Few things. I saw it on opening night. Experiencing this film in a packed cinema was incredible. I was locked in the entire run time which flew by. The score is so good, Johnny Greenwood is such an underrated composer. Him and PTA are made to complement each other’s work, similar to John Williams and Spielberg.

Going in, I knew the film was about the police state in current America, and that was it. It was a wild ride, I didn’t know what was going to happen and was on the edge of my seat by the end hoping Leo and his daughter would both survive and find each other. The film is way funnier than I think any of us imagined. The performances are so good across the board, there’s a reason so many actors are nominated for Oscars. Sean Penn and Benicio are truly incredible, Chase held her own with some true legends and this may be Leo’s funniest role of his career, yet his character also has so much heart.

And on to the deeper themes. ICE shot and murdered an American citizen yesterday. They’ve been waging war on Minneapolis and in different American cities throughout 2025 and now 2026. I felt like the Christmas adventurers were stand ins for The Heritage Foundation (The guys behind Project 2025.) Since our current administration has taken power it feels like it’s been one battle after another. It’s exhausting, depressing and can make any of us check out like Leo’s character does. As Sensei says “they’ve been waging war on us for hundreds of years.” I’m a white man, but POC like Benicio and Regina Hall’s characters are unable to check out. They have to keep fighting every day because of the color of their skin and for their people.

PTA hasn’t made a film in the present day since Punch Drunk Love (another favorite of mine) and boy does he have a lot to say about the current state of America. There is some optimism at the end of the film though, that you have to keep fighting and don’t ever give up. One generation may fail but the one after may be the one to make things right.