Trey Edward Shults’ new movie “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a part of an unlimited multimedia challenge that trip-hop chanteuse Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye has been establishing since January 2025, when he launched an idea album of the identical title. The movie appears to sport a story that has had been extrapolated from the album by co-screenwriters Shults, Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim, though it clearly goals to be a dreamy, hallucinatory opera of types, telling its story by outsize emotional beats. And on the floor, there are definitely plenty of emotional outpourings. There are tears, screams, and nightmares. Stylistically, there even seems to be an try to peek into the Weeknd’s beak inside darkness.
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However all of the dreamy electronica on the soundtrack cannot cowl the truth that “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is boring, mediocre, plodding nonsense. It is dangerous, guys. Actually, actually dangerous. The movie does not a lot seize the Weeknd’s advanced soul, because it does give a megaphone to a pitiful whiner. Tesfaye tries to arrange his on-screen character as a troubled, struggling artist, misplaced in a (presumably self-inflicted) post-breakup malaise, however he by no means truly describes the circumstances of the breakup, or why his ex was so offended with him. Riley Keough, solely seen in footage and heard over the cellphone, performs he ex-girlfriend, and she or he is barely credited as “Lady on Voicemail.” Shults and Tesfaye have not made a fancy drama about relationships gone awry, however an summary examination of adolescent self-pity. The girlfriend is an summary determine who solely exists to permit the principle character to wallow in pathos. The identical may very well be stated of Anima (Jenna Ortega), a younger lady whose eye he catches at a live performance, and who could present his emotional salvation.
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And, sure, the character is called “Anima,” which can make all college students of Jung roll their eyes. And that is one of many extra delicate items of symbolism on this self-indulgent mess.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is all type and no substance, and even the type is not that fascinating
Shults has beforehand made some intriguing movies just like the slow-dread horror movie “It Comes at Evening,” and the dreamy morality play “Waves.” Right here, he appears beneath the gun, attempting to put some form of profundity onto an artist who’s determined to look extra tortured and complicated than maybe he’s. Shults incorporates plenty of summary excessive close-ups, shift facet ratios, and even artificially inserts movie scratches to seize that previous 35mm really feel. In a standout nightmare sequence, Shults faucets into his inside David Lynch, depicting a mom determine on fireplace in a subject, warming a close-by little one. Did I point out that the symbolism is not delicate?
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None of that, nonetheless, can erase how frustratingly emotionally obscure “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is. The movie begins with the above-mentioned Lady on Voicemail telling Tesfaye (he performs himself) that “A great particular person would not have completed that to somebody they love.” What did he do? It is by no means defined. If Tesfaye had been taking part in his vicious manipulator character Tedros from the short-lived embarrassment “The Idol,” then such a message would have made sense, however right here, we’re left questioning what he did that will warrant such a response. We do not know if he is within the flawed. All audiences are made savvy to is that he is struggling.
And, boy howdy, is it ever a pity celebration. The breakup got here in the course of the Weeknd’s world tour, and he could also be going hysterically mute, like Liv Ullmann’s character in “Persona.” A musician is dropping his voice. See my above feedback on the movie’s symbolism, vis-à-vis its subtlety. A physician gravely warns him that it is all psychological, and that he runs the danger of damaging his throat completely if he cannot work by his ache. The one character with any child of toe in actuality is Tesfaye’s supervisor Lee (the splendidly naughty Barry Keoghan), an enthused coke gremlin who makes use of earnest compliments and some snootfuls of snow to get his cost on stage.
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The Lengthy Weeknd
Simply because the Weeknd’s voice breaks on stage, he locks eyes with the determined younger Anima. They appear to fall immediately in love, and so they take a fast contraband jaunt to Coney Island (performed by the Santa Monica Pier). That is possible going to be harmful for our hero, nonetheless, as Anima was launched tearfully soaking a distant nation residence in gasoline and lighting it on fireplace. Later within the movie, Anima will get a hysterical name from her mom (additionally, curiously, voiced by Riley Keough) questioning why she did that. Anima has no reply.
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The pacing is terrible, by the best way. By the point Tesfaye and Anima are having their little curler coaster date, we’re virtually an hour into the movie. Nothing occurs, however no less than now we have to attend for it. The night appears good, but it surely’s solely a matter of time earlier than this