A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.
- Awards
- 9 wins & 23 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Summary
Reviewers say 'Babygirl' has received mixed reactions, with critics praising Nicole Kidman's performance and the film's exploration of complex themes. Audience reactions are divided, with some appreciating the provocative narrative and strong performances, while others find it messy and unrealistic. Cinematography and direction are highlighted as strengths, but the story and character development are criticized for being underdeveloped and predictable. Overall, 'Babygirl' is seen as thought-provoking with strong performances, though it may not appeal to all viewers.
Featured reviews
Poorly written script, no meaningful plot or character development, generic emotions and shallow submission psychology all packed in "own your kink like a boss" pseudo-feministic narrative that can sell pretty much anything nowadays. No eroticism, no emotional depth, no intellectual or psychological insights, no story.
Interestingly, after "Eyes Wide Shut" Kidman had another wish to play a frigid woman who marries a guy that never brings her to orgasm... Why oh why? One failure was more than enough.
Sex sells, celebrities sell - sadly, these are the only reasons why this boring film got so much attention.
Interestingly, after "Eyes Wide Shut" Kidman had another wish to play a frigid woman who marries a guy that never brings her to orgasm... Why oh why? One failure was more than enough.
Sex sells, celebrities sell - sadly, these are the only reasons why this boring film got so much attention.
This is not the movie I was hoping for. It felt awkward at times, with cringe worthy scenes. As much as I enjoyed Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson was not enjoyable for me on screen. I felt like it could have been sexier, and more kink satisfying. I literally laughed at some scenes when I should have enjoyed them. A theme I'm into, but this wasn't it for me. Antonio Banderas was a perfect fit for the part! You felt for the husband, and i bought his pain. I really wish this would have been better, but as it is, I don't think I'd care to ever watch it again.
Saw in theaters at AMC with Nicole on 12-27-2024.
Saw in theaters at AMC with Nicole on 12-27-2024.
Underdeveloped characters' storyline, the dialogue between them is flat, absolutely no chemistry between the main character and the young man. Nicole Kidman's character, meant to be a layered portrayal of vulnerability and control, comes across as shallow and poorly developed. The supporting cast, including Antonio Banderas, is equally underutilized, leaving their roles feeling more like afterthoughts than essential parts of the story. The script lacks depth, relying heavily on melodrama and predictable tropes rather than offering any fresh perspective on female desire or empowerment. Scenes that aim to be provocative or intense often feel forced and unconvincing, making the film's attempts at emotional resonance fall flat.
The pacing is another significant issue. The movie drags in its middle act, with repetitive dialogue and unnecessary subplots that add little value to the overall narrative.
The pacing is another significant issue. The movie drags in its middle act, with repetitive dialogue and unnecessary subplots that add little value to the overall narrative.
Maybe if young actor Harrison Dickinson didn't play such a smug, arrogant creep, it would be easier to believe Nichole Kidman's character could instantly develop such a dangerous attraction to him in the new erotic thriller "Babygirl."
And maybe if there weren't a real person named Luigi Mangione seducing millions of social media followers with a similar posture of sexy entitlement as he faces murder charges for a cold-blooded killing, it would be easier to dismiss this kinky drama written and directed by Halina Reijn as pure fantasy.
Either way, the movie is pretty much of a mess.
It's getting a bit of buzz at the moment for Kidman's recent Golden Globe nomination, and for the - gasp - lengths she went to to earn it.
In case you've missed the sizzling ad campaigns, "Babygirl" opens with an apparently nude Nicole testing the limits of R-ratings in the throes of passionate lovemaking with her husband (Antonio Banderas). As though that's not steamy enough, she finishes up with a kinky encore orgasm in front of her computer screen.
All this before the opening credits, and the scenes establishing her character Romy Mathis as the founder and CEO of a cutting-edge company that's streamlining Amazon-style commerce with robotics.
With her successful playwright husband, two beautiful teenage daughters, a corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline, a penthouse and a mansion in the country, Romy's got it all. And she rules her domain with aloof, absolute control.
