Emma Stone deserves better. I was not a big fan of “Poor Things,” and I was hoping for an uptick with “Kinds of Kindness.” But alas, this is just unmemorable, crass and kind of pointless, which I unfortunately think may be what filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos was going for.

The film is split into three stories with the same core cast playing different characters in each tale.

In all three stories, Jesse Plemons demonstrates his innate ability to perfect the role of the whiny little bitch. It’s been endearing or captivating in previous roles, but it is starting to get monotonous. Having him play three such characters in one film is making me want to see him do something different in a big way. (Can I get a Jesse Plemons-Kirsten Dunst rom com, please?!)

I will say, after the primary focus on Plemons’ characters in the first two stories, having Stone take the lead in the third act was welcome.

This movie as a whole has made me continue to wonder if Lanthimos is capable of writing a multi-faceted female character without her getting naked or debased or both.

The third act was making a stride forward with this, but then it made a couple steps back.

And to be honest, the immediate post-credits scene kind of ruined any forward movement. (There is a later post-credits scene that is not too memorable as well.)

If you’re a Lanthimos fan, you’ll probably like this. I used to consider myself a fan with the one-two punch of “The Lobster” and “The Favourite,” but I don’t think I am anymore.

Rating: 2.5/5