A writer travels to the compound of a pop icon who disappeared years ago. Surrounded by his cult of sycophants, as well as a group of fellow journalists, she soon discovers his twisted plans for the gathering.
Welp, I didn’t expect to have a frontrunner for Best Original Song at the 2026 Oscars so soon, but the instant I heard ‘Dina, Simone, ’ it was on my shortlist.
I have listened to “Dina, Simone” at least ten times since I saw the movie. It’s a fucking great song. Two of the three songs written for the film are ones that will be added to any and all “Jangly Limb Dancing” playlists.
The songs were written by Nile Rodgers and The-Dream, and they are the perfect combination of nostalgia and modern sound.
But you probably don’t care about the songs, you want to know if the movie was good.
And my answer is yes, I enjoyed it a lot.
It reminded me of a grown-up Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The original, of course, with the Mike Teevee momma who gives me nightmares.
You know the story:
A mysterious famous figure comes out of retirement after a long stretch of time and invites a rag-tag group of folks to their “factory” (for lack of a better term) for a tour.
Or, in this case, a listening party of sorts.
Once they get there, it is much more of a production than it seems.
Honestly, this movie is simply a fun ride. There is a “twist” ending, I guess, but I understood it pretty early on. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the film one bit.
John Malkovitch and Ayo play off of each other so well. Both Murray Bartlett and Juliette Lewis eat up the screen whenever they are on it.
I don’t think this will ever be considered a great movie, but it will be viewed as a fun one, and rightly so.
I can’t wait to rewatch it over and over again, because I think it’s defitniely gonna become a Jacki Cult Classic.
And those are (obviously) my favorites.