At least until the intern shows up.
His name is Samuel (Dickinson) and they meet by accident when he saves her from a savage German Shepherd attack on the sidewalk in front of her office. Later that morning she is formally introduced to the dog whisperer as a member of her company's incoming class of interns.
Samuel stands out of the crowd - at 6-foot-2 he towers over them, actually - but this doesn't explain why Romy can't keep her eyes off the condescending sneer usually on his face. He makes his disregard for her authority clear from the get-go, with the kind of attitude that would a guy fired, pronto, in any corporate setting in anyplace remotely resembling the real world.
Instead, Romy chooses to risk everything she has created and built in her corporate empire and perfect family to get him to practice some of that dog whispering on her.
What follows is lots, and lots, of seedy hotel rooms, office desk tops and even a rave, for her to keep discovering how low can she go. Turns out she was faking it in her perfect world. This young-enough-to-be-her-son lover is offering her a way out ... she thinks, and she's willing to commit career suicide to prove it.
Last year Emma Stone won the Oscar and a Golden Globe for her bold foray into sexuality in the brilliant "Poor Things." She made sex mainstream for awards season.
Kidman gets points for guts for following Emma's lead, and for still having an if-you've-got-it-flaunt-it body in her late 50s. But she still comes in a distant second to Stone's groundbreaking performance, which sealed the deal with a healthy sense of humor on the whole subject of sex.
Besides the corporate backstabbing and snake pit treachery, there are themes of fragile family dynamics along with Romy seriously twisted psyche in "Babygirl." But that's not what the audience has come to see.
Unfortunately, for those of us who never got the concept of power as an aphrodisiac, or are color-blind when it comes to differentiating 50 shades of gray, Reijn's screenplay doesn't make much sense. The eroticism the publicists are banking on gets tedious in a hurry, and would be of even less interest if it weren't Nicole Kidman up there, baring it almost all.
She remains one of the most versatile actresses on screen today, but "Babygirl" is at best a sideways step rather than a thrilling advance in her brilliant career.
Either way, the movie is pretty much of a mess.
It's getting a bit of buzz at the moment for Kidman's recent Golden Globe nomination, and for the - gasp - lengths she went to to earn it.
In case you've missed the sizzling ad campaigns, "Babygirl" opens with an apparently nude Nicole testing the limits of R-ratings in the throes of passionate lovemaking with her husband (Antonio Banderas). As though that's not steamy enough, she finishes up with a kinky encore orgasm in front of her computer screen.
All this before the opening credits, and the scenes establishing her character Romy Mathis as the founder and CEO of a cutting-edge company that's streamlining Amazon-style commerce with robotics.
With her successful playwright husband, two beautiful teenage daughters, a corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline, a penthouse and a mansion in the country, Romy's got it all. And she rules her domain with aloof, absolute control.
At least until the intern shows up.
His name is Samuel (Dickinson) and they meet by accident when he saves her from a savage German Shepherd attack on the sidewalk in front of her office. Later that morning she is formally introduced to the dog whisperer as a member of her company's incoming class of interns.
Samuel stands out of the crowd - at 6-foot-2 he towers over them, actually - but this doesn't explain why Romy can't keep her eyes off the condescending sneer usually on his face. He makes his disregard for her authority clear from the get-go, with the kind of attitude that would a guy fired, pronto, in any corporate setting in anyplace remotely resembling the real world.
Instead, Romy chooses to risk everything she has created and built in her corporate empire and perfect family to get him to practice some of that dog whispering on her.
What follows is lots, and lots, of seedy hotel rooms, office desk tops and even a rave, for her to keep discovering how low can she go. Turns out she was faking it in her perfect world. This young-enough-to-be-her-son lover is offering her a way out ... she thinks, and she's willing to commit career suicide to prove it.
Last year Emma Stone won the Oscar and a Golden Globe for her bold foray into sexuality in the brilliant "Poor Things." She made sex mainstream for awards season.
