Eddington Dives Into Chaos With Sharp Humor And A Twist

I stayed up way too late on a Monday night watching Ari Aster’s Eddington, thinking I’d get a playful Western. What I got instead? A fever dream that feels like any other quiet little town if 2020 rode in on a wild mustang and never looked back.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Joe Cross, the sheriff who’s part weary lawman, part guy desperately trying to make sense of a world gone sideways. Other big names include Pedro Pascal, as the town's mayor, and Joe's wife, played by Emma Stone. Zany, yet handsome Austin Butler shows up mid-movie as a cult-leader.

The movie takes everything that went sideways in 2020—mask debates, conspiracy theories, viral charlatans—and cranks it to eleven. It’s chaotic, absurd, and occasionally terrifying. It attempts to be funny, sometimes with success.

The film is gorgeous. Eddington could be a real place. Phoenix’s comic timing shines, even in moments that are painfully cringe-worthy, and the rest of the cast holds their own in a story that’s more about the chaos of human behavior than anything resembling a straightforward plot.

Here’s the thing: Eddington isn’t a Western about bandits or duels at high noon. It’s a Western about how people lose their minds when everything familiar starts to crumble—pandemics, politics, social media hysteria—all stirred together in one combustible town. And yes, it’s a little exhausting. I found myself looking forward to the end, and not just because it was past my bedtime.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟☆☆