
HURRY UP TOMORROW
Starring: Abel Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan
Director: Trey Edward Shults

ADRIANO

After his performance in The Idol was destroyed, you'd think Abel Tesfaye would try to evolve; however, judging by the ego-fueled vanity project that he co-wrote, Hurry Up Tomorrow, he learned nothing. He's just awful, especially against Jenna Ortega, who's actually quite good. His performance aside, Tesfaye's narcissistic fingerprints are all over this, playing with psychedelic imagery and genre turns that feel purposeless and at odds with director Trey Edward Shults' previous use of those techniques. It feels like it exists mostly to sell an album, but also to fuel a self-image hidden by phony self-reflection. It's simply terrible.

BODE

On his album Hurry Up Tomorrow, Abel Tesfaye attempts to retire his alter ego, The Weeknd, for good, reflecting on his own fame, pain, and healing through vulnerable lyrics and blockbuster production. It’s effective, if a tad bloated. The same can’t be said about its companion film, where director Trey Edward Shults’ technical artistry can’t distract from its failure to add more context to its themes, especially when it devolves into Gen-Z Misery (with Jenna Ortega as an Annie Wilkes-type). It’s not a total dumpster fire, but I don’t think that even the most hardcore Weeknd fan will get much out of it.