Midnighters films are usually highly anticipated but most entries feel disappointing, as if they were moved from other sections. Quentin Dupieux returns with Full Phil, an absurdist English-language film whose overly literal dialogue and awkward line deliveries from Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart create a sense of oscillation between nonsense and awkward literalness. By the end, the film leaves uncertainty about its purpose. The film also squanders the talents of Harrelson and Stewart by confining them to archetypes that prevent any meaningful interiority. Harrelson’s performance as wealthy tycoon Phil relies on familiar know-it-all diva patterns, and early scenes, including arguments about a clogged toilet, drag on too long.
"Quentin Dupieux makes a return to English-speaking films with "Full Phil," and it's clear that the time in between hasn't kept his pen sharp. Yes, it's absurdist, so its overly literal dialogue and awkward line deliveries from the father-daughter duo played by Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart can be read as full-throated commitments to the bit. But it oscillates between mind-numbingly nonsensical and awkwardly literal that by the end, you're not sure what the point of it all was."
"What feels particularly grievous is that Dupieux wastes the talents of fine actors like Harrelson and Stewart, who are trapped in archetypes that deny them the ability to tap into anything remotely resembling interiority. Harrelson has played the know-it-all diva many times now, and in his role as the titular Phil, a wealthy tycoon, he delivers the entertaining but hackneyed hits."
"The first part of the film sees him arguing with his daughter, Madeleine (Stewart), about how she clogged the toilet on his side of their sprawling Paris suite. It's a bit that feels like it goes on for far too long, and there's only so many ways you can subject yourself to variations of"
Read at Roger Ebert
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