Anora (2024) Review: Mikey Madison’s Breakthrough Performance Elevates Sean Baker’s Overlong But Spirited Romantic Dramedy

Who could have guessed Sean Baker chose to open his Palme d’Or winner Anora with Take That’s “Greatest Day” playing in the background during the opening stretch takes place in a — hold on — New York strip club? The wholesome, feel-good song may sound like an odd choice for a scene depicting exotic dancer Ani (Mikey Madison) meeting and flirting with different guests and giving private lap dances in a VIP room. Awkwardly misplaced soundtrack? The song choice surprisingly complements the scene well, bringing the otherwise taboo profession into a non-judgmental, positive light.

Baker, who also wrote the screenplay, doesn’t stereotype Ani’s line of work but rather portrays her with a sense of empathy. When we first met Ani, it was hard not to fall in love with her beauty and likeable personality, and many men came to the club to enjoy her company. The movie soon introduces Vanya a.k.a. Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), a Russian young man who can only speak limited English but Ani can understand him well. And yes, she can speak his mother tongue too but only when she has to.

So, for the next 40 minutes or so, it’s like a Pretty Woman-style fairy tale dream comes true when Ivan, who happens to be the son of a highly influential oligarch, favours Ani. She certainly scores a jackpot as Ivan showers her with lots of money in exchange for sex (she also moonlights as an escort if the price is right). Ivan even booked her to be his girlfriend for a week, which is an offer she can’t refuse and their moments of more sex and spending time together see Baker embracing the romance genre wholeheartedly.

Then comes Ivan’s proposal and it’s a yes for Ani as they quickly get married in a Las Vegas chapel. The spark in the chemistry seen between Madison and Eydelshteyn is undeniable while Baker’s assured direction nearly convinces me that Anora is going to be a masterpiece. The first 40 minutes is the epitome of how the story, acting, writing and direction all harmoniously come together.

But what follows next becomes a hit-or-miss affair, particularly after Ivan’s parents (Aleksey Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova) eventually find out about their son’s marriage to an escort. This leads to their U.S.-based Armenian priest and fixer Toros (Karren Karagulian) to help oversee the matter and make sure their marriage is annulled at all costs.

So, Toros sends his men Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to Ivan’s home for the marriage certificate, resulting in a lengthy but hilarious scene of Ani is left dealing and struggling with the two persistent goons while Ivan chooses to abandon her and run away. She insists she’s Ivan’s husband and even shows them the ring on her finger before she goes wild as the two have a tough time subduing her.

The ensuing shouting match can be annoyingly obnoxious at times but credit still goes to Baker for his tonal shift from the fairy tale romance to a mean-spirited screwball-comedy vibe. However, the rest of the movie somehow reduces to a series of rinse-and-repeat moments of the disgruntled Ani being forced by Toros, Garnick and Igor on a long ride to track down Ivan. It makes me feel the nearly 140-minute length could have trimmed off some of the unnecessary fats, even though Madison’s magnetic presence as Ani remains the heart and soul of the movie.

Somewhere in between the repetitive nature of the wobbly second half, Baker manages to sustain his focus on Ani’s plight trying to rectify her messy situation no matter how slim her chances are. Then, at one point, her fate changes in an unexpected way which culminates in a bittersweet finale that I didn’t see coming.