Not Feeling the Burn

I've written before about the podcast The Next Picture Show, which pairs up new movies with previous ones for intriguing comparative analysis. Over the years, I've come to realize that of the four film critics on the podcast, the one whose tastes align most with mine is Tasha Robinson. Between her insightful observations on the show, her posts about board games and geek things on social media, and just generally the kinds of movies she's praised, I've come to know that any movie with the "Tasha Robinson seal of approval" is probably worth at least my consideration.

Recently, that lined up perfectly with a movie I'd been hearing weird buzz about: Saltburn. This twisty tale of sex, decadence, and manipulation was emerging as one of the most polarizing movies to come around in a while. Was it scintillating or simplistic? Was it provocative or puerile? I was on the fence about wanting to see it... and then Tasha Robinson proclaimed it her #1 favorite movie of 2023. Well, OK then, guess that settled it for me; I needed to see it for myself.

The movie centers on Oxford student Oliver Quick, who becomes enamored with popular (and rich) kid Felix Catton -- and then actually befriends him. Felix invites Oliver to summer at his family's literally palatial estate of Saltburn... whereupon a darker side of Oliver begins to emerge. As he worms his way in with Oliver's family, we begin to question how much of his identity is true, or calculated to some conniving purpose.

What I would have liked to have known before watching this movie is that it comes from Emerald Fennell, the writer-director of Promising Young Woman. That movie from a few years back is one I enjoyed, though I know several people who really didn't. And that's worth mentioning, as I think it's probably "table stakes" for wanting to even watch Saltburn: if you didn't like Promising Young Woman, I see little chance that you would like this movie.

But I don't think it's a given that you'll like Saltburn just because you liked Promising Young Woman. I didn't. Or at least, I wasn't sure. Indeed, it's been a while since I've watched a movie that had me so regularly vacillating between "I might like this" and "why the hell am I watching this?" There are times that the "eat the rich" subtext really lands... and other times it feels derivative of (and inferior to) Knives Out. There are times that I felt compelled to crack the code of just what's up with the main character of Oliver -- is he love-struck, or manipulative, or actually supernatural? And then there are other times it all just feels like Diet "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

To the degree that the movie works at all, it does so on the back of two key performers. First is Barry Keoghan as Oliver. He gives a shifty, Rorschach test of a performance that allows you to read all sorts of different meaning into the character (as I did) at different points in the movie. Yet at the same time, there's an oddball specificity to the character that leaves you feeling that Keoghan, at least, has made choices and could tell you exactly what's going on with his character.

The other is Rosamund Pike as family matriarch Elspeth Catton. Her character is hilariously indifferent to reality and possibly drugged to the very edge of consciousness, leaving her to say whatever insanity is on her mind at any moment. And Pike's delivery of this parade of one-liners is a real highlight of the movie -- always worth a laugh.

But overall, I feel like I've seen before all that Saltburn has to offer. (Well, unless you're counting some significant Barry Keoghan nudity.) So, sorry Tasha Robinson, I'm not with you on this one. I give Saltburn a C.