Pop C
A boring and unconvincing movie that goes nowhere, everything seems forced and the superficial complexity of Abe is totally .. off
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
04/05/24
Full Review
Esteban S
Irrational Man starts with a formulaic plot. It fools you into believing that it is going to be a predictable, commonplace movie. And right after you lower your guard, it turns your perceptions upside down. A plan, which makes sense in Joaquin Phoenix's world of Philosophy, collides all-steam against moral. But don't unfasten your seatbelt. Everything seems to come to an end for him because of Emma Stone's unplanned game of connecting dots. It is then when the plot makes an obscure twist that leaves you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath for a couple of minutes. Few times can we say "expect the unexpected and don't rely on assumptions" when it comes to movies. Irrational Man is one of them and delivers greatly. Key question here is; what makes you feel alive? And motivated? Emma Stone's performance is one of her best. I'd say you should give this movie a try!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/03/24
Full Review
Alec B
Phoenix and Allen should have worked together years ago. It is unfortunate to see such a potentially great and unpredictable mash up get wasted on one of Allen's lazier screenplays.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
12/14/23
Full Review
Christopher L
The movie Irrational Man, directed by Woody Allen with performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, does an excellent job at giving the viewer a glimpse into the mind of a man who believes in ethics wholeheartedly, but still chooses to be a part of those who commit acts of apparent good and not actual good.
To start, the viewer must understand ethics and their premises. Ethics, very simply stated, is the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Many people tend to get ethics confused with morals, due to morals being what is right and what is wrong from the point of view of one person. In this movie, Abe Lucas who is played by Joaquin Phoenix, is a depressed and alcoholic philosophy teacher who is struggling to find meaning in his life after trying virtually everything he can to make his life more pleasurable to himself. Lucas can be seen talking about ethics and philosophers who believe in a certain moral code in comparison to others, but to contradict his teachings, he does not have a proper grasp on what is ethical and what is not in his own life. To start, Abe gains feelings and starts having an affair with one of his students, Jill, who is played by Emma Stone, while simultaneously having an affair with another woman who teaches at the school, Rita, who is played by Parker Posey. While this can come down to moral code in some cases, it is generally believed in the eyes and morals of many that having multiple affairs, those being with a student of theirs (Jill) who has a boyfriend, and a teacher (Rita) who is married may not be ethical. Abe also drinks on campus during the day and sometimes in the school, which is directly against the ethics of the school board.
The biggest ethical dilemma that Abe faces is when he decides to murder the local judge. While this is morally correct and even ethical through the eyes of Abe, as well as a miracle to many who have been prosecuted against by the judge, he will still be killing a man. Abe gains a sense of joy and meaning in his life after coming to this decision. He wakes up early, does not drink as much, has a better and less bleak outlook on life and can even have intercourse again due to his decision, therefore making the murder an act of good in Abe's eyes. With this said, it is important to discuss the two different types of good: actual good and apparent good. Actual good is an action which is ethical and morally acceptable, while apparent good is an action which may be morally acceptable to one but not morally acceptable or ethical to others. This movie does an amazing job at showing this by narrating the thoughts on the matter through the minds of Abe and Jill.
Overall, Irrational Man does an excellent job at giving the viewer a glimpse into the mind of a sociopathic and morally evil man like Abe Lucas, and showing the effect that even one person can have on the lives around them. The only reason why I did not rate the movie higher was due to the lack of a point of view on the other characters' lives, such as Jill's boyfriend or Rita. I feel like this would have brought a more interesting view into the movie, but it was still fantastic.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
08/04/23
Full Review
Savannah S
I would rate this movie a two out of five. I personally did not enjoy this movie and found it very odd, but I give it points for being thought provoking. The way that the two main women are portrayed in this movie doesn't sit right, and they are both wholly obsessed with the main character Abe. It is their entire purpose within the movie.
