Depending on who you talk to, director Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest epic One Battle After Another is either an unparalleled masterpiece worthy of an Oscar sweep or a pro-Antifa screed that endorses left-wing revolutionary violence; acclaimed author Brett Easton Ellis thinks it all comes down to the audience’s personal politics.
The American Psycho author shared his thoughts during an episode of his Bret Easton Ellis Podcast and he did not hold back. While Ellis considers himself a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, and even hailed his 2007 masterpiece There Will Be Blood as one of the 21st century’s greatest films, he ultimately felt that One Battle After Another fell short.
It’s kind of shocking to see these kind of accolades for — I’m sorry, it’s not a very good movie — because of its political ideology, and it’s so obvious that’s what they’re responding to, why it’s considered a masterpiece, the greatest film of the decade, the greatest film ever made. Because it really aligns with this kind of leftist sensibility.
Ellis even boldly predicted that the film will be regarded as a “kind of musty relic of the post-Kamala Harris era — that thing everyone gathers around and pretends is so fantastic and so great when it really isn’t, just to make a point” Despite his misgivings, the author still praised the film for its “gorgeous cinematography,” adding that both the left and the right have misinterpreted the film. As to those who might hail it as “important,” as Manohla Dargis of the New York Times did, Ellis said they need to “read the room” as a possible reference to the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“It has not read the room at all about what’s going on in America.
“There’s a liberal mustiness to this movie that already feels very dated by October 2025. Very dated. And it just doesn’t read the room. You know, it reads a tiny corner of the room, but it does not read what is going on in America,” he added.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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