Overview
When Ellen and Paul’s son introduces his new girlfriend one lovely afternoon at their 25th anniversary party, no one suspects that it is the beginning of the end for this happy family. The new girlfriend is Liz, Ellen’s former student, who left the university, some years before, after Ellen called her out in class for her radical ideology.
I think the difficulty in making films like this is that you want to make it “safe” and generic enough so that viewers will walk in the door, and then you don’t want to upset them before the end of the movie. The first half of the movie tries to walk a “both sides have issues” line, and it does a decent job of doing so (although it does kind of insult our intelligence – we all know who belongs to which ideology). The second half of the movie tries to prove a point, but the whole thing feels kind of empty. It still feels like it is tiptoeing around what it really wants to say, even thought it clearly says something. The final scene is powerful and probably the best scene in the movie – the ride to get their is fairly mediocre despite the presence of some fine actors.
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews Anniversary
Movie title: Anniversary
Movie description: When Ellen and Paul’s son introduces his new girlfriend one lovely afternoon at their 25th anniversary party, no one suspects that it is the beginning of the end for this happy family. The new girlfriend is Liz, Ellen’s former student, who left the university, some years before, after Ellen called her out in class for her radical ideology.
Date published: 2026-01-30
Director(s): Jan Komasa
Actor(s): Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Mckenna Grace, Phoebe Dynevor, Dylan O'Brien, Daryl McCormack, Rebecca O'Mara, Flavia Watson, Sky Yang, Kwaku Fortune
Genre: Thriller, Drama
My Review
I think the difficulty in making films like this is that you want to make it “safe” and generic enough so that viewers will walk in the door, and then you don’t want to upset them before the end of the movie. The first half of the movie tries to walk a “both sides have issues” line, and it does a decent job of doing so (although it does kind of insult our intelligence – we all know who belongs to which ideology). The second half of the movie tries to prove a point, but the whole thing feels kind of empty. It still feels like it is tiptoeing around what it really wants to say, even thought it clearly says something. The final scene is powerful and probably the best scene in the movie – the ride to get their is fairly mediocre despite the presence of some fine actors.
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My Review - 6/10
6/10