Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
October 31, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews A House of Dynamite, Abubakr Ali, After the Hunt, Andrew Garfield, Angel Reese, Anthony Ramos, Arielle Friedman, Arturo Castro, Ayo Edebiri, Aziz Ansari, Ben Leonberg, Brian Tee, Brittany O'Grady, Chloë Sevigny, Damian Lewis, Evan Peters, Francesca Carpanini, Gabriel Basso, Gbenga Akinnagbe, George Orwell, Gillian Anderson, Good Boy, Good Fortune, Greta Lee, Hasan Minhaj, Idris Elba, Indy the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Jared Harris, Jared Leto, Jason Clarke, Jeff Bridges, Joachim Rønning, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jonah Hauer-King, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Kathryn Bigelow, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, Kyle Allen, Larry Fessenden, Lío Mehiel, Luca Guadagnino, Malachi Beasley, Michael Stuhlbarg, Moses Ingram, Noah Oppenheim, Orwell 2+2=5, Raoul Peck, Rebecca Ferguson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Shane Jensen, Stuart Rudin, Tracy Letts, Tron, TRON: Ares, Willa Fitzgerald Leave a comment
Good Boy, Good Times at the Movies (CREDIT: Ben Leonberg/Independent Film Company and Shudder)
Okay, here we go. It’s time for me to release my thoughts about the new movies that I saw in the month known as October 2025 that I haven’t explicated until now. Trick-or-treat furever!
October 23, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Aidan Delbis, Alicia Silverstone, Allison Williams, Bugonia, Clancy Brown, Dave Franco, Emma Stone, Ethan Costanilla, Jesse Plemons, Josh Boone, Mason Thames, Mckenna Grace, Regretting You, Sam Morelos, Scott Eastwood, Stavros Helkios, Willa Fitzgerald, Yorgos Lanthimos 2 Comments
We’ll never Regret Bugonia (Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features; Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Helkios, Alicia Silverstone
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Rating: R for Disturbing Content That’s Often Funny But Also Occasionally Trauma-Inducing
Release Date: October 24, 2025 (Theaters)
Starring: Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, Clancy Brown, Sam Morelos, Ethan Costanilla
Director: Josh Boone
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Mild But Frank Sexuality and Drug Use
Release Date: October 24, 2025 (Theaters)
When you see as many movies as I do, whether out of critical obligation or personal fulfillment or both, you tend to experience a lot of tonal whiplash. And it doesn’t get much more whiplash-inducing than the one-two punch of the semi-lighthearted satirical conspiracy thriller Bugonia and Regretting You, a tragedy-tinged romance based on a Colleen Hoover novel. Both are arriving in theaters on October 24 (Regretting You in wide release, while Bugonia will begin limited and then expand on the 31st). One of them is perfect for Spooky Season in an oddball sort of way, while the other would seem more at home around Valentine’s Day. With all that in mind, I’ll structure this two-for-one review around the question of whether or not they could possibly make for a successful date night double feature.
October 20, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Finbar Lynch, Hedda, Hedda 2025, Hedda Gabler, Imogen Poots, Jamael Westman, Kathryn Hunter, Mirren Mack, Nia DaCosta, Nicholas Pinnock, Nina Hoss, Saffron Hocking, Tessa Thompson, Tom Bateman Leave a comment
A still of 3 women in a movie called Hedda (CREDIT: Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Content Services LLC)
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Nina Hoss, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Finbar Lynch, Mirren Mack, Jamael Westman, Saffron Hocking, Kathryn Hunter
Director: Nia DaCosta
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Rating: R for The Typical Party Vices, Including a Little Bit of Skin
Release Date: October 22, 2025 (Select Theaters)/October 29, 2025 (Amazon Prime Video)
What’s It About?: By all outward appearances, Hedda Gabler (Tessa Thompson) seems to have a pretty charmed life. She’s got a decent husband (Tom Bateman), she lives in a massive house, and she gets to host some wild shindigs. But there’s a powder keg just waiting to be lit. And it all goes kaboom over the course of one of those bacchanals. That’s because on that night, a couple of ladies with their own agendas (Nina Hoss and Imogen Poots) return to force Hedda to reap what she’s been sowing. And so, forbidden romance, professional jealousies, and general pettiness all converge for a deadly disaster that none of the guests will soon forget.
