Meryl Streep (“Sophie’s Choice,” “Big Little Lies”), a cruise ship, an Oscar winning director and actors, and a script from a literal professor of literature. What could possibly go wrong? Well, the thing is, nothing really is wrong with this new HBO Max original film “Let Them All Talk.” The end result just ends up being less than the sum of its parts.
Streep plays Pulitzer prize winning author Alice who invites her two oldest friends and her nephew on a cruise across the Atlantic. It seems as though this is a gesture of goodwill to her old pals and an effort to reconnect with them, but it quickly becomes apparent that more sinister motivations might be afoot.
At least, that’s how things seem at the beginning. Within the first 15 minutes there’s an elaborate set of scenes featuring all the various characters who will be going on the cruise discussing with others why they’re going; Alice’s nephew Tyler, her two friends Roberta and Susan, and her literary agent Karen. Each seem to have something boiling under the surface that makes them want to travel with her, and it seems to be the elements for a ripe and catty dramedy.
It is, at first. With the first half of the film, each puzzle piece and character motivation is slowly being revealed. There are family dramas, money issues, potential love interests, and professional rivalries. It seems that things might be building to a series of big dramatic climaxes. It feels like director Steven Soderbergh’s (“sex, lies, and videotape,” “Ocean’s Eleven”) heist films, where at first you see them planning everything before they finally execute it all.
Yet, those revelations and executions never come. Some plots are resolved, though in less than satisfying ways. As the films continues and it becomes more and more apparent that things aren’t going to end with a flourish and more so with a slump, it becomes a far less engaging piece of filmmaking.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the goal of the film was to just be a light and breezy affair where you just get to watch talented actors acting off of each other, but again, the first half is constructed almost like the first half of a mystery, but the payoffs simply don’t come. It’s as if Soderbergh changed his mind on what kind of film he was making halfway through editing it.
The script, or plot outline, by Deborah Eisenberg is entertaining for the most part. Soderbergh reportedly took just her outline and let a large majority of the dialogue be improvised. While this means it does feel very conversational and, in the moment, a large number of big events are referred to in hushed tones. It’s hard to tell if they’re meant to be overly ambiguous or if something is simply just not connecting as a viewer.
However, all is not lost. The film is gorgeous to look at, with Soderbergh himself serving as cinematographer. It’s almost like a love letter to the kind of small form films he used to make, with all natural lighting and a refined simplicity that makes everything a joy to look at.
The acting as well is superb. Even as the plot and some dialogue crumbles around them, these characters remain interesting thanks to the actors themselves. Streep is as excellent as she always is, delivering a wonderfully catty and undermining performance in Alice. Her nephew, played by Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased,” “Lady Bird”), is also a great joy. It’s easy to root for him and watch him fall prey to his aunt’s traits and manipulative nature as she continues to rub off on him in the worst way. Alice’s literary agent is also very charming, played by Gemma Chan (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Crazy Rich Asians”). Like the other characters, it’s a delight to watch her riff off of Hedges, and, unlike the occasional dud delivered by the others, she simply doesn’t have a bad line in her entire performance.
Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown,” “Miss Congeniality”) and Dianne Wiest (“Parenthood,” “Hannah and Her Sisters”) as also in top form as Alice’s two friends Roberta and Susan. While Susan feels a bit like a placebo, sitting around and not really doing much, she’s still a joy to spend time with thanks to Wiest. Roberts seems as though she has the most meat on her story. Bergen’s performance is top notch, and her character’s plot is the most fully formed of the entire film.
It’s a shame, given the largely great improvisation, terrific performances, and stunning visual style, that “Let Them All Talk” just feels thin and undercooked. There simply is too much talking and not enough actual plot. It might be fun for a spell, and the first half is terrific, but as things continue to unfold, it quickly becomes apparent that this story is only going to end with a sputtering whimper instead of the explosion it seems to be leading to. 2.5/5
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