Eddington punches left, right, up and down just a little too systematically
Eddington works best when the satire emerges from small town conflicts, but I'm not convinced that writer-director Ari Aster cares about any of these people.
Click here for Now Showing in Madison, July 21–July 28, 2025
Eddington | Ari Aster | USA | 2025 | 145 minutes
Viewed at Flix Brewhouse, Sunday, July 20, 2025
As our memories of living through the COVID-19 pandemic start to get hazy with the passage of time, we already need to be reminded about the all social and political ironies and contradictions of our experience. On that front, Eddington delivers many vivid reminders of what it was like to live in the United States in May, 2020.
When the dramatic conflicts in the film emerge naturally from those ironies and contradictions, Eddington delivers some effective and pointed social and political satire. At some point, however, one gets the sense that writer-director Ari Aster doesn’t want to leave any of the ironies and contradictions of life in 2020 out, and feels compelled to make sure every social trend and political position gets zinged. When the satire comes less organically out of the small town conflicts, the dark humor in Eddington is a bit too on the nose.
By the end, I wasn’t convinced that Aster cared about the people of Eddington. I feels like he was more interested in completing a list of targets to hit.
That said, there’s some very strong storytelling and performances in Eddington. The central conflict is between libertarian-leaning Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and progressive (but in the pocket of Big Tech) Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). As is typical in small towns, Joe’s wife Louise (Emma Stone) briefly dated Ted back in the day, leading to current tension between the two men beyond their ideological differences. Ted is up for re-election, and his best chance of winning a new term is to support the construction of an environmentally harmful data center just outside of town, because the town’s economy has been shut down by health orders from state officials in Ted’s party. Sheriff Joe decides to run for mayor after he comes to the defense of a man in a grocery store who refuses to wear a mask because he claims he cannot breathe in it (Sheriff Joe is an asthmatic, so he is particularly sympathetic to the man’s refusal to wear a mask).1
Phoenix, Garcia, and Stone are all great as they bring some much needed humanity to the socio-political archetypes. Sheriff Joe’s relationship with African-American Deputy Michael (Micheal Ward) is extremely interesting, as is Michael’s family history in law enforcement as he interacts with small Black Lives Matter protests. Problems emerge when Eddington attempts to be a statement of the times, or something akin to the Great American Novel, which tackles absolutely everything that was going on in May of 2020. Conspiracy theories, internet disinformation, YouTube cult leaders, Black Lives Matter protests, Big Tech, obsessive use of smartphones, and Antifa all get thrown in the mix.
In a nutshell, it seems like Aster wants Eddington to be the Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975) of our times. There are more than a few nods to Altman in general (overlapping dialogue) and Nashville specifically (the campaign car with loudspeakers, multiple interweaving characters and plotlines). There’s even a nod to McCabe and Mrs. Miller in the climax (probably unintentional, but once it popped in my head I thought about the comparison through the entire sequence). I won’t describe the climax too precisely, but it parallels McCabe’s attempt to escape the killer hired by Big Money who wants McCabe’s property. This climax represents both the strengths and the weaknesses of Eddington. On the one hand, it is great visual storytelling and genuinely suspenseful. On the other hand, I’m not sure if the suspense comes from the dramatic situation, or from the audacity of where Aster has taken the story.
The admittedly loose parallels between Nashville and Eddington helped me make a concrete conclusion. Nashville is a great film made by a great filmmaker. Eddington is a good film made by a good filmmaker. I’d rather have medium grade contemporary political commentary in American filmmaking than have no engagement with these ideas in current films. But we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the great COVID-era film.
[Side note: As an asthmatic myself, one of my pet peeves is how asthma inhalers are used in films, dating back to The Goonies (1985). I know that larger budget films have the resources to hire a medical consultant. Has no one ever told filmmakers how often an emergency inhaler is supposed to be used in a day? Sheriff Joe puffs on his whenever it is dramatically impactful (or to remind us that he is asthmatic). This leads to some interesting sound design with Joe’s breathing when his inhaler runs out of puffs. But in general, I was rolling my eyes every time Joe took his inhaler out.]
Now Playing In Madison: July 21 to July 28, 2025
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
DO THE RIGHT THING 7/21
CREED 7/28
UW-Cinematheque
Cinematheque Summer programming on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays through August 1. All screenings begin at 7:00pm
MULHOLLAND DR. 7/23
The second visit from producer, editor Mary Sweeney. Here is a photo from her visit and interview with Jim Healy a few weeks ago, courtesy of the Cinematheque Facebook page.
BOLERO (LES UNS ET LES AUTRES) 7/24
RED ANGEL 7/25
AMC Theatres, Flix Brewhouse, Marcus Theatres
There’s an interesting mix of indie features and horror films, and indie horror films in Madison’s commercial theaters this week. I wonder when was the last time we saw a week like this in mid-July? Most of these probably won’t play for long in town, so if you have any interest, catch them soon.
28 YEARS LATER (2025) is playing at Flix, Palace.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: JULY 21 is playing at AMC.
AMC SCREEN UNSEEN: JULY 28 is playing at AMC.
BOSS BABY, THE is playing at Flix.
Flix summer kid’s series (I forget what the is called).
DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT (2024) is playing at AMC, Point.
South African drama, based on Alexandra Fuller’s 2021 memoir about her White Zimbabwean family’s experiences following the Rhodesian Bush War.
Read Rob Thomas’s review.
EDDINGTON (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
Read my review, above.