What Made an Impression?: The Scandinavia of It All: 2025’s Hedda is just the latest in a long line of adaptations of the 1891 Henrik Ibsen play Hedda Gabler. Before watching this version, I only knew it by name and was totally unfamiliar with the plot. But I have encountered Ibsen’s most famous work (A Doll’s House), so I had some idea of what he’s all about. Writer-director Nia DaCosta has fully queered up the story, although I wouldn’t have been surprised if that element were already present in the original. Which is to say, it’s a natural fit.
We’re All Trapped: If I had to select one word to sum up Hedda, it would be … “claustrophobic.” There’s no escaping this party! Or maybe there is, though it would probably require these characters to totally redefine their perspectives of their current life situations. As the viewer, I felt similarly boxed in. If you find yourself in the same boat as me, you could always walk out of the theater or press stop on your remote. That is, unless you relish anxiety-inducing moviegoing experiences.
She’s So Petty: Tessa Thompson is a pretty dang great actor, and Hedda only reinforces that truth. But her version of the titular scamp (and perhaps most versions) is not a very pleasant person to be around. In fact, I would even go so far as to call her a sociopath. Maybe if I had prepared myself a bit more before going to know what I would be getting into, I might have been entertained by all of her manipulative behavior. But only to a point. Ultimately, this is one of those movies that I found kind of middling, even though I got the sense that the people making it probably did exactly what they wanted to do.
Hedda is Recommended If You Like: Hot messes throughout the decade
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Secrets
October 16, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Anna Lore, Arianna Rivas, Black Phone 2, Demián Bichir, Ethan Hawke, Graham Abbey, Jeremy Davies, Madeleine McGraw, Maev Beaty, Mason Thames, Miguel Mora, Scott Derrickson, The Black Phone 1 Comment
The lines are back open! (CREDIT: Robin Cymbaly/Universal Pictures and Blumhouse)
Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Demián Bichir, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora, Arianna Rivas, Anna Lore, Graham Abbey, Maev Beaty
Director: Scott Derrickson
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Rating: R for Creative Gore, Fascinatingly Disturbing Images, and Teenage Potty Mouths
Release Date: October 17, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: After defeating the serial killer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke), young Finney (Mason Thames) is adjusting to the new status quo in 1982 Colorado. But even with the Grabber in Hell, all is not so calm in the Centennial State, especially when his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) starts sleepwalking while having some gnarly nightmares. It turns out that her psychic powers are kicking into high gear as she has visions of burned and mutilated children while receiving out-of-time phone calls from someone very close to her. These foreboding messages lead the siblings to investigate a sleepaway camp to discover the truth, but alas, a certain handsy villain may have figured out how to reach out beyond the grave while laying in wait on their quest.
What Made an Impression?: Good Thing They Hit Record: You can always tell when we’re watching one of Gwen’s dreams based on the graininess of the picture. It’s like her subconscious is being recorded on an old Super 8 tape. I wish my dreams were retro-cool like that!
Snow Camp is Better Than No Camp?: One thing I didn’t mention in my little synopsis is that Finney and Gwen immediately become snowed in when they arrive at the camp, thanks to one of the biggest blizzards the area has ever seen. Which leads me to the question: aren’t most camps like this open in the summer? You know, when the weather is nice and kids are off from school. Maybe there are in fact getaways like this in the real world during winter breaks, despite the obvious weather-related risks. But even if this were a totally fictional creation, I could accept it, thanks to the feeling of otherworldliness that being snowed in can create.
