Mountainhead

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong directs this timely feature about how unchecked AI and deep fakes could lead real people in real countries to start real turmoil. The world reaches its breaking point just as four tech bros embark on a "no deals (= no business), no meals (= no staff) and no high heels (= no women)" retreat to Mountainhead, one of their luxury abodes in Utah, where they gaslight themselves into insouciance for having society's blood on their hands.

All four narcissists arrive with personal demons. Ven (Cory Michael Smith) wants to go "post-human" to relieve the stress that plagues him as the richest man alive. Randall (Steve Carell) is terminally ill and wants to live forever. Soups (Jason Schwartzman) is an insecure centi-millionaire desperate to crack the billionaires' club. And Jeff (Ramy Youssef) is the young upstart whose conscience weighs him down, though it's unclear whether that's a pre-existing force in his life or just the result of the technology he sells (i.e., guardrails for AI). Regardless, Jeff is the voice of reason and the audience participates through his journey. Whatever happens to Jeff can be seen as happening to all of us.

The Succession vibe is felt on every frame, surely by design. Armstrong brings back Nicholas Britell to provide the score, along with many of Succession's producers and crew in their respective roles. Since there's no way for a 100-minute film to replicate the nuances that made the show so popular over four full seasons, Mountainhead's cast attempts to re-create the same magic from scratch.

On that front, the actors hold their own. Carell and Schwartzman are reliable as ever, but Smith and Youssef are the real standouts. They somehow land their lines without getting in each other's way. This is particularly important given the tech-speak that permeates the script: boss cock; surpasso; emotionally incontinent; AI dooming; hyper-scale data centers; deceleration alarmism; doom-looping; de minimis; 8K photo-real; the antidote to bad tech is good tech... I mean it's an endless stream of rapid-fire gobbledygook--- but you never feel trapped or disoriented as a viewer. I credit that to their preparation as individuals and chemistry as a unit.

In terms of the point of the movie, I feel it could have been tightened up somewhat. In one hilarious sequence, a character is pressured by the others to acquiesce to *their plan for *his future: "Smile... show your teeth!" It's a brilliant, meaningful line that gets reiterated a few times, albeit too subtly for my taste. I think it could have been uttered at least once more to emphasize the idea of smiling for the camera while being forced against one's will, and thereby summarizing life under an oligarchy: we're merely pawns in somebody else's game.

Another exchange I enjoyed which reflects the dialogue in the film:

"I just feel if I could get us off this rock it would solve so much!" - Ven

"Well you know, it's a solid starter planet but we've outgrown it, no doubt..." - Randall

"I just want to get us transhuman! Life up on grid, Tron biking around, digital milkshakes-" - V

"To actually be in Plato's Academy *with Plato!" - R

"I just feel like the universe is taking a grip and tearing me apart. Like my torso's getting pulled apart with tremendous force and the emptiness of the galaxy is just rushing in." - V

"Mmm, not good." - R

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Whether Elon-Zuck-Bezos actually talk like this is besides the point. The film is fair in marking their priorities, in the same way that insiders believe the satire of Dr Strangelove could have easily happened in real life. To me, we can pursue life "up on grid" when we're dead- I'm sure there's plenty to discover out there lol! But to push into new galaxies at the expense of the world we've been blessed with is self-defeating. Mountainhead is clear about this, as well as the absurdity of rich people having the power to impose their will on the rest of us, plunder the earth and promote chaos in order to bankroll their next project, especially when none of the fruits will even be seen in our lifetimes-

I think this is where they want me to show my teeth.

I think people are being a bit harsh here. I laughed and winced a bit and enjoyed the performances somewhat. It doesn't reach the heights of Succession because it's not Succession. Yes it felt rushed and not of the standards set by his own crazy success, but it's an HBO movie satire that was shot in several weeks to hit on current hot topics. It's fine.

The story got a bit tedious towards the end and the jump in pace two thirds in didn't quite work. However, this was Jesse Armstrong's directorial debut and I'll be interested to see where he goes from here after an ok start - whether he doubles down on crafting himself as film director or sticking to TV.

If you can't think of something to watch and you want to laugh a bit at how awful the world is - and who runs it - give it a bash.

They're all intentionally insufferable, and I was happy for it to be over. I laughed once ('suddenly'). And though some of their behaviour is outlandish, they're not all that far-fetched when you look at the behaviour of someone like Musk, which is depressing, But I appreciated that we got a critique of the new tech overlord mindset so quickly after their collaborative inauguration with Trump. It's the kind of fast responsive filmmaking that we got at the start of covid and lockdowns. We shouldn't only have a diet of movies that have been years in development and don't reflect the present day.

"Mountainhead" is the kind of film that clearly could have been something special. The premise carries the weight of mystery and psychological depth, and you can sense that somewhere in there, buried beneath the missteps, is a brilliant story struggling to surface. Unfortunately, what we get instead is a film riddled with mediocre dialogue, undercooked ideas, and character choices that slide from naive into outright dumb.

The central theme had potential to explore something meaningful - maybe a descent into obsession or isolation - but it's hard to stay invested when the script constantly undercuts its own gravity. The male characters are frustratingly unrealistic: wealthy yet clueless to a degree that breaks immersion. Their actions, supposedly driven by ambition or fear, feel more like the product of lazy writing than believable motivation.

The cinematography and atmosphere hint at what the film could have been under stronger direction - moments of eerie tension and visual style do appear. But they're fleeting, drowned out by the clunky pacing and lack of coherence. It's a shame, really, because the bones of a great story are here. They're just never given a chance to shine.

"Mountainhead" isn't unwatchable, but it's a textbook case of wasted potential.

This movie is basically four rich guys talking in a fancy mountain house - that's it. And weirdly... I really liked it. At first I thought it was gonna be boring, but after 20 minutes I was fully in.

The characters are so over-the-top but also weirdly real. You really feel how disconnected they are from normal people. The dialogues are smart but not too heavy, and some moments are actually really funny in a dark way.

Souper was my favorite - trying so hard to be a billionaire with a meditation app, but clearly lost inside. The tension between the characters is always there, like something bad could happen anytime, but it never turns into a cliché.

There's no action, no music really, not much going on visually, but it still keeps you watching. It's just... different. And in a good way.

If you liked Succession or enjoy dark comedy with smart dialogue, give this one a shot. I didn't expect to like it this much.

Bonus points for making me laugh and feel a little uncomfortable at the same time.