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Mother Mary’ Draws Divided Reviews as A24’s Pop-Opera Opens in Select Theaters

Early reviews split between lush style praise versus doubts about narrative clarity.

Overview

  • The A24 release opens in select U.S. theaters with a nationwide rollout to follow, and a companion album billed as Mother Mary: Greatest Hits arrives alongside the launch.
  • Review roundups report a polarized response, with some critics lauding the performances and craft while others argue the film keeps viewers at a distance.
  • The Hollywood Reporter called it “distancing and empty,” and Variety labeled it “pretentious,” while Rolling Stone and IndieWire praised its ambition and big swings.
  • Anne Hathaway performs original songs written and produced by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX, with FKA twigs contributing to the music and appearing in the supporting cast alongside Hunter Schafer.
  • Critics highlight striking visuals and couture-driven staging, and some fault the film’s treatment of its central queer relationship as overly coy for a story sold as psychosexual.