Yahoo Movies Wolfs proves George Clooney and Brad Pitt still have movie star 'magic', critics say
The movie had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival
George Clooney and Brad Pitt's new film Wolfs had its star-studded world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, 1 September, where critics said the film showed that they are still magic.
The Apple TV+ film stars Clooney and Pitt as professional fixers who are forced to work together on a job that turns their night upside down. The action comedy, directed by Jon Watts, earned a five-minute standing ovation at the festival, per Deadline, with A-list guests in attendance including Benedict Cumberbatch and Cate Blanchett.
Pitt and Clooney were suited and booted on the red carpet, where they were joined by the latter's wife Amal Clooney who looked sensational in a yellow chiffon dress. But heads were turning over Pitt being joined by his girlfriend Ines de Ramon, as the festival marked their red carpet debut.
Critics celebrated the film for its ability to hone in on the onscreen charm of Pitt and Clooney, though some suggested that that's all the movie did.
IndieWire's Ryan Lattanzio remarked that Wolfs was an entertaining film, one that is best described as "diverting entertainment" but is exactly the kind of low-stakes comedy that would be a box office hit if Apple TV+ gave it a longer theatrical run than planned.
"Seeing this Ocean’s Eleven duo of matinee idols back up on the silver screen together means you’re in sure hands from the start — the witty repartee flowing, the smug suave bandying about, and all in a lean, clean, cooly running-timed comedy," the critic wrote.
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While the critic admitted the film was "not an Oscar movie, not an overly serious movie for adults" it was still worthy of merit because it's "a smart one for grown-ups" as the critic wrote: "Even in its most blandly reassuring moments where Wolfs is riding high only on the chemistry of the leads, the strengths of whose performances are reminders of what they’ve always been great at."
The Hollywood Reporter's Jordan Mintzer made a similar argument about Wolfs, saying that "it's unfortunate" the film isn't getting a longer theatrical release because it "is a work that deserves big-screen attention — instead of being viewed in bed on a MacBook that’s resting on top of your crotch."
The critic added: "The movie has twists galore and showcases a slick, deadpan style you hardly see in Hollywood anymore. Both fun and thin at the same time, it’s not about much in the end except the idea of reuniting Pitt and Clooney to see if they still have their magic, which they mostly do."
Mintzer added that while Pitt and Clooney aptly carry the film from start to finish there are very little stakes, meaning that "as cunning and well-made as Wolfs is, with its nonstop twists and sleek shoot ’em up sequences, perhaps there isn’t all that much to carry in the end."
Wolfs was described as "a clever, airy, winningly light-fingered and debonair action comedy" by Variety's Owen Gleiberman, who also praised Clooney and Pitt's onscreen chemistry, and general movie star charisma as the big draw of the film.
"As Wolfs demonstrates, the splendid way these two look would mean little if it weren’t matched by their killer swagger. It’s almost as if they made this movie to remind us all how it’s done," the critic wrote.
Watch: The trailer for Wolfs
Gleiberman added that the film works so well as entertainment precisely because of Clooney and Pitt's rapport with one another, built over years of working together in the industry.
He added: "Next to the vast majority of made-for-streaming fodder, Wolfs looks the essence of a classy, witty, stylish entertainment. It looks downright old-fashioned (in a good way). But as a movie, which will indeed play in theaters, it is, in the end, a well-made throwaway, no more and no less."
Regardless of the reviews, Apple TV+ clearly has a lot of faith in how well the movie will do because a sequel is already in the works, with Clooney, Pitt, and director Watts signed up to return.
Wolfs premieres in cinemas on Friday, 20 September. It is then being released on Apple TV+ on Friday, 27 September.
