Velvet Buzzsaw

photo courtesy of variety.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     In Velvet Buzzsaw, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a snobby art critic living in Miami Beach. The critic, aptly named Morf Vandewalt, spends his time searching for the next visionary artist and rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of the art community. There’s his lover Josephina (Zawe Ashton), gallery owner Rhodora (Rene Russo), an adviser named Gretchen (Toni Collette), and high-profile artists in various stages of their careers (John Malkovich, Daveed Diggs).

     Morf’s mood gets a boost when Josephina discovers the groundbreaking work of her recently deceased neighbor, an unknown artist. But things take a turn for the worse when the art begins murdering all the people who come into contact with it. Yes, you read that right, Velvet Buzzsaw is a movie about a critic who’s supernaturally targeted by the object of his critiques. So if I, ahem, mysteriously disappear in the next week or so, it might be in your best interest to stay away from Velvet Buzzsaw.

photo courtesy of collider.com

     It’s a weird premise on paper, and Velvet Buzzsaw remains just as weird in execution. An unusual blend of biting satire, the atmosphere of the artistic elite, and mainstream B-horror, it feels noticeably different… and ultimately a bit disappointing.

     The script is structurally solid. Writer/director Dan Gilroy, known for his successful screenwriting career and his directorial debut Nightcrawler, gives the film enough interest and humor to power through the stuck-up world of art galleries and fancy galas. The writing is sharp, self-aware, and, in its quest to skewer critics and wealthy art culture, not particularly concerned with subtlety. Add in a touch of mystery and a dash of fun, kitschy horror, and you’ve got the makings of something unique.

photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

     And yet, despite all the things Velvet Buzzsaw has working its favor, I enjoyed it only in bits and pieces. Something’s missing at its heart. Satires and horror films are both plenty amusing in their own right, but the movie doesn’t lean far enough into its horror or its satire to be entirely satisfying in either aspect. So while the ending wraps up every plotline and brings each character arc neatly to a close, it ultimately feels like the movie promised something it doesn’t quite deliver.

     FINAL VERDICT: Velvet Buzzsaw makes for an unusual and mildly interesting experiment, but it probably won’t captivate you.

Velvet Buzzsaw is rated R for violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and brief drug use.

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