IndieWire’s review of "Closing Night" states that even Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson cannot rescue the film, calling it a mangled melodrama. The article notes that Cody Fern’s feature directorial debut at TIFF attracted a strong cast but suffers from a wildly uneven tone and poor handling of its material.
Why it matters
Fans of Naomi Watts will see that her latest film received a notably critical review.
Key facts
- IndieWire’s headline says Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson can’t save "Closing Night".
- The review calls the film a mangled misfire of a melodrama.
- The article notes Cody Fern’s directorial debut at TIFF drew a murderer's row of exceptional acting talents, including Watts.
- The review criticizes the film’s tone as wildly uneven and its handling of material as detrimental to the actors.
Evidence
Official source, or corroborated across several outlets.
- ‘Closing Night’ Review: Even Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts Can’t Save This Mangled Misfire of a Melodramaindiewire.comprimary(opens in a new tab)
- ‘Closing Night’ Review: Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts Lead a Deluxe Cast in a Shrill Family Melodrama in Search of a Binding Tonehollywoodreporter.com(opens in a new tab)
- ‘Closing Night’ Review: Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts Are Warring Sisters in Cody Fern’s Deliciously Histrionic Melodramavariety.com(opens in a new tab)
How this update was made
- Written by AI. The headline, summary, “why it matters” and key facts were written by an AI model from the 3 reports under Evidence, and from nothing else.
- Checked by a program, not a person. Before it was published, every name, number and date in that text was matched against those reports. One that did not match would have thrown the whole summary away.
- Rules, not the AI, set the labels. “How sure we are” comes from who reported it and how many did. The importance score is a fixed formula over the kind of story and its sourcing; the kind of story is read from the headline by rules and by the AI.
- No one reviews it first. Updates are published as they arrive. If one is wrong, a person corrects or withdraws it at this address, and it says so.
More about Naomi Watts
- Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale return as production begins on The Watcher Season 2ReportedConfidence: Reported. Credible reporting, but no official confirmation yet
- Naomi Watts praises husband Billy Crudup for backing her menopause activismReportedConfidence: Reported. Credible reporting, but no official confirmation yet
- Naomi Watts dedicates Donostia Award to David Lynch at San Sebastian Film FestivalReportedConfidence: Reported. Credible reporting, but no official confirmation yet
- Naomi Watts says standards have changed for older women while receiving Donostia Award at San Sebastián Film FestivalReportedConfidence: Reported. Credible reporting, but no official confirmation yet
Follow Naomi Watts
Get the next update like this one, with its sources attached. Or see everything we hold on them.