This #MeToo melodrama isn't great, but Julia Roberts' performance is

"Here, though, Roberts is no crusader for justice; she's a woman defined by emotional guardedness and moral ambivalence. She plays Alma Imhoff, a philosophy professor at Yale. Alma is brilliant, respected and more than a little aloof, but she does have her favorites, including a prized Ph.D. student, Maggie, played by Ayo Edebiri, from The Bear. Alma is also close friends with a younger male professor, Hank, played by Andrew Garfield."

"Early in the movie, which is set in the fall of 2019, Alma throws a dinner party with her psychoanalyst husband, Frederik a wickedly observant Michael Stuhlbarg. Hank and Maggie are both guests, and the conversation turns to Maggie's dissertation, which is supposedly brilliant. But before long, Hank, who's clearly had too much to drink, begins ribbing Maggie and other Gen-Zers like her. The screenwriter, Nora Garrett, writes juicy, florid dialogue that plays like a knowing Hollywood parody of academia-speak."

"But beneath all the party chatter, there's an undercurrent of hostility a sense that everyone here has something to hide. That includes Alma, who's concealing some dark secrets from decades earlier, which the film keeps alluding to and which threaten to resurface. And then the next evening, Alma receives some shocking news from Maggie: After the party, she says, Hank walked her home and then sexually assaulted her. Maggie plans to report the assault and asks for Alma's help,"

Julia Roberts plays Alma Imhoff, a brilliant yet emotionally guarded Yale philosophy professor whose moral ambivalence shapes her relationships. Alma favors a prized Ph.D. student, Maggie, and maintains a close friendship with younger professor Hank. A dinner party unspools witty, florid dialogue and an undercurrent of hostility that suggests hidden pasts. Alma conceals dark secrets from decades earlier that threaten to resurface. The next evening Maggie reveals that Hank walked her home after the party and sexually assaulted her, and Maggie intends to report it while seeking Alma's help, which Alma hesitates to give.

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