Keepin’ It Rough and Latchkey: I didn’t re-watch the first Black Phone to prep for the sequel, but one thing that stuck with me that is still very much present in Number 2 is just how gritty life is for these young protagonists (even when a killer isn’t lurking nearby). This outing opens with Finney beating one of his classmates to a bloody pulp, for which he faces absolutely zero consequences. The adults are a little bit more present and helpful this time around, including Finney and Gwen’s father Terrence (Jeremy Davies) and a thoughtful Demián Bichir as the camp’s supervisor. But they also let them get away with a lot, despite some feints towards authority. Although considering everything that the kids have been through, that might actually be fair and sensible. Which brings me to my last point…
Chill Out!: Since surviving the Grabber’s clutches, Finney has developed a habit of indulging in the devil’s lettuce, and Gwen eventually calls him out for that as a way to avoid his pain. To which I have to say: come on, let him relax! Now, I know attitudes about marijuana weren’t exactly as progressive 40 years ago as they are now. But this movie is being released in 2025, so we can retroactively acknowledge that as long as you don’t overdo it, it’s a relatively safe way to deal with trauma, especially compared to Terrence’s habit of hitting the bottle since his wife died. In conclusion, Black Phone 2 is just as arrestingly grimy as the original, with the supernatural factor turned way up, while Ethan Hawke is enjoying a free rein to go as wild as usual.
Black Phone 2 is Recommended If You Like: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Camp-y 80s Slashers, The Shining and its descendants
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Bad Dreams
October 10, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Ben Mendelsohn, Channing Tatum, Derek Cianfrance, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Manchester, Jimmy O. Yang, Juno Temple, Kennedy Moyer, Kirsten Dunst, Lakeith Stanfield, Lily Collias, Melonie Diaz, Molly Price, Peter Dinklage, Roofman, Tony Revolori, Uzo Aduba 1 Comment
Is the Roofman on fire? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out! (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Lakeith Stanfield, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzo Aduba, Juno Temple, Emory Cohen, Melonie Diaz, Molly Price, Lily Collias, Kennedy Moyer, Tony Revolori, Jimmy O. Yang
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Rating: R for A Brief Sex Scene and a Goofy Nude Scene (Not During the Sex)
Release Date: October 10, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Roofman presents Channing Tatum embodying the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, whose nom de criminality serves as the title of this film. We meet Jeffrey as a restless Army veteran who wants to be a better provider for his kids. So he resorts to robbing a series of McDonald’s in the Charlotte, North Carolina area by cutting through their roofs during their unoccupied hours. Eventually he’s caught and charged for his spree, but soon enough he escapes prison and hides out in a local Toys “R” Us store to plan his next big move. He somehow manages to evade capture long enough to assume a new identity and start dating a single mother named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) that he meets after wandering into a church one day. As his wild story presses on apace, we’re left to wonder: maybe he’ll decide to settle down and live an honest life. Or perhaps instead, all his misdeeds will actually finally catch up to him.
What Made an Impression?: I’m going to do this review a little differently than my usual style by starting off with the question: Should YOU want to be the Roofman? I won’t keep you in suspense, though. The answer is: no, you should not.
So is that the end of the review? Well, let’s get a little more nuanced. By most accounts that I’ve come across, the real Jeffrey Manchester is fantastically charming, and Tatum certainly plays him that way. I found myself instinctively rooting for everything to work out in his favor, but then I caught myself enough to recognize that that’s not exactly the most defensible position. Jeffrey doesn’t just break the letter of the law, he also breaks the spirit. And while he does his best to eschew violence in the course of his misdeeds, some people do get hurt. Plus, he’s not exactly a Robin Hood where only Billionaire Big Business is getting hurt. So if you do find yourself rooting for him, I’d recommend redirecting that energy towards hoping that he’s given the opportunity to atone for his schemes and put his talents to better use.
