May December
An actress researching a notorious relationship turns a carefully maintained family life into a volatile laboratory of imitation, power, and moral unease.
Overview
A scandalous past resurfaces, threatening the fragile stability of a couple's life together.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- uncomfortable
- witty
- campy
- thoughtful movie night
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed the film as an elegant, layered, darkly funny, and deeply uncomfortable study of performance, power imbalance, and tabloid sensationalism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Elizabeth arrives to research a role portraying Gracie, while the household repeatedly reenacts and reframes the notorious relationship.
The film derives sharp comedy and stylized tension from scenes involving sexual abuse, grooming, celebrity imitation, and domestic normality.
The couple's past is defined by nationwide media attention and is transformed into a film project pursued by Elizabeth.
Elizabeth studies Gracie's mannerisms, Gracie manages the meaning of her past, and Joe's adult identity remains shaped by the scandal.
Films like May December, and why
All About Eve
shared camp-inflected satire, performance within performance, and corrosive examination of celebrity and female ambition
Persona
shared theatrical self-fashioning, psychological manipulation, and unsettling ambiguity around identity and performance
Notes on a Scandal
shared darkly comic treatment of taboo intimacy, power imbalance, and socially transgressive relationships
Carol
shared Todd Haynes interest in stylized melodrama, repression, and the unstable boundary between public image and private life
Movie Details
- Director
- Todd Haynes
- Release Date
- 2023-11-16
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1091)
Cast
- Natalie Portman
- Julianne Moore
- Charles Melton
- Cory Michael Smith
- Elizabeth Yu
- Gabriel Barbosa
- Piper Curda
- D.W. Moffett
- Chris Tenzis
- Andrea Frankle
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is May December about?
- An actress researching a notorious relationship turns a carefully maintained family life into a volatile laboratory of imitation, power, and moral unease.
- What is May December like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of May December as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is May December violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in May December.
- What did critics think of May December?
- Critics broadly acclaimed the film as an elegant, layered, darkly funny, and deeply uncomfortable study of performance, power imbalance, and tabloid sensationalism.
- Which films are like May December?
- Films with a similar feel include All About Eve, Persona, Notes on a Scandal, and Carol.
- How long is May December?
- May December runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch May December?
- In United States, May December streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