Ignoring the odd characterizations in the movie, it has many different philosophical aspects as well. Abe is a philosophy professor with a reputation for indecent behavior and being extremely pessimistic and disillusioned with life. He does what he wants, and he doesn't care what others believe about him. Within the movie Abe begins to get involved in a relationship with both another professor and one of his students. This is immoral and unethical on several levels. He is taking advantage of his position of power over his student, and their large age gap. She is significantly younger than him and he is constantly calling her naïve. He even acknowledges that it would be wrong for him to get involved with her, but he chooses to do it anyway. He knows his actions are immoral and unethical, but he does not care. There is also the fact that he is involved in a relationship with two people at once. Neither of these people consent to this, and he is not wholly committed to either of them. Maintaining separate relationships with two different people at the same time is considered cheating and therefore unethical. At the same time, both of the people he is dating are also in relationships. The professor he sees is married and is committing adultery with him, which is ethically wrong. She does not love her husband, so she doesn't see her actions as problematic and neither does Abe. The student he sees has a boyfriend who she is committed to, but she also does not care about that. Abe does try to convince her to go back with him, but ultimately continues their relationship.
The other big aspect of this film is murder. While overhearing a conversation a woman is having about a judge, Abe feels that someone should enact justice. He feels that it is his purpose in life to bring about this justice, and plots to murder the man. He goes back and forth with himself, but ultimately decides that murdering him would be bettering society, and making the world a better place. This demonstrates a misguided moral compass, and also moral evil. By killing this man Abe is taking away the life he should have had, and that is the definition of moral evil. However, he believes that he is right and justified in doing so. He thinks that his actions are good and will benefit others. This is an example of apparent good. Abe believes that he is doing a good thing, when in reality that is not the case. He managed to convince himself that murder was acceptable because it would help someone else.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
07/26/23
Full Review
TheBassFella
Irrational Man, a film starring actor Joaquin Phoenix and actress Emma Stone in lead roles, is primarily centered around a stressed out philosophy professor who finds it difficult to continue on in his life and a philosophy student named Jill who is deeply interested in him. While I did ultimately enjoy the film from a casual viewer's perspective, I also noticed that a great amount of the movie featured philosophical plot points as well as subtext that greatly intrigued me.
One of the most noteworthy qualities of Irrational Man is Abe Lucas' (Joaquin Phoenix) decision to murder a corrupt judge after learning about a series of unethical decisions that the aforementioned law enforcer has made. This begins when he overhears a woman discussing how she may lose her child in a custody battle due to the judge's lack of ethics. Abe, going through an existential crisis relating to him feeling as though he has no purpose, decides to kill the judge. By the end of the film, the murderous deed is done. More importantly, however, is how this plays into the idea of something being ethical, but not legal. Of course, the true ethicality of murder in this scenario is subjective. Nonetheless, Abe views his actions are purely ethical and makes his decisions with positive connotations. This is all while he commits murder, an action that (although this should go without saying) is against the law. Abe makes this decision based on his own ethic/moral code, with little concern for the law. I believe that this idea is executed quite well in the film. The way a somewhat broken and depressed man with little regard for himself relies on his own worldview to take extreme actions in a highly subjective situation is not only a powerful notion, but one that is largely handled with grace throughout Irrational Man.
Furthermore, this exact same aspect of the film plays into the idea of moral good versus apparent good. Once again, it should go without saying that murder and any acts that result in the intentional death of another person are morally evil in nature. There is no true way to allow a murderous action morally good. Abe believes that his actions are morally good, but they are rather rooted in his own notion of what is right. This is where apparent good comes into play within the creative confines of Irrational Man. To Abe, his choices are a good thing in his world. As such, his actions are immediately defined as an apparent good. If Abe's decision to murder the judge was a moral good, virtually no one would question the morality of it all. However, the topic of the murder of anyone is bound to raise more than just a few eyebrows. I digress, Abe's actions being connected to the notion of apparent good allow for a deeply intriguing main character to rise up. Rather than simply allowing Abe to play the hero's role, the film gives the audience a legitimate reason to feel conflicted in regards to their emotions relating to Abe's actions.
In conclusion, Irrational Man is both a well-made film and a piece of media with deep connections to philosophy as a whole. I greatly enjoyed this film and found the philosophy behind it to be just one of many positive qualities about it. It may not be a completely flawless film, but the moral-based and logic-based themes in Irrational Man are handled with nuance and great thought alike. Although others' views may differ, I would award this film four stars out of five.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
07/22/23
Full Review
Read all reviews
Post a rating
>