And the Roofman does indeed have some considerable talents. He’s observant, thoughtful, and fun to be around. The trouble is, of course, that he too often utilizes those qualities in service of some very combustible misconduct. This is a tricky movie to watch, partly because it’s also a very easy movie to watch. On the surface level, it’s charming and exciting, which could lure you into a trap of glamorizing some bad behavior. Now, it’s not terribly difficult to avoid that trap, but what’s perhaps a little more challenging is finding the right balance when sorting out the admirable and the heinous within someone like Jeffrey Manchester. It makes sense that he found his way to a house of worship, because he’s clearly a sinner who also has some amount of desire to be better. You don’t have to be religious yourself to be inspired by this movie, but whatever your preferred belief system (or lack thereof), I think one of the biggest takeaways from this story is the eternal power of grace, even when (or perhaps especially when) things get out of hand.
Grade: 4 out of 5 Peanut M&Ms
October 3, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Bas Rutten, Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Mark Kerr, Ryan Bader, The Smashing Machine 2 Comments
Kerr Smash! (CREDIT: A24)
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten
Director: Benny Safdie
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Rating: R for Combat and Addiction
Release Date: October 3, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: What we’ve got here is a biopic about retired mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, played by Dwayne Johnson, a veteran of athletic combat himself. Kerr was active in the ring before MMA became one of the most popular sports in the world, so if you’re an obsessive UFC historian, perhaps you’re already familiar with his story. But on the other hand, if you’ve only become a fan within the past ten years or so, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of him before. The Smashing Machine focuses on a few of Kerr’s fights in Japan during the end of the last century, and otherwise we get a close view at Mark’s chaotic home life in Arizona with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt). And it must be mentioned that we also get to spend plenty of time with Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), Mark’s fellow grappler and close confidant.
What Made an Impression?: What’s It All About, Smashy?: The Smashing Machine is not exactly your typical sports biopic. I don’t say that as praise, nor criticism, but merely observation. Oh sure, it’s got training sequences and behind-the-scenes struggles, but it doesn’t exactly build to the sort of climax you’re probably expecting. Occasionally, it feels like its reason for existing is to unveil the untold truth of MMA. Elsewhere, it’s something else entirely: a stark portrait of addiction, as Mark becomes dangerously hooked on painkillers and Dawn’s alcoholism brings her to the edge of utter destruction. Of course, there’s no reason it can’t be both of those things, but this particular case is an oddly shaped assemblage that I’ve never quite encountered before.
Letting Us In: This movie raises the question: why Mark Kerr in particular? He doesn’t seem like the most influential or most successful figure in his sport’s history, though he certainly made a noticeable impact. As far as I can tell, The Smashing Machine happened because Johnson and writer/director Benny Safdie were fans, and they had the pull to make it happen. And on top of that, the real Kerr was remarkably willing to let his unvarnished story go on the screen. That vulnerability certainly comes through via the unflinching portrayal of Mark and Dawn’s chaotic relationship, as well as the remarkably supportive friendship between the two Marks.
This Would Have Played Out Very Differently with Instant Replay: One more observation before I wrap things up: this movie contains a lot of nitpicking, mostly in terms of Mark and Dawn getting on each other’s nerves. But a very different type of pedantry really stood out as something unusual. Early on, Mark loses a fight, but he’s convinced that his opponent has used an illegal move on him. So he marches right out of the stadium to immediately plead his case to the guy in charge of everything while he’s still a sweaty mess in his grappling skivvies. What struck me most about this scene was how much it was devoted to a procedural matter. It also serves a thematic purpose regarding Mark’s journey, but from my vantage point, it mainly underscored how much rules and their interpretation matter in sports, which can be both kind of fun and also kind of infuriating.
