David O. Russell’s latest cinematic bow Amsterdam has been given a rude awakening during its cinematic run, and audiences still have plenty more to say about it as they set crosshairs on its impressive cast.
Despite a supremely talented cast featuring the likes of Margot Robbie, Rami Malek, Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, and Anya Taylor-Joy, Amsterdam looks set to be one of the biggest box office bombs of 2022. Thanks in no part to its director’s controversial history, it’s set to lose close to $100 million for 20th Century Studios.
One particular scene has ignited the internet critics, with comparisons of its A-list cast giving performances as strong as those from a high school play. Within this one clip, almost half have been nominated or won an Oscar. Yes, somehow. Garnering over 1.7 million views on Twitter, the video has probably left more of a mark on culture than the film itself.
Some believe it’s too harsh on high school productions to liken Amsterdam to it. The lighting in this scene has also been singled out as a major shock, with almost zero depth in any given frame, but instead a black void. You know, like a high school drama set would have.
The failure of Amsterdam has been a cause of some serious internet schadenfreude, as Russell continues to be a public enemy number one over his alleged misdeeds. Among the most well-known is Russell groping his niece, who was on hormone replacement therapy, with this incident even being confirmed by the man himself, who attributed it to his niece’s “provocative behavior (?!)”
Maybe the failure of Amsterdam is proof of cinemagoers growing a conscious and actively voting with their feet after learning of frankly terrible behavior. So far grossing just $10 million from a budget of $80 million, Amsterdam is currently in cinemas.