortnight

Cast: Matilda Fleming, Michael Cera, Chris Lazzaro, Elsie Fisher, Gregg Turkington

Deadline’s takeaway: It's hard to categorize Taormina's film, and, for some, its freewheeling, indie  American Graffiti  vibe might take a little getting used to. But  Christmas Eve in Miller's Point  is a trip for anyone willing to roll with it, and more than cements Taormina as a talent to watch.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes

Director: Nanette Burstein

Section: Cannes Classics

With: Elizabeth Taylor

Deadline’s takeaway: The tapes recorded in 1964 weren't actually  lost,  but it all makes for a satisfying journey through one of Hollywood's most memorable careers. There is the feeling of intimacy that makes this one special, if not exactly full of new revelations.

Emilia Pérez

Director: Jacques Audiard

Cast:  Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramirez, Mark Ivanir, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez

Deadline’s takeaway: None of this ever seems ridiculous, because Audiard leans into the musical genre’s conventions; rather than bending his provocative story to fit it, he bends the form itself. It may be too soon to call the Palme d'Or with a week of the Cannes Film Festival left to run, but Emilia Pérez looks very much like a winner.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Director: George Miller

Section: Out of Competition

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Lachy Hulme, Matuse, Goran Kleut, Charlee Fraser

Deadline’s takeaway: With Furiosa , George Miller, now seemingly ageless at 79 (he was 34 when the first Mad Max came out), has perhaps given birth to the greatest  Max  yet, a wheels-up, rock-and-rolling epic that delivers on the origin story.

Director: Laurent Bouzereau

With: Faye Dunaway

Deadline’s takeaway: You will find yourself with renewed respect for this great star after watching this documentary on her life. Time for a Faye Dunaway retrospective, and this fine film is perfect reason to do it.

Ghost Trail

Director: Jonathan Millet

Section: Critics’ Week

Cast: Adam Bessa, Tawfeek Barhom, Julia Franz Richter, Shafiqa El Till

Deadline’s takeaway: On the surface, Ghost Trail uses the traditional tropes of the spy movie, but it isn't exactly thrilling, certainly not in the manner of a John le Carré novel. Closer in spirit to Spielberg's  Munich , it's a quietly profound character study about the need for a closure that may never come.

The Girl with the Needle

Director: Magnus von Horn

Cast: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm

Deadline’s takeaway: It is because this story's truths are so stark that this high-wire work succeeds. Magnus von Horn is a masterful talent, and there is plenty of prize potential within his film. It’s an unequivocal and beguiling triumph. 

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

Director: Kevin Costner

Cast: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Wase Winyan Chief, Jamie Campbell Bower, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jon Beavers

Deadline’s takeaway: Horizon: An American Saga is an impressive beginning for Costner, who is just trying to keep the American Western alive. But he may, with this innovative roll of the dice, also be trying to keep theaters alive at the same time, that is if there is still an appetite for Westerns. Hopefully there is.

Jim Henson Idea Man

Director: Ron Howard

Section: Classics

Deadline’s takeaway: Howard’s documentary brings fresh energy to the subject through the skillful use of animations based on Henson's impressive drawings and wonderful archival rarities that go beyond what has been seen in previous treatments of Henson's life.

Kinds of Kindness

Director : Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau

Deadline’s takeaway: Kinds of Kindness  is about a ubiquitous interdependence between ruthless power and willing submission that crops up everywhere, which implies that we are all in its thrall. That makes it their gloomiest film yet. Of course, it is also very funny.

Limonov: The Ballad

Director: Kirill Serebrennikov

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Viktoria Miroshnichenko

Deadline’s takeaway: A boundary-blasting biopic that simply drips with punk-rock energy, revealing everything and nothing about a slippery character whose modus operandi was reinvention from the get-go and for whom consistency really  was  the hobgoblin of small minds.

Megalopolis

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Shia LaBeouf

Deadline’s takeaway: Watching Anthony Mann's  The Fall of the Roman Empire  and eating cheese afterwards would be the only way to replicate Megalopolis ‘ fever-dream grandeur, a series of stunning images, carried along by the loosest of plots, that pontificate on the self-destructive nature of humankind, the only species capable of civilizing itself to death.