The Smashing Machine is Recommended If You Like: It When a Really Gritty Movie Also Features a Trip to the Local Fair for Some Reason
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Martial Artists
October 2, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Chiwetel Ejiofor, Eleanor the Great, Ema Horvath, Erin Kellyman, Gabriel Basso, Jessica Hecht, June Squibb, Madelaine Petsch, Rachel Shenton, Renny Harlin, Rita Zohar, Scarlett Johansson, The Strangers, The Strangers: Chapter 2, Will Price Leave a comment
People are Strangers, when Eleanor is Great (CREDIT: Sony Pictures Classics/Screenshot; Lionsgate)
Starring: June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Rita Zohar, Will Price
Director: Scarlett Johansson
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Rachel Shenton
Director: Renny Harlin
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
Sometimes when I watch two very different movies in quick succession, I like to ask which one of them feels more like home. First up we have Eleanor the Great, in which June Squibb plays a woman who moves in with her daughter and grandson and then befriends a young journalism student in the course of pretending that her recently deceased friend’s experience of surviving the Holocaust is her own story. Meanwhile, The Strangers – Chapter 2 (which is of course the fourth film in the Strangers franchise) is just the latest misadventure of masked killers delivering their lethal blows to ostensibly random targets.
September 30, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Alana Haim, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Dijon Duenas, Eric Schweig, James Downey, John Hoogenakker, Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another, Paul Grimstad, Paul Thomas Anderson, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Shayna McHayle, Teyana Taylor, Tony Goldwyn, Wood Harris 1 Comment
Pictured: a moment from One of the Battles (CREDIT: Warner Bros./Screenshot)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Tony Goldwyn, James Downey, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Shayna McHayle, Paul Grimstad, Dijon Duenas, John Hoogenakker, Eric Schweig
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Running Time: 162 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
Could One Battle for Another be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen that I didn’t laugh once during? Before I ventured out to the multiplex, I’d been seeing a lot of raves calling it pretty dang hilarious in the midst of a wild and high-wire tonal mix. And I can now intellectually confirm what everyone was talking about. Leo D. rolling around on the floor, Benicio del T. doing a little dance on the side of the road – that’s some goofy physicality for ya! Trouble is, these moments are also really TENSE. The whole movie is so goshdang tense! Yeah, these characters do plenty of silly things, but always in situations where getting shot in the head is a real possibility. So keep your head on straight, and you’ll probably enjoy this movie. Maybe not in the exact same way as I did (re: chuckling), but that should still work out okay.
Grade: 5 Christmases out of 1 Moment of Zen
September 25, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Carla Tassara, Donovan Patton, Eduardo Franco, Ego Nwodim, Fortune Feimster, Gabby's Dollhouse, Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie, Gloria Estefan, Jason Mantzoukas, Juliet Donenfeld, Kristen Wiig, Kyle Mooney, Laila Lockhart Kraner, Logan Bailey, Maggie Lowe, Matty Matheson, Melissa Villasenor, Ryan Crego, Sainty Nelsen, Secunda Wood, Tara Strong, Thomas Lennon Leave a comment
Meow? (CREDIT: DreamWorks Animation)
Starring: Laila Lockhart Kraner, Gloria Estefan, Kristen Wiig, Jason Mantzoukas, Logan Bailey, Fortune Feimster, Thomas Lennon, Melissa Villaseñor, Ego Nwodim, Matty Matheson, Juliet Donenfeld, Eduardo Franco, Maggie Lowe, Sainty Nelsen, Donovan Patton, Tara Strong, Carla Tassara, Secunda Wood, Kyle Mooney
Director: Ryan Crego
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: G (Although Some of the Jokes Are Cheekily Off-Color in a Kid-Friendly Way)
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Based on the Netflix series of the same name, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie introduces the multiplex-frequenting public to the titular young woman (Laila Lockhart Kraner) and her titular feline-filled toy abode. She and her grandma Gigi (Gloria Estefan) make their way to “Cat Francisco,” which is just one part of a cat-tacularly pun-filled alterna-USA wherein Gabby has the power to shrink down into a cartoon version of herself to truly hang out in the dollhouse. But disaster strikes when her Gabby Cats end up in the villainous claws of Vera (Kristen Wiig), a cat lady who’s forgotten how to play with her toys in favor of just collecting them. So Gabby and Gigi set out on a rescue mission to retrieve her best friends. But meanwhile, she’ll have to watch out for the seen-it-all kitty Chumsley (Jason Mantzoukas), who suspects that Gabby might have outgrown the wonders of the dollhouse.
