Succession creator Jesse Armstrong continues to skewer the world of the awfully rich (and richly awful) with his new tech bro satire Mountainhead.
Skipping theaters, the new movie premiered on Max on Saturday, May 31, with a linear broadcast on HBO that evening. Since release, the film has shot up the Max charts and is currently enjoying the global top spot.
And while audiences can’t stream the Succession follow-up quick enough, critics are loving what is fast becoming one of the best Max movies around at the moment, with the film currently sitting at a very respectable 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Armstrong’s latest dark comedy follows a group of Musk/Bezos/Zuckerberg types as they meet at one of their number’s secluded mountain retreat while the world faces AI-fueled turmoil that they may have played a not-insignificant part in creating.
Jason Schwartzman pops his head above the Wes Anderson parapet to play Hugo, the owner of the lodge looking to impress his billionaire buddies. Steve Carell, meanwhile, portrays Randall, the elder statesman of the group and an early tech mogul who has been raking it in since before the rest of the group were born.
Cory Michael Smith’s Venis is the wealthiest of the bunch and the owner of the social media platform at the center of the storm of disinformation engulfing the globe, while Ramy Youssef’s Jeff is an AI pioneer on the outs with some of the gang.
After four seasons of the critically acclaimed Succession, expectations were high for Armstrong and HBO’s next collaboration, and Francesca Orsi, EVP of Programming at the network is confident their continued partnership will deliver, saying: “We’re ecstatic to be back in business with the singular talent Jesse Armstrong […].’ Jesse once again raises the bar with a bold examination of modern greed, power and male ambition. That this feature serves as his directorial debut will only elevate what is already thrilling on the page, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this timely film with the world.”
What are the critics saying about Mountainhead?
As you’d expect with a high Rotten Tomatoes score, critics have plenty of praise for the film, with Globe and Mail commenting on the quality of the “inventively profane” dialogue which is “as enjoyable as Succession’s at its most absurd,” while Empire called it a “darkly funny” film with a “chilling final note.”
Some responses weren’t as positive, however, as some critics found the film lacked subtlety. Boston Globe said the movie was “satire as a blunt force object,” and critic Christian Toto criticised the way the film “piles on the hate, not the laughs.”
What’s the subscriber’s verdict?
Viewers have been even harsher on Armstrong’s latest, with the film sitting at just a 27% RT Audience Score. Many viewers compared the film unfavorably to Succession, with one saying it was like the show, but with characters that were “annoyingly fake and worse, unfunny.” Another called it “the most obnoxious movie I’ve ever seen” while a third said simply: “just terrible.”
Viewers over on Reddit were a little kinder though, with one poster calling the film “hilarious,” stating “Steve Carell was incredible in it.” Another praised the “fun dialogue and good laughs,” with other users saying “I really enjoyed this.”
Either way, if you’re a subscriber to one of the best streaming services out there and intrigued by what sounds like Succession meets Glass Onion, the film is available to stream on Max right now.
And if that doesn’t quite hit the mark, you can always check out one of the other movies and shows arriving on Max in June.
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For more Max-based coverage, read our guides on The Last of Us season 2, House of the Dragon season 3, Euphoria season 3, and The White Lotus season 3.
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