Only Murders in the Building, The Guilty, and Met Gala gossip

Crime capers, plus some celeb blind items

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Sep 14, 2021

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Only Murders in the Building and The Guilty, a show and a movie about trying to solve a case from the periphery.

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03:53 Only Murders in the Building, streaming on Hulu, is neither particularly ambitious nor rigorous, but it’s a winning combination of famous actors, whimsy, and New York charm.

(Note: We’ve only watched eps 1–4 so far.)

This show has a bit of a Mad Libs premise: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, true crime podcast, murder mystery, Upper West Side co-op? But in spite of (or maybe in part because of) the thrown-together nature of this idea, it’s a fun ride! Judy Berman of Time sums it up well:

[…] the discourse leaves little space for shows to be anything besides brilliant or terrible. Which is a shame, because sometimes a mild, witty, middlebrow comedy that isn’t trying too hard to be virtuous or subversive or timely really hits the spot.

Much of the charm relies on the three main characters, who each embody “different shades of New York narcissism,” as Mike Hale writes for the New York Times. Steve Martin’s character is a bit of a grump, but it’s a pure delight to see him back in a high-profile project. Martin Short is equal parts charismatic and pitiful as a creative down on hard times. Selena Gomez’s character is the most puzzling, in part by design, in part because she often seems from a different tonal landscape.

Nevertheless, a low-key pleasure to indulge in!

19:16 The Guilty, available on Hulu, is an absolutely riveting crime thriller made all the more impressive by a tight concept and even tighter quarters.

(Note: We do not spoil this movie in our discussion! Don’t spoil it for yourself, either!)

One word: WOW. It’s been a very long time since we’ve been stunned by a thriller like this, one that is intelligent but also filled with tension and action (granted, that action is primarily taking place off screen). Terrific writing, direction, acting, sound design — all executed with this kind of impeccable, sparse, steely restraint that will be hard to match in the American version of this movie that’s coming out on Netflix soon.

It’s easy to mistake The Guilty for copaganda, judging by the synopsis or trailer or even the first half of the film, but very clever and startling twists and turns reveal a much more complex exploration of intent, judgment, and the criminal justice system. By the end of it, you can’t help but run through all of the events all over again from the beginning, recalibrating your interpretation of everything that happened. Truly worth a watch (or maybe two).