Disgraced Director Roman Polanski’s Latest Movie Gets 0% at Rotten Tomatoes Starring Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 2 Co-Star
Rotten Tomatoes, a popular website known for its movie rankings based on the average ratings from critics, has not been kind to The Palace, the latest work directed by the controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski. The film made its debut at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, but its initial reception was far from promising. In fact, the movie received an abysmal 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes following its first reviews. However, it’s important to note that this score is likely to evolve as more people watch and critique the film.
The Palace is a dark comedy set against the backdrop of a New Year’s Eve dinner in 1999 at the Gstaad Palace, a luxurious setting. The film explores the premise of the evening taking a disastrous turn, promising an intriguing mix of humor and suspense. Notably, the cast is filled with notable names in the film industry, including Oliver Masucci, John Cleese, Fanny Ardant, Luca Barbareschi, and Mickey Rourke, which adds to the anticipation surrounding the film’s release.
Why Roman Polanski’s The Palace Struggles to Win Over Audiences?
The current live reviews of Roman Polanski‘s The Palace paint a bleak picture of the film’s reception, with many critics holding nothing back in their scathing assessments. The consensus among reviewers suggests that The Palace is, in their eyes, a particularly terrible cinematic offering. This sentiment extends not only to the film itself but also to the choices made by its director, Roman Polanski, which are viewed as directly influencing the questionable cast selection and the creation of a dark, unrelenting grotesque narrative that comes across as a defiant statement to the world.
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One of the primary critiques aimed at the movie revolves around its humor, or rather, the perceived absence of it. Critics argue that the humor in The Palace feels painfully outdated. The film’s inability to resonate with contemporary audiences in terms of humor is seen as a major drawback, further contributing to its negative reception. The film’s shortcomings have left even the most ardent defenders of Polanski’s work struggling to find merit in this particular creation.
However, the criticisms don’t end with the film’s artistic shortcomings. The Palace is also facing practical challenges in terms of distribution. The project has encountered significant difficulty in securing distribution in major markets such as the United States, Britain, and France. As a result, it has only managed to secure distribution rights in continental Europe. This distribution hurdle is reminiscent of the obstacles Polanski faced with his previous film, The Officer and the Spy (2019), suggesting that “The Palace” is facing a pattern of difficulties beyond its critical reception.
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Mickey Rourke’s Presence is Adding Star Power to a Controversial Film
The Palace is a movie that tells a story set in a fancy hotel in Switzerland called the Gstaad Palace. It shows how the hotel’s workers interact with incredibly rich guests as they prepare for a big New Year’s Eve party to welcome the year 2000. The hotel staff’s main job is to make sure they fulfill all the wishes and desires of these very rich and showy guests who really love luxury and extravagance.
As the film explores this lavish world, the plot takes increasingly absurd and comical turns. Enter Mr. Crush, initially resembling a caricature of an American businessman with an orange complexion and blond wig. Shockingly, this caricature is none other than Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 2 Co-Star Mickey Rourke himself, boldly embracing the role. Mr. Crush becomes entangled in a shady Y2K bug-related business venture, introducing financial intrigue.
But things get wilder when Mr. Crush’s doppelganger, his secret son from a distant place with a quirky name, arrives at the hotel with a Chevrolet keychain as proof. He drops the bombshell revelation, proclaiming, “I’m the fruit of your college love!” This unexpected twist adds a new layer of family craziness to the already bizarre story, elevating its comedic and intriguing aspects.
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Source: CBR
