Maps to the Stars
A viciously surreal Hollywood family drama where celebrity ambition, addiction, and inherited trauma turn Beverly Hills into a waking nightmare.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- sardonic
- eerie
- grotesque
- late night cinephile viewing
- dark double feature
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a gripping, acidic, and disturbing Hollywood satire, with strong performances—especially Julianne Moore's—despite an unwieldy, tonally uneven narrative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Weiss dynasty, Havana's pursuit of her mother's remake, and the actors' career anxieties turn Hollywood success into a corrosive family mythology.
The characters' medication, addiction, celebrity rituals, and supernatural visitations create the hyper-real atmosphere emphasized by critics.
The Weiss parents, child star Benjie, and returning daughter Agatha are bound by criminal history, addiction, trauma, and professional exploitation.
Havana's obsession with her dead mother, Stafford's self-help authority, and the family's extreme conduct are played as both horror and vicious social comedy.
Films like Maps to the Stars, and why
Sunset Boulevard
acidic hollywood satire, dysfunctional celebrity families, and poisonous show-business ambition
Chinatown
neo-noir atmosphere, hollywood corruption, and morally degraded characters
The Player
barbed celebrity culture satire, melodramatic excess, and scandalous family dysfunction
Black Swan
disturbing psychological drama, transgressive imagery, and corrosive ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- David Cronenberg
- Release Date
- 2014-05-21
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (1174)
Cast
- Julianne Moore
- Mia Wasikowska
- Robert Pattinson
- John Cusack
- Evan Bird
- Olivia Williams
- Sarah Gadon
- Kiara Glasco
- Dawn Greenhalgh
- Jonathan Watton
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Maps to the Stars about?
- A viciously surreal Hollywood family drama where celebrity ambition, addiction, and inherited trauma turn Beverly Hills into a waking nightmare.
- What is Maps to the Stars like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Maps to the Stars as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Maps to the Stars violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Maps to the Stars as brutal.
- What did critics think of Maps to the Stars?
- Critics generally found the film a gripping, acidic, and disturbing Hollywood satire, with strong performances—especially Julianne Moore's—despite an unwieldy, tonally uneven narrative.
- Which films are like Maps to the Stars?
- Films with a similar feel include Sunset Boulevard, Chinatown, The Player, and Black Swan.
- How long is Maps to the Stars?
- Maps to the Stars runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Maps to the Stars?
- In United States, Maps to the Stars is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