My Sunshine

Director: Hiroshi Okuyama

Cast: Sosuke Ikematsu, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Kiara Nakanishi

Deadline’s takeaway: Okuyama does not attempt to hit us over the head or engage in the tropes of this kind of story revolving around the growing pains of youth. There is no melodrama here. Instead he moves his camera (he is also cinematographer) as gracefully as his young dancers, shot in such a way, quietly joyous at times, that it resembles a mood piece. 

Director: Paul Schrader

Cast:  Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, Michael Imperioli, Zach Shaffer, Kristine Froseth, Jake Weary

Deadline takeaway: Oh, Canada is made up of pieces of a life put under a cinematic microscope at different periods, all moving in and out of the mind of a man who is dying but still lucid enough to tell the truths of his life as time is running out, some revealed for the first time as he grapples with both morality and mortality.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Director: Rungano Nyoni

Cast: Susan Chardy, Henry B.J. Phiri, Elizabeth Chisela

Deadline’s takeaway: In Nyoni's sophomore film, the focus is the rub between tradition and modernity, using the occasion of a family funeral as the jumping-off point for a slow-burn drama that builds, rather stealthily, to an unexpectedly emotional climax.

Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot

Director: Rithy Panh

Section:  Premiere

Cast: Irène Jacob, Grégoire Colin, Cyril Gueï

Deadline’s takeaway: The journalists in Rithy Panh's film aren't superheroes; their quest for that truth has its own motivations. Yet the importance of their journey to find it cannot be understated. The film might not walk totally fresh ground for Panh, but there is real power in one filmmaker's dedication to re-examining real world horror from many angles over many years.

Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Charles Dance, Takehiro Hira, Denis Ménochet, Rolando Ravello, Zlatko Buric, Alicia Vikander

Deadline’s takeaway: Anyone with a fascination for political process and the idiocies of bureaucracy will find one joke after another hitting the bullseye in Rumours , a more explicitly satirical work that we have come to expect from Canadian director Guy Maddin. For anyone else, it is mild fun at best.

The Second Act

Director: Quentin Dupieux

Section:  Out of Competition

Cast: Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon, Raphaël Quenard

Deadline’s takeaway: Maybe Quentin Dupieux should have paid more attention when he was writing; maybe he should have spent longer in the editing suite. But if the results are always a bit ragged, does it matter? Dupieux might never make a masterpiece, but his slapdash, wild entertainments are irresistible.

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

Section:  Midnight Screenings

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian Mcmahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak, Rahel Romahn, Finn Little, Charlotte Maggi

Deadline’s takeaway: Nic Cage as a surfer dude? Unlikely, but who cares? The Surfer  is an object lesson in how to make a film economically by using a single location, a bunch of surfing extras and some stock footage of lizards. Which is the grindhouse ethic at work, for sure.

Three Kilometers to the End of the World

Director: Emanuel Parvu

Section:  Competition

Cast: Bogdan Dumitrache, Ciprian Chiujdea, Laura Vasily

Deadline’s takeaway: Parvu is careful to show the complexity of these characters as well as of their weave of betrayals, mistakes and wrongdoing. The actors bring to their portraits the naturalistic ease combined with intensity that is a hallmark of Romanian New Wave cinema, each one a whole person with their own reasons.

When the Light Breaks

Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

Cast: Elín Hall, Katla Njálsdóttir, Ágúst Wigum, Mikael Kaaber, Baldur Einarsson, Gunna Hrafn Kristjánsson

Deadline’s takeaway: As an opening-night choice for Cannes‘ Un Certain Regard,  When the Light Breaks  sets a standard for the original and specific vision that is expected of films in this section. 

Wild Diamond

Director: Agathe Riedinger

Cast:  Malou Khebizi, Andréa Bescond, Idir Azougli, Ashley Romano

Deadline’s takeaway: Riedinger's debut feature approaches her subject with remarkable empathy, taking Liane on her own terms and seeing her surroundings largely through her eyes. 

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