ELIO (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
F1 THE MOVIE (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
I think I’m going to have to try to see this on the big screen, so I do not feel like I did watching Joseph Kosinski’s previous film on the small screen. I regretted not taking the time to see Top Gun: Maverick big and loud.
FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, THE (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Point.
I’m torn. This does not look great, or even very good. Vanessa Kirby, who has been great in some recent films, looks bored in the trailers. I want Marvel Studios to finally get the Fantastic Four figured out. For now, I’m going to wait to see if fans are disappointed.
GOONIES, THE (1985) is playing at Flix.
Flix Faves series. See my comment on asthma inhalers in the Eddington review above.
HARI HARA VEERA MALLU PART-1 SWORD VS SPIRIT (2025) is playing at AMC, Palace, Point.
Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler action film. Appears to be opening Wednesday, July 23.
HOME, THE (2025) is playing at AMC.
I had to read this description twice before I understood it. I’m under the impression that all films with Pete Davidson are horrible. Turns out that this is a horror film starring Pete Davidson. Apparently this is from the creator of The Purge, if that helps anyone. I’m not posting the trailer to encourage anyone to see it, I just thought you might want to see Pete Davidson’s one facial expression and one cadence in several different dramatic contexts.
HOUSE ON EDEN (2025) is playing at AMC.
I genuinely had difficulty pinning down the tone of this one just from the trailer, because I wasn’t sure why anyone would seriously rip-off The Blair Witch Project so blatantly in 2025. And the women introducing the trailer led me to infer that this might be a little goofy, despite the Shudder connection. But now I understand that this is the feature debut of social media stars Kris Collins and Celina Meyers. Once I looked up who Kris Collins is, I realized that I actually like her comic short videos. All I know about Celina Meyers is that the fictional character from Veep appeared in the Google search before the real person I was looking for. These are difficult and challenging times, my friends. This could be either very interesting or completely unwatchable.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
ICK is playing at AMC, Point.
Wow, there’s so much horror this week, what’s going to be left for October? This feels like hearing Christmas songs on the radio before Thanksgiving. But this science fiction horror comedy received some positive reviews at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to Mena Suvari (American Beauty) the cast includes Brandon Routh, who played Superman/Clark in Superman Returns almost twenty years ago. Director Joseph Kahn started in music videos and directed the action film Torque (2004). His Eminem-produced Bodied won the People’s Choice Award at several festivals, including the Midnight Madness section of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, AFI Fest, and Austin’s Fantastic Fest.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
IMAX SPACE STATION 3D is playing at AMC.
IMAX educational film.
JUMANJI (1995) is playing at Flix.
Flix Faves series.
JUJUTSU KAISEN: HIDDEN INVENTORY / PREMATURE DEATH is playing at Point.
Contemporary anime.
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
LILO & STITCH (2025) is playing at AMC, Palace, Point.
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (7/28) is playing at Point.
MATERIALISTS (2025) is playing at AMC.
M3GAN 2.0 (2025) is playing at AMC.
MET: LIVE IN HD SUMMER ENCORES - LA TRAVIATA, THE is playing at Point.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING (2025) is playing at AMC, Point.
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2025 is playing at AMC, Palace, Point.
OH, HI! (2025) is playing at AMC.
Directed by Sophie Brooks and starring Molly Gordon (Booksmart; Shiva Baby; TV’s The Bear). This had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
ROGER WATERS THIS IS NOT A DRILL: LIVE FROM PRAGUE is playing at Point.
SAIYAARA (2025) is playing at AMC.
Indian Hindi-language romantic drama, starring Aneet Padda and introducing new male lead Ahaan Panday. Produced by Yash Raj Films, usually a mark of reasonably consistent quality.
SHREK (2001) is playing at AMC.
SMURFS (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
SORRY, BABY (2025) is playing at AMC.
Indie dark comedy written, directed, and starring Eva Victor and produced by Barry Jenkins. Another film this week that debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. This one was released by A24 back in June, but that probably won’t help much here when it is up against another A24 release, Eddington.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is playing at Palace, Point.
SUMMER WARS 4K is playing at Point.
Re-release and 4K remaster of Mamoru Hosoda’s 2009 film. I liked his The Boy and the Beast (2015). His 2018 film, Mirai, was nominated for Best Animated Feature at that year’s Academy Awards.
SUPERMAN (2025) is playing at AMC, Flix, Palace, Point.
See my review last week, and follow up in the paid subscription post last Friday.
TANVI: THE GREAT (2025) is playing at AMC.
TOGETHER: EARLY ACCESS SCREENING is playing at Point.
Early access screening Wednesday, June 23, 7:00pm. Another horror film with some indie cred thanks to stars and real life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. It is quite the trailer. The official opening date is June 30, so maybe try some of the other horror films above this week if that is your thing.
TRANSFORMERS ONE (2024) is playing at Flix.
WILD ROBOT, THE (2024) is playing at AMC, Point.
Looking Ahead:
Rooftop Cinema, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
THE CATHEDRAL OF NEW EMOTIONS 7/31, 9pm (after sunset)
SUGARCANE 8/7
I-BE AREA 8/14
From Ryan Trecartin’s YouTube channel, WianTreetin (NSFW, language)
MILWAUKEE EXPERIMENTAL FILMS 8/21
I’m asthmatic, I wore masks without issue.
Great review, Jim — I'm seeing Eddington on Wednesday and look forward to comparing notes. I love that you're now embedding YouTube videos! Thanks for these teaser blurbs, too. Sorry, Baby is on my last, but I'm not sure I'll be able to see it before it leaves town. Thank you!