Anora (2024) is such a ridiculous cliche movie but in the good way, yes its 1000% predictable for the most part but it does throw you some curve balls, even without knowing who Ivan is, exactly who his parents were or why he is in Brooklyn we already know some of the possible outcomes, even if we take it from an adult stand point of view. Guy goes into a stripper club and becomes very close to an specific girl, yeah probably because she speaks some Russian as Ivan English was rough around the edges but still we know the ending before happens when he starts to throw money around, either one of them will ""fall in love"". Its a wild ride of raw energy with a bold storytelling of Ani, a New York City stripper who is entangled in a wild situation after getting marry with the son of a Russian oligarch.
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Story begins inside a high end strip club in New York, were there is Ani; role played by Mikey Madison, she is a very sleek girl, knowing the ins and outs of how to deal with her clients and she is not looking for any fairy tale ending, its like she is a realist and clearly knows who she is and where she is at. Things changes drastically for Ani (Anora) when she meet Ivan; too classic of a Russian name, role played by Mark Eydelshteyn. A rich Russian kid who is more interested in video games than he is in anything else, should be the first red flag for Ani but I guess she was the only one thinking they were not going to be that close at the end. The two close a business deal, an exchange of money for companionship, things get twisted and out of control when Ivan decides Ani and him to become exclusive, at first exclusive client, nothing around getting into a relationship, a deal close for $15k up front.
Eventually things do keep the same course and they fall into the idea of getting married, an idea that Ivan push with hidden reasons he only knew about at first, it was his intention to get a green card so he could stay in USA, probably escape to some place he could not be found all because he didn't want to return to Russia but also had no saying on his life to take this decision, this is why Ivan’s family sends out Toros; role played by Karren Karagulian, who was Ivan's godfather. He is not alone because Ivan’s father knew him too well and he would not come back that easy so they send out two of their bodyguards, Igor played by Yura Borisov and Garnick played by Vache Tovmasyan to set things right. They spend quite some time looking for Ivan who ran away across the New York City, the movie now turns into a mix and weird comedy between social commentary of how money and class differences can get in the middle of any relationship, facts.
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What really sells this movie and makes it special is its acting, we had to start from the point that Mikey Madison OWNS!!! Ani, there is not doubt that she is the star of the movie, not only that advertisement says so but she really backs it up, a perfect mix of toughness and vulnerability, she is delicate but can hit right back if ask, every other scene with her feels natural almost real, nothing fake or over the top. There even one scene where she breaks Garnick nose one of the goons from Ivan's family, she makes it look like she did have an impact on him but at the same time make it look funny. Next on the line with a probably even smaller role is Yura Borisov playing the role of Igor, a scary thug but as time goes on on the movie its reveal how soft he can be on the inside, specially for Ani, just another reason how the movie is very cliche.
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The ending of Anora is different than anything else in the movie, switching from all that wild energy to this quiet moments between Ani and Igor, probably sending an specific message "don't talk cause you going to ruin it. We are given this raw scene in Igor’s car after everything that has happened from the failed marriage, Ivan’s chaos, Ani’s dreams crashing down. It's not just another transaction when Ani tries to seduce Igor, it's more of her last attempt to control, the only way she knows how, I know it might not sound fair but the woman had a talent and she really knew how to use it but this was not the time, it's just that she never realize Ivan was a spoiled kid. Igor doesn’t take advantage of this, instead he shows her the first real moment of compassion she’s probably ever seen, just holding her while she cries. There are just these two people who have spent the entire movie fighting against each other now have found a moment of real human connection. The movie doesn’t have a happy ending, but it feels real and authentic how these characters have been and who they are.
I give the movie a solid 7/10, I know it might sound too low for all the glory it has been given since it won at the Canes and was a success from many online rating sites like IMDB but in my book the movie was just too predictable, a 7 is not a bad score but if Ani was played by Mia Goth or directly a Maxine version; would have been a total different movie, I think could have been a better movie, this time was more like grownup unscrew the situation that two ignorant childish kids made up. The movie made me laugh a lot and had a good time but its not a drama I wanted to know more about and there was nothing new that we have not seen before, its worth watching for a good time.
