The Laundromat Review
The storied director Steven Soderbergh’s stylistic and scattershot approach to his newest film The Laundromat may intrigue and hypnotize some viewers at the beginning, but the educationally meta approach to the movies humor and themes that Soderbergh insists on implementing ultimately creates a tonally disastrous structure. While its jarring narrative can sometimes result in rewarding satire, the overall story feels disappointingly disjointed and incohesive, relying heavily on the unsurprisingly fantastic performances from Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman to cultivate any lasting entertainment.
The Laundromat follows the radiant Ellen Martin as a dream vacation with her husband Joe goes wrong, resulting in Joe's untimely death. The series of events that unfold after her husband’s death inspires Ellen to begin investigating into a fake insurance policy attached to Joe’s life, but her interest soon throws her down a rabbit hole of offshore evasion, bribery, and other despicable dealings.
While screenwriters Scott Z. Burns and Jake Bernstein have attempted to forge something as entertaining as it is educational, the ambitious playfulness that’s present from the start quickly becomes tiresome and long-winded, betraying the energetic performances given by the cast and focusing too heavily on tongue-in-cheek monologues. Despite being witty and light-hearted in many ways, the narrative is ultimately something that Soderbergh’s smorgasbord of visual flair can only breathe life into for so long, eventually succumbing to its jumbled and indecisive storytelling elements.
What works most effectively throughout The Laundromat are the captivating performances by Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman, who at this point look effortless while turning out remarkable portrayals of their characters. The vast array of emotional tones that often burdens the film allows the cast to give polarizing performances that highlight the exceptional range Oldman and Streep have, who quickly fit naturally in a story that feels purposely exaggerated in many ways.
Certain creative decisions that come from the more experimental and exaggerated ways Soderbergh directs his films display his continued passion to approach diverse narratives differently. However, the elaborate directing paired with the messy story creates a film that is challenging to comprehend, resulting in a movie that chooses spectacle over story with unsatisfying results.
The fantastic performances given by Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman are unable to elevate the ambitiously playful aesthetic and dreadfully messy narrative of The Laundromat into anything memorable.
Produced By: Netflix
Runtime: 96 minutes
Rating: R