Most critics enjoy it. Gregg Araki’s return to feature filmmaking is read as a return to the colour, pop music and sexual frankness of his 1990s work, and the reviews are largely glad of it. The praise clusters around the two leads: Olivia Wilde’s imperious, campy artist is singled out again and again, with Vulture suggesting it may be her best role yet, and Cooper Hoffman’s charm as her young assistant earns nearly as much notice. The film’s case for Gen Z embracing sex over shame is taken as heartfelt rather than preachy.
The reservations gather around the plot. Several critics say the film sags in its final act, or takes an odd turn once story takes over from provocation; Empire finds it lively but unsatisfying, and Radio Times counts one too many climaxes. The spread is fairly wide. The Playlist thinks Araki’s old thrill has faded into something safe, and Screen Daily, the one outright dissenter, finds a conventional, underdeveloped story beneath the promised romp.
