Poor Things

Locations
Call Number: DVD Science-Fiction Poor
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Westgate Branch

Based on the novel by Alasdair Gray.
Originally released as a motion picture in 2023.
Wide screen (1.66:1).
Special features: Possessing beauty, the making of poor things; deleted things.
Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Mark Ruffalo, Jerrod Carmichael, Margaret Qualley.
From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
DVD, wide screen (1.66:1); English 5.1 Dolby, English AD 2.0 Dolby, French, Spanish Dolby; described video.
Contents: Poor things.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Disappointing submitted by lizgiessner on July 30, 2024, 4:28pm I thought that I would really like this given the actors and the movie's award nominations, but I didn't. I didn't mind the surreal strangeness, and I did like the feminist, progressive themes. However, I was very put off by the gore and raunchiness and I didn't find the story at all satisfying.

Monster Mash submitted by tarascon on August 4, 2024, 3:22pm The Bride of Frankenstein meets the sister of Edward Scissorhands. Add the distant cousin of Mulholland Drive and a liberal dash of Pygmalion and one has a briny visual feast redolent of oysters.

Recommended—but it’s definitely one for the imps of the perverse and their ilk. In my opinion this film does a better job of presenting women owning their bodies than, say, a movie like Barbie ever did. Nor does pedophilia neglect to rear its pathological head in the first section of the movie as Youssef and Ruffalo’s interest in our heroine suggests.
Parents are advised to lock their children in their room before viewing this wonderfully bizarre jaunt. :p

PS
Keep a weather eye open for an occasional Easter Egg. For instance, the name “Godwin” was the last name of Mary Shelley’s father. Have fun.

Not for me..... submitted by Zekicmom on August 9, 2024, 3:42pm But maybe for you? I have a feeling that this is a movie that people will either really like or really not like. I found it too strange and gory and filled with unethical behavior to enjoy. I don’t know why I thought it was going to be a comedy.

Intriguing submitted by Xris on August 23, 2024, 8:20am I had seen a video of Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. interviewing each other about their latest movies, and Mark's was Poor Things. The way they talked about his character and the actiing process beforehand intrigued me, but I didn't know much else about the movie. A friend told me it was like Frankenstein, and now that I've seen it, it is. Most of the people in Bella's life want to control her, but I liked how she went with her own desires. Definitely intriguing.