by Bret Easton Ellis had criticised Paul Thomas Anderson‘s new movie, One Battle After Another, claiming it will be viewed as a “musty relic of the post-Kamala Harris era”.
The movie, which arrived in cinemas on September 26th and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, is based on the original novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.
In the film, DiCaprio’s Bob is a former revolutionary who was part of the far-left group French 75, who ends up wound up abusing drink and drugs while living off the grid before being thrust back into action to save his daughter, Willa (played by Chase Infiniti).
However, Ellis, best known for being the author behind American Psycho, has taken to the latest episode of the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to share his confusion at the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the movie.
He told listeners (via World of Reel):” It’s kind of shocking to see these kind of accolades for, I’m sorry, it’s not a very good movie, because of its political ideology, and it’s so obvious that’s what they’re responding to, why it’s considered a masterpiece, the greatest film of the decade, the greatest film ever made. Because it really aligns with this kind of leftist sensibility.”
Ellis also expressed that he believes the legacy of One Battle After Another will be as a “musty relic of the post-Kamala Harris era, that thing everyone gathers around and pretends is so fantastic and so great when it really isn’t, just to make a point.”
The writer then discussed a review from the New York Times, which declared the movie “important”, arguing, “No, it is not. It has really not read the room. It has not read the room at all about what’s going on in America.”
Ellis continued his scathing assessment by saying, “There’s a liberal mustiness to this movie that already feels very dated by October 2025. Very dated. And it just doesn’t read the room. You know, it reads a tiny corner of the room, but it does not read what is going on in America.”
In a four-and-a-half-star review of One Battle After Another, Far Out wrote: “Revitalising old stars and launching new ones, it does it all there too, as every single element of this movie, every person and every detail, feels masterful. It’s a Hollywood romp that has been through the rigours of arthouse attention to detail and intention to stir.”
