FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Laundromat
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Meryl Streep
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

What It Is: When an incident in on vacation turns Ellen (Streep) into a widow she begins to go down a rabbit hole of shell corporations that lead to a Panama City, Panama legal firm called Mossack & Fonseca. This company owns several companies that are run by those at the very top of the wealth pile not just in America but in the world. But who do they answer to when something goes wrong and one of their shell corporation, an insurance company, is responsible for a fleet of boats…including the one involved in the incident with Ellen and her husband.

What We Think: So this thing is a complete mess. From a storytelling perspective, there are these disjointed tales that all circle back to this almost Greek chorus that is Oldman and Banderas as Mossack and Fonseca. Soderbergh has certainly made better work. I didn’t like this film. In fact, it was sad to see such a diverse and talented cast wasted with this 450 lb gorilla they call a script. Visually it’s blase and just sort of gets done. Whereas something like Unsane had a style (due to being shot on an iPhone) this doesn’t have that. Oldman and Banderas kinda take you out of the film rather than adding to it.

Our Grade: D+, I initially had this at a C- but after marinating on it I truly disliked this. It’s Soderbergh so it’s competent enough it’s just dull. Nothing of consequence happens because as seen as a thread is picked up they stretch it, light it on fire and forget about it. There are some things that happen at the end that are way WAY too on the nose. This is a Netflix film. There are certainly better films to watch on the platform. I don’t recommend this one.