“Queer” (2024)
Coming off the same creative team’s success earlier this year with “Challengers,” I had high hopes for “Queer.”
I have not read the William S. Burroughs book it is based on, but the film is a drug-fueled, plot-free trip that I do not recommend taking.
Daniel Craig stars as William Lee, a gay American expat living in Mexico in the 1950s.
He is mesmerized by the new arrival of fellow (younger) American Eugene Allerton (played by Drew Starkey).
Jason Schwartzman is scene-stealing as Joe, a friend of Lee’s. If you are going to watch “Queer,” check it out for his performance.
I love that Craig is getting as far away from 007 as he possibly can, I just hope that he picks better material moving forward.
The story of the film easily falls into tropes and stereotypes despite “edgy” stylistic choices like using famous 1990s songs in the soundtrack.
As someone who made one of the best modern queer films, “Call Me by Your Name,” it is disappointing to see such a mess of a movie come from director Luca Guadagnino.
I highly recommend watching that or “Challengers” instead of “Queer.”