What Made an Impression?: Virginia Horsen Energy: GD: The Movie is obviously not made for adult film critics. It looks like the show is basically the Blue’s Clues of its time, which is to say it’s primarily for the preschool set. Maybe the big screen version is aiming a few ages higher, while parents can theoretically keep their sanity by focusing on Kristen Wiig as the femme fatale. To her credit, she does indeed give a much stranger performance than you would expect to find in a G-rated flick for tykes. Vera legitimately could’ve been a beloved recurring character on SNL back during An Golden Era.
What’s Up, Jerks?: Even more bizarre than Wiig’s presence is the top billing of Jason Mantzoukas in an all-ages affair. Maybe my sense or reality has been warped by all my years of listening to How Did This Get Made?, but it really did feel like Chumsley might just shout “What’s up, jerks?!” at any point. And I really did think while watching, “Is this a Jacob’s Ladder Scenario?” If Gabby’s Dollhouse has all along been a sneaky operation to get the next generation hooked on deranged comedy, then I gotta say that the kids’ll be all right.
The Rest is Cacophony: If it sounds like I’ve become a low-key Gabby’s Dollhouse superfan, well, that’s because I only focused on the few parts that I enjoyed in spite of everything else. The rest of it was just a big blur of candy colors and chaotic cupcake explosions that subtly declared, “You can just let your mind wander and think about whatever.” I was somewhat intrigued by the messy assemblage of the soundtrack, which included the likes of a recent chart-topper by Bruno Mars, the All-4-One ballad “I Swear,” the worldbeat hit “Makeba” by French singer Jain, and something that I’m pretty sure is entitled “Skibidi Meow.” So in conclusion: this movie has several bizarre beats that might just stick with me, but otherwise it’ s a low-rent Toy Story 2.
Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie is Recommended If You Like: Cats that can cry sprinkles
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Cat Franciscos
September 23, 2025
Cinema, Movie Reviews Alessandro Nivola, Allen Leech, Arty Froushan, Brendan Coyle, Dominic West, Douglas Reith, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Elizabeth McGovern, Harry Hadden-Paton, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Joely Richardson, Kevin Doyle, Laura Carmichael, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Michelle Dockery, Paul Copley, Paul Giamatti, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Raquel Cassidy, Robert James-Collier, Simon Russell Beale, Sophie McShera Leave a comment
Please clap (CREDIT: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Paul Copley, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Paul Giamatti, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Douglas Reith, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Simon Russell Beale, Alessandro Nivola, Arty Froushan, Joely Richardson
Director: Simon Curtis
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: September 12, 2025 (Theaters)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale very much feels like it’s about the end of an era. Much the same way that the first Downton Abbey movie and Downton Abbey: A New Era felt like they were about the end of an era. I’ve never seen a single episode of the same-named TV show that these films are based on, but I’m going to guess that it also had something to do with reckoning with the end of an era. Anyway, in this latest edition, that reckoning mostly consists of the Crawleys dealing with the possibility that they might have to live somewhere else, maybe even an apartment*! (*-Aka a “flat” in Britspeak.) Of course, in that scenario Robert must first learn what a flat even is. Lol. In the midst of all that, some unsavory character tries to pull a big con on the Grantham crew, which sure seems like a looming disaster. But then they get rid of him by basically just saying “You get outta here” a la Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. And then it’s time to go home, I guess.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 New Eras
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