When director Yorgos Lanthimos makes a film, you can usually expect it will make a person laugh, think and be taken aback. “Poor Things” is another example, and it’s also pretty damn good.
Willem Dafoe portrays scientist and surgeon Dr. Godwin Baxter in the film. Early on in the movie, we learn that the latest experiment by Dr. Baxter, a sort of Frankenstein-like mad scientist, was the resurrection of a young woman who had jumped off a bridge.
To do so, Baxter utilizes a brain that he recovered from the baby that the woman was pregnant with and calls the revived being Bella (Emma Stone). The experiment results in Bella getting a crash course in living, as her intelligence rapidly develops while she’s learning about life experiences and the world around her.
“Poor Things” is a truly spellbinding character study with a remarkable figure at its center. Watching Bella’s progression through the film as she becomes more independent and headstrong while also maintaining a free spiritedness to reject social norms is endlessly enjoyable.
Bella’s evolution happens in multiple ways, from studying to stirring conversations with those she meets and through sex. Not only does Bella gain more agency through these acts, she also challenges gender roles and expresses a sense of freedom. The character’s intellectual and sexual liberation makes for captivating cinema.
It also helps that the movie has a heaping amount of humor. Written by Tony McNamara, the film is laugh out loud funny thanks to Bella’s fish-out-of-water journey and its sharp use of dark comedy. The humor never undercuts the film’s dramatic moments or causes major tonal shifts either, it all fits well.
Powering a lot of “Poor Things” is the woman who plays the main character. Stone is sensational on screen as Bella, finely portraying the character’s advancement and her ongoing wonder with the world around her. Her comedic timing is exceptional and the way she shows Bella’s personality building from scratch is essential to making the film work.
Mark Ruffalo, meanwhile, is an absolute riot as Duncan, a smug lawyer who takes Bella on a sea tour through Europe and grows increasingly weary of her growing independence. His downward spiral and increasing number of outbursts are down right hilarious.
The supporting cast is solid, too. Dafoe is in his element as the eccentric scientist, while Jerrod Carmichael and Hanna Schygulla wonderfully portray a duo who expand Bella’s philosophical horizons on her sea cruise. Plus, Suzy Bemba is great in the film as a sex worker Bella meets in Paris who gives further insight to the main character on class and society.
Lanthimos and his crew also infuse “Poor Things” with an amazing amount of style and flair. A Gothic aesthetic is mixed with some steampunk to create a unique Victorian period. The avant-garde appearance adds so much to the fantastical elements of the film.
“Poor Things” is a great effort by Lanthimos to explore the human condition in an uncommon way, which is, of course, on brand. Even if a few things in the third act feel just the slightest bit rushed, this remains a strong film with top tier acting and provides a funny, insightful look at the world. 4.75 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
Another great review. I’m definitely excited to see this one soon. I’ve always found Yorgos Lanthimos to be a filmmaker with an unusual style that I’ve not always appreciated. That being said, I am a big fan of Emma Stone who has proven she’s one of the best actresses of her generation. I love her Oscar-winning performance in “La La Land” which catapulted her career. Here’s my review for that masterpiece:
“La La Land” (2016)- Movie Review – The Film Buff (huilahimovie.reviews)
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