Beau Is Afraid Evokes Strong Reactions From Moviegoers, With Some Demanding A Refund And Others Raving About The ‘Masterpiece’
Many still haven't even processed their feelings.
The reactions below contain NO SPOILERS! So you’re safe to keep reading if you haven’t seen Beau Is Afraid yet.
When the reviews dropped for Beau Is Afraid — the latest offering from director Ari Aster — many critics were impressed with the cinematic feat, including our own Eric Eisenberg, who rated the hilarious and insane film 4.5 out of 5 stars. Others, however, seemed unsure about what they’d experienced, throwing out words like “chaos,” “anxiety” and “panic attack." The movie received a wider release in theaters Friday, pulling in $2.7 million at the box office this weekend (amid another terrific showing for The Super Mario Bros. Movie), and audiences are taking to social media with their own opinions of the A24 nightmare comedy.
It was obvious from the jump that this was going to be a divisive movie, to be honest. It sees Joaquin Phoenix taking on another extreme role in the titular character, who embarks on a surreal odyssey to get to his mother’s house after her sudden death. By the time Beau is Afraid's ending rolled around three hours later, audience members seemed stunned — though they don’t agree (or don’t know!) whether that’s a good or a bad thing. As one TikToker put it:
@itsheidiwong ♬ original sound - AntiNightcore
While some viewers were quick to call Ari Aster's latest one of their “faves of the year so far,” the general consensus of those who liked the movie (“enjoyed” may be overstating it), seemed perplexed and affected, deducing that that must mean it was good, right? According to this Twitter user:
Many of the positive reactions almost seemed to be reluctant, like fans were talking themselves into liking the film, including this viewer, who wrote:
While there were plenty of people who said they wanted to see the movie again — and some already planning their third viewing — others lamented never being able to get their three hours back. This TikTok user seemed nearly speechless, until finally finding the word to express her feelings about the flick:
@hannahandjuliaandmovies ♬ original sound - ✨ H & J 🎬
Another patron tagged Cinemark in their tweet, asking about the possibility of getting a refund:
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That is pretty bad, if you’d have rather been at work than the movies. Another social media user, meanwhile, refused to accept even the possibility that one could have liked it, tweeting:
Whether it is an impossible movie to like, or — as this Twitter fan said — there’s “magic in discomfort,” the pain elicited by Ari Aster through Joaquin Phoenix seems to be pretty universally agreed upon. Maybe it comes down to expectation and one’s definition of art. The fan continued:
Audiences reactions to Beau Is Afraid are certainly all over the board, and it’s pretty amusing to see how polarizing the opinions are. In short, some loved the experience, others despised it, and — probably more than anything else — others aren't quite sure what to think. Check your local theaters to see if the Joaquin Phoenix flick is playing near you, and take a peek at our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to see what else is set to hit the big screen soon.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.