Of all the strange films that I have gone to see this year, Eddington easily takes the cake. I first discovered this movie when a poster appeared at my local theater. With Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix leading the cast, I was intrigued. The trailer certainly made it feel like a political drama centered on a small town during the COVID-19 pandemic. While I am quite sick of the constant politics that get slammed into my personal internet algorithm, there was something about this movie that made me want to check it out. After watching it, I wish I had skipped it.

For those who don’t know, Eddington is a political satire film that focuses on the small town of Eddington, New Mexico, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is the main character of this film that we follow through all of the ridiculousness that happens when he decides to go toe to toe with the town’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), in the upcoming election, while also dealing with a fragile marriage with Louise Cross (Emma Stone). While at first things seem to be going in a dramatic direction with a microscopic look at political discourse in the United States, they constantly take strange turns in the plot that make this film feel like it can only be about America. From Cult Leaders to Assassinations to Grand Conspiracies to Internet Heroes, there is truly something for everyone to cringe at in this film.

Eddington was so painful to watch after a bit that I almost considered walking out of the theater. I tend to go to the movies for a bit of escapism from the general mundanity of life. This movie made it seem like they were showing me the worst parts of America as seen through the eyes of the terminally online. Dave Chappelle discussed the times that we are living in the Age of Spin. That is exactly what this film encapsulates.

There is so much going on at such a ridiculous degree and with an offsetting pace that it truly threw me for a loop. After watching it, I understand that this is what Director Ari Aster was likely aiming for. So in that aspect, he succeeds.

There are some absolutely great performances here. Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix do a wonderful job playing up the hostility towards each other and the pettiness that Liberals and Conservatives can get up to online. Austin Butler does a wonderful job playing the role of a cult leader and internet whack job through delivering dialogue that sounds absolutely bonkers to any rational human being in a creepy yet laidback way. Of all the actors, I have to give a very special shoutout to Michael Ward and Deirdre O’Connell. These two were the shining gems of the film as Michael played a cop who is steadfast in his duties despite the immense pressure placed on him throughout the story, and Deirdre did a phenomenal job at being a mom who goes a bit too deep into the rabbit hole until she is stuck on a path laid out to her by others.

The visual and sound effects are great in Eddington as they help to illustrate the different tones that are shown throughout. The representations in tonal change are always sudden, as there is rarely a visual or sound cue that lets the audience know something major is about to happen. Everything is sudden, which helps to dislodge the audience quite often in what to expect and from getting into a consistent visual in their head as to where the film is heading. 

Overall, this is a film that I think only those in political circles will truly enjoy. There is enough in here that conservatives can pretend that this is a Hollywood film for them, and also so that liberals can believe that this movie reinforces their overarching narratives. For me, Eddington just makes me sad since this is probably how a lot of people online view America today. This is not a film that I can personally recommend, and is one of two films from this year that I hope I never watch again.

Is it as bad as Black Bag? Maybe, but for completely different reasons. One last note, I don’t know if it is real or not, but I certainly didn’t have seeing Joaquin Phoenix’s dong on my 2025 Bingo card. If you are looking for a film that is a bit more appealing, check out my review of Ballerina right here. 

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Eddington

0.00

5.5

Score

5.5/10

Pros

• Standout Performances
• A Ridiculous Look at American Politics

Cons

• Way Too Long
• Too Many Leaps of Logic
• Cringe Inducing
• Seems like multiple scripts smashed together