A far cry from ‘Pretty Woman’ or ‘Erin Brockovich,’ our critic says, ‘After the Hunt’ is far from Julia Roberts’ best work.
Coming in hot off her Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for this film, Julia Roberts (“Closer”) plays Alma, a tenured professor at prestigious Yale University. She must side with either her star pupil or her favorite colleague, Hank, played by Andrew Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”), who has scathing sexual allegations made against him.
Nothing is as simple as just picking sides, though, as Alma has some hidden secrets and a past of her own to protect. Sounds rather intriguing, right? In theory, yes, with a cast also including Ayo Ebediri (TV’s “The Bear”) and an always fabulous Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me By Your Name”). “After the Hunt” has a promising script, a top-notch cast, and a delivery that will have you snoring before the mid-point mark.
A box office bomb, and I could truly see why. “After the Hunt” had no genuine intrigue to fill its cracks and just felt lengthy, with no real satisfying payoff. A far cry from “Pretty Woman” or “Erin Brockovich,” this was, without a doubt, my least favorite Julia Roberts role, who is now a washed-out platinum blonde.
I am not the brightest bulb in the box, nor am I a dummy by any means, but there were a few times I had to google a couple of the hifalutin terms that were used throughout to try and impress, and in the end, it only boggled the minds of the general viewing public.
“After the Hunt,” a drama filmed partly in New Haven, Connecticut, where the renowned university is located, receives a failing grade on all fronts. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it tried so hard to be something it was not. Skip it and keep praying for your next 2-hour work delay, just like we all did as kids, preferring to hit the snooze button rather than hit the books.
“After the Hunt”
Starring: Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Chloe Sevigny
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “4” paws out of 10.
Christopher Vernon is a proud NEPA resident and award-winning writer and author. He began writing film reviews on his page ‘The Movie Meow’ in 2018. His favorite two films of all time are ‘Thelma & Louise’ and ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ And of course, you guessed it, Chris adores cats.
