Anora Movie Review | Was It Really The Best Picture Of 2024?

Alright folks, Chris here, back with another movie review, and this time, we're diving into the flick that's been making some noise: Anora. Now, I watched this one with my lovely wife, Joy, and we were both pretty curious about it, especially since it snagged some big awards.

So, let's get the details out of the way first. Anora features some folks you might recognize. We've got the lead, played by the talented Darby Vankovich as Anora. The movie was directed by Sean Baker, and it was a production from who knows, but it was out there and it got some attention. It came out, well, I’m not exactly sure the exact release date off the top of my head, but it’s been around for a bit. And the big news? It took home some Oscars! Specifically, Best Actress for Darby Vankovich, and get this, it even won Best Picture!

Now, the short and sweet of it? Anora is about a young woman working in the adult entertainment industry in New York City who gets involved with a wealthy, but troubled, young man. That's the gist of it, no spoilers here, but that's the setup.

So, what did Joy and I think? Well, overall, we had a good time with it. It was fun, very fun, and definitely entertaining to watch. It kept our attention, that’s for sure. But when you step back and think about it, did it scream "Best Picture" to us? Hmm, not exactly. It was a good time, a good watch, but maybe not in the same league as some of the other contenders we've seen.

I will say, going in, I kind of had this idea in my head it might be like a modern-day Pretty Woman type of thing. You know, a bit of a Cinderella story with a twist. But honestly, it felt more like something from the 90s or early 2000s in its vibe. You know what it reminded me of? And this is going to sound a little out there, but it felt like a better version of Showgirls. Like, what Showgirls could have been, or maybe even should have been, if they got it right. It had that kind of energy, you know?

Now, the big question is, why did it win Best Picture? I'm not going to sit here and argue that point too hard, but I will say, the actress who played Anora, Darby Vankovich, she absolutely carried that entire movie on her back. She was the driving force, the heart and soul of it all. She was fantastic. And the other standout performance, the young man, Igor, played by someone whose name I’m blanking on right now, but he was also really good. They definitely carried the movie together, but Anora, she was the anchor.

And the fact that the movie had an Oscar-winning "Ghost Face" killer in it? That was a fun little tidbit for me!

So, is Anora worth watching? Absolutely, yes! I'd recommend it to anyone. The cast was great, the story was interesting enough to keep you engaged. It's not the kind of movie I'm going to be itching to rewatch next week, you know? It's more of a "watch it once, maybe twice" kind of deal. I wouldn't be against seeing it again, but I'm not going to go out of my way to make it happen.

I was definitely curious about why it won Best Picture and why she won Best Actress. I can totally see why she won Best Actress – her performance was truly something. Whether it was the best picture overall compared to everything else out there is still a bit up in the air for me.

It's got a pretty high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, like 97%, which is pretty impressive. The performances were great, and the direction was solid. I even heard that the actress did a lot of research for the role, and you can tell that the people involved really put in the effort to make a good film.

So yeah, thumbs up from me. I liked it. Go check it out. It was funny when it wanted to be, and it was dark when it needed to be. It fired on all cylinders, as they say. It's worth the trip to watch it.

Alright, with that one out of the way, we're saying peace and be good. Thanks for watching our video, we really appreciate it. Remember, you can support our show by becoming a member or a Patreon, so hit that subscribe button and don't forget to ring the bell for notifications so you don't miss out on when we go live or post new content. Let's stay connected, grow this community together. Like, subscribe, comment, and let's keep talking!