VENICE: "Carnage" Reactions

I suppose this outcome is a tad bit less than surprising, but whatever. "Carnage" was the second big name on the list for appearance at Cannes, and after that trailer I was very much expecting the critics to react in such a way as this. The film itself seems to be less of a talking point than the characters and actors within it. There's enough positivity towards John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster, surprisingly enough. Kate Winslet seems to be the odd one out, which is even more surprising. Christoph Waltz, as per usual, is stealing the show again. So I'll still see the film when it arrives, but it won't be for Polanski, who isn't really a talking point at all here. Why'd he choose something that so belittles his importance?

Guy Lodge (In Contention; **1/2 out of 4): "It’s Christoph Waltz, however, who most creatively interprets and restyles Reza’s brittle writing, and consequently walks off with the film: elegantly wielding a slippery Euro-Yank accent and maintaining a chilly calm when the remaining characters are pushed into hysteria, his indifferent, work-wed father is the most waspish of the four, yet somehow the closest the script comes to a sympathetic character — if only because he seems to be the only one aware how awful they all are."

David Gritten (The Telegraph; *** out of 5): "Initially polite, their meeting lapses into prejudiced attacks and furious rows. There’s vomiting and drunkenness – a vase of tulips, a mobile phone and glossy art books are among the casualties. Waltz, as the rudest man in the room, gets the best lines. It’s well-acted and giddily enjoyable, if slightly less so once the characters start to analyse their descent into barbarism."

Oliver Lyttelton (The Playlist; C+): "For this writ er, it’s Jodie Foster who was the highlight. The double Oscar-winner has been on a sort of auto-pilot of late, but “Carnage” is a vital reminder of her talents; she’s appropriately brittle and sanctimonious, but she’s also the only cast member to let the audience feel something close to sympathy for their character, while never letting her off the hook."