Kidman gets points for guts for following Emma's lead, and for still having an if-you've-got-it-flaunt-it body in her late 50s. But she still comes in a distant second to Stone's groundbreaking performance, which sealed the deal with a healthy sense of humor on the whole subject of sex.
Besides the corporate backstabbing and snake pit treachery, there are themes of fragile family dynamics along with Romy seriously twisted psyche in "Babygirl." But that's not what the audience has come to see.
Unfortunately, for those of us who never got the concept of power as an aphrodisiac, or are color-blind when it comes to differentiating 50 shades of gray, Reijn's screenplay doesn't make much sense. The eroticism the publicists are banking on gets tedious in a hurry, and would be of even less interest if it weren't Nicole Kidman up there, baring it almost all.
She remains one of the most versatile actresses on screen today, but "Babygirl" is at best a sideways step rather than a thrilling advance in her brilliant career.
In the genre of "erotic thriller" it is typically the male that is portrayed as the cheating spouse who gets caught up with the femme fatale.
Here, the role is reversed... it's the middle-aged career woman seeking sexual satisfaction outside her marriage with a younger co-worker.
Despite what some reviews here suggest though, this is not an audacious concept. It has been mined in such movies as Unfaithful and Ryan's Daughter.
And for a movie being marketed as an erotic thriller/mystery, there's none of that here. It's just a straight up drama more in the vein of 9-1/2 Weeks than movies such as Fatal Attraction or Body Heat.
There's a hint of what could have been in just one scene where Kidman's philandering corporate officer and her younger lover threaten each other with exposure. Which of them has the better ammo? We'll never know because the subject is never broached again.
Kidman deserves nods for leaning hard into her role as the unsatisfied wife who has kept a lid on her darker desires during the course of her marriage. Unfortunately, the younger man she takes on, Harris Dickinson, is no match for her. He doesn't have the gravitas or screen presence to suggest that Kidman's character would be at all interested in him.
An okay one-of watch for Kidman's performance.
Here, the role is reversed... it's the middle-aged career woman seeking sexual satisfaction outside her marriage with a younger co-worker.
Despite what some reviews here suggest though, this is not an audacious concept. It has been mined in such movies as Unfaithful and Ryan's Daughter.
And for a movie being marketed as an erotic thriller/mystery, there's none of that here. It's just a straight up drama more in the vein of 9-1/2 Weeks than movies such as Fatal Attraction or Body Heat.
There's a hint of what could have been in just one scene where Kidman's philandering corporate officer and her younger lover threaten each other with exposure. Which of them has the better ammo? We'll never know because the subject is never broached again.
Kidman deserves nods for leaning hard into her role as the unsatisfied wife who has kept a lid on her darker desires during the course of her marriage. Unfortunately, the younger man she takes on, Harris Dickinson, is no match for her. He doesn't have the gravitas or screen presence to suggest that Kidman's character would be at all interested in him.
An okay one-of watch for Kidman's performance.
Nicole Kidman Has Been Craving a Film Like 'Babygirl'
Nicole Kidman Has Been Craving a Film Like 'Babygirl'
Go behind the scenes of Babygirl with stars Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and writer-director Halina Reijn in this exclusive interview.
Did you know
- TriviaINXS's "Never Tear Us Apart" is used during one of the erotic scenes, but distributor A24 struggled to get the rights for it. Director Halina Reijn loved the scene with the song and tried many other songs, but nothing worked. After a few sleepless nights, she complained about the situation to Nicole Kidman, who told Reijn to give her a couple of days. Kidman then managed to secure the rights.
- GoofsSamuel has a cross tattoo on the left side of his chest in the first intimate hotel encounter with Romy, but it's not there at all when he dances for her in another hotel room scene later in the movie.
- SoundtracksMommy's Dollhouse
Composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer & Kim Neundorf
Orchestrated by William Marsey
Soprano: Nichole Dechaine
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Babygirl: Deseo pohibido
- Filming locations
- New York City, New York, USA(street scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $28,196,732
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,490,145
- Dec 29, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $64,611,362
- Runtime1 hour 54 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content