TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Starring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Zlatko Buric, Vicki Berlin, Dolly De Leon, Henrik Dorsin, and Woody Harrelson
Director: Ruben Östlund
QUENTIN
Triangle of Sadness is a lot, and it most certainly will not be for everybody. It effectively straddles the line between the biting satire of Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Death of Stalin) and the scatological humor of The Farrelly Brothers (Dumb & Dumber especially comes to mind). It’s about 40 minutes too long, and maybe a tad too smart for its own good, but there is no denying that it takes down its targets – the obscenely wealthy, influencer culture, and class politics - with marked precision. That said, is it a movie I’ll ever watch again? Probably not.
JACOB
Triangle of Sadness is likely to go down as one of the funniest movies of 2022, a true crowd movie that should be seen in a packed theater. The rich make their own dooms in Ruben Östlund’s biting, but slightly overlong, satire, which has as much to say about class, power, and privilege as most good movies of this kind. There are scene-stealing supporting players a plenty – including a hilarious Woody Harrelson and Zlatko Buric – but the MVP award is undoubtedly Dolly de Leon’s. Once she takes over the silver screen, all else fades in the shadow of her brilliant performance.
NICK
This magnifying glass on the entitled upper class is one of the wildest and funniest films I’ve seen this year. The teardown of differing societal viewpoints and the spoils of the rich are something director Ruben Östlund makes a meal of. However, though the jokes don’t dissipate, the film’s length is really felt in the latter acts. Standouts Harris Dickinson, Zlatko Buric, and the late Charlbi Dean do what they can to keep the momentum, but the film is never able to reach the heights of the early goings. Certainly an entertaining watch, but another example of a film with an unnecessarily bloated runtime.
PAIGE
If Gilligan's Island and The White Lotus were to have a movie baby, it would be Triangle of Sadness. Director Ruben Östlund sets sail into new waters with this bold, black comedy satire about class and privilege. It’s certainly an entertaining voyage, but the film could have been a wee bit shorter to not overstay its welcome. Still, I promise you this: Triangle Of Sadness will make you seasick from laughing so much, from beginning to end, due to its fantastic ensemble cast.
ADRIANO
I liked Triangle Of Sadness more than I didn’t, but it was still disappointing. It’s one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a while, and I was hooting and hollering for the majority of the film because its takedown of the super wealthy does make for entertaining satire. Sadly, the film’s length doesn't do it any favors, especially in the third act. You can feel the film’s 2.5 hour runtime. Plus, the plot and structure aren’t entirely clear, which makes it a little jarring. I can’t in good conscience call it a bad movie, but it didn’t live up to my high hopes.
This film was reviewed by Nick, Quentin, and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as by Jacob and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 New York Film Festival.