May December caught my attention as soon as I saw two incredibly powerful leading women on the cover, Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. Covering some sensitive topics, I knew the film would be uncomfortable, but I wasn’t prepared for the creative choices made by Director Todd Haynes or the twists and turns that writers Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik brought to the script. Unfortunately, May December just doesn’t sit right, and not because of the subject at hand.
The film tackles a story about the Atherton-Yoos, a couple who began their romance when Joe Yoo (Charles Melton) was just a teenager, and Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore) was an adult, married, with children Joe’s age. We meet them 23 years later after Gracie went to prison and birthed their first child behind bars.
After prison, the two build a life together and go on to have two more children. We meet them as they are getting ready for a barbeque, and Portman’s Elizabeth joins them as they’ve agreed to let her study them for a role in a film about their romance. Though they seem to have a lovely life, we quickly learn that everything isn’t as perfect as it seems, and the happy family begins to fall apart at the seams.
Heading into May December, I thought I’d be faced with complicated feelings about a relationship that began with obvious legal ramifications. I figured we would end up sympathizing with Julianne Moore’s Gracie and rooting for the couple, but from the moment we meet them, something feels…off. If it wasn’t for a not-your-son kiss on the lips, I would have assumed that Gracie was Joe’s mother—though I suppose that’s the point, isn’t it?
“Heading into May December, I thought I’d be faced with complicated feelings about a relationship that began with obvious legal ramifications.”
Being uncomfortable was a part of the territory I was willing to explore. However, being met with dramatic music that seemed more fitting for a campy murder mystery from decades ago filled the film with a tackiness I just couldn’t ignore. This style of score was used repeatedly throughout May December, and never once did it feel fitting. Moments that could have been poignant and meaningfully tense were completely ruined time and time again.
The score wasn’t the only thing constantly pulling viewers out of the moment. Natalie Portman is playing an actress tasked with portraying Gracie in a film. From the beginning, it is clear that she is a method actor, trying to become Gracie and experience her moments in awkward ways. These were purposeful, albeit creepy, but had meaning.
Toward the end of May December, for only one scene, Julianne Moore suddenly begins exaggerating the way she speaks, almost with a lisp. This is solely so that we can be a part of another uncomfortable moment where Natalie Portman’s character mimics it. It felt more like Moore needed to create this voice so that Portman could impersonate it, but Gracie does not have this exaggerated voice anywhere else in the film.
“May December tries to explore all of these intricate relationships in under two hours, leaving a lot of possibly great stories on the table.”
The same goes for Charles Melton. Toward the beginning of May December, Joe seems reserved but very much a part of things going on around him. He is Gracie’s rock. Slowly, he seems to regress into someone who seems socially stunted and clearly unhappy with his life. The sudden realization that Joe is unhappy makes sense and propels the film forward, but when he can’t seem to communicate anymore (and I don’t mean expressing himself, I mean literally unable to form coherent sentences) or needs to be parented by his son, it feels very out of place.
I can’t decide if this is based on the script, direction, or Melton’s acting itself. Usually, he plays a strong, handsome, confident man. At the beginning of May December, we see him quieter than usual, absolutely. Still, when he cannot maintain eye contact or speak without stuttering, it feels forced and inconsistent with his character. Whether or not the issues with his character are based on his skill or based on creative choices from the writers or director, I’m not sure.
There are a lot of balls in the air in May December that could have made interesting plot points. Exploring the relationship between Joe and Gracie, or Gracie and the children from her first marriage, or properly developing the relationship between Elizabeth and, well, anyone, could have made for a very interesting film. But May December tries to explore all of these intricate relationships in under two hours, leaving a lot of possibly great stories on the table.
It feels like May December started as one movie and then ended as another, but it didn’t take any natural story beats to get there. We are given extremes of the good and the bad, but the characters living through these moments don’t seem to arrive at these emotions naturally. It’s like a switch flips, and they are completely different people. The film could have benefited from either being a limited series or just focusing on specific characters or moments to bring us a fuller, more cohesive story.
I’m all for a story letting us peek behind the curtain at a life that isn’t all it appears to be, but May December made choices that just didn’t flow and repeatedly pulled me away from feeling immersed or invested in the story in any way. I was excited to explore these complicated relationships and feelings, but I ended up feeling nothing but confusion. May December felt jarring and uncomfortable, but never in a purposeful way, leaving it a must-miss for me.
