• Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
Crooked Marquee
  • Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
Home
Reviews

Review: Bliss

Feb 4th, 2021 Abby Olcese
Review: Bliss

Bliss is the first film from writer-director Mike Cahill in roughly seven years. His previous features, 2014’s I Origins and 2011’s Another Earth, explored concepts of science and philosophy, with Cahill weaving larger ideas about the universe through his earthbound stories about loss, regret and hope. Bliss continues Cahill’s storytelling interests, but idea-wise, it’s wildly unfocused. The sci-fi drama starring Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek is at best baffling, and at worst, misguided.

Wilson plays Greg Wittle, a daydreaming office worker dealing with a recent divorce and a possible pain pill addiction. On the day he’s fired from his dreary job, Greg meets the enigmatic Isabel (Hayek) at a dive bar across the street from his former office. Isabel informs Greg that they are two of roughly a handful of “real people” trapped in a Matrix-style simulation. By consuming the bright yellow crystals contained in Isabel’s amulet necklace (the amulet is the size and shape of a prescription bottle), the pair exhibit telekinetic powers.

While Greg hangs out with Isabel in her camp on the banks of the L.A. river, Greg’s daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper) is trying to find him. Emily is concerned that Greg’s losing his grip on reality, not only because of the cool new abilities he thinks he has, but because his dropping out of her life is consistent with an apparent history of addiction. Greg’s growing confusion about the state of the world is complicated further when Isabel takes him out of the simulation and shows him the “real world,” a sun-drenched intellectual paradise that reflects Greg’s own dreams.

The idea at the heart of Cahill’s script is interesting enough, even if it isn’t new. The way it intertwines with an addiction metaphor is a concept that, if done properly, is worth pursuing. However, Bliss becomes so enamored with the minutiae of its worlds that it loses focus on the kind of story it wants to tell. It’s uncertain if Greg’s experiences with Isabel are delusions brought on by drug addiction, or if they’re real. We spend enough time with supporting characters in both presented worlds to suggest they’re equally plausible. This doesn’t spark further consideration so much as it muddies the narrative and its overall themes.

Similarly, Cahill’s vague consideration of the current state of our world feels underdeveloped in a way that takes any potential power out of his message. Apart from his addiction and the larger effects of it (which are mentioned but barely addressed), Greg’s main problem is a general sense of ennui. The world he inhabits is unpleasant, but the specific issues–for instance, global warming or racism–are never directly named. We’re likely supposed to imply those societal ills, but given the hyper-specific social climate of the last year, the result here feels platitudinal. 

Bliss points at some high-minded intellectual ideas, but can’t seem to organize them in a way that creates a compelling arc for its protagonist, or the characters surrounding him. The central metaphor is deadened by the dozens of competing themes surrounding it, which eventually lead to a kind of inspirational meme-style sincerity that feels out of touch. It’s a straight white male take on striving for a better world, one unsurprisingly tailored to its main character’s desires–clean, bright, heterosexual and European.

C-

“Bliss” streams Friday on Amazon Prime Video.

 
  • Tags
  • movie review
Facebook Twitter Google+
Abby Olcese

Abby Olcese

Abby Olcese is a film critic and pop culture writer. In addition to writing for Crooked Marquee, she is also the film editor at The Pitch magazine. Her work has appeared in Sojourners Magazine, Birth. Movies. Death., SlashFilm and more. She lives in Kansas City.

Related Posts
Review: <i>Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry</i>
Kristy Puchko

Review: Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

Feb 25th, 2021
Review: <i>Minari</i>
Abby Olcese

Review: Minari

Feb 25th, 2021
Review: <i>I Care a Lot</i>
Abby Olcese

Review: I Care a Lot

Feb 18th, 2021
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
* indicates required
Trending
Feb 10th 8:22 AM
Movies

Bring Back the Oscar Host(s)

Apr 24th 10:50 AM
Humor

‘High on the Hog’ and Other Movie Pitches Based on Common Sayings

Oct 8th 9:00 AM
Reviews

Review: Charm City Kings

Feb 11th 9:00 AM
Reviews

Review: Judas and the Black Messiah

Feb 24th 9:00 AM
Looking Back

Paid in Full‘s Strange Journey from Half-Hearted Release to Cult Favorite

Apr 16th 7:00 AM
Looking Back

‘Grizzly Man’ and Our Obsession with Being on Camera

Jun 27th 4:07 PM
Humor

PSA: How to Tell the Sentient Doll Movies Apart

Aug 5th 2:00 PM
Movies

REVIEW: Logan Paul Comedy Airplane Mode

Mar 18th 9:00 AM
Movies

George Romero: Prophet of the Pandemic

Jun 15th 9:00 AM
Movies

VODepths: What to See (and Avoid) On Demand This Month

blank
cmpopcorn_white3.svg
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Writers Guidelines
  • Members
    • Login
    • SignUp
    • Forums
telephone icon [email protected]
envelope icon [email protected]
© 2014-2020 Crooked™ Publishing
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
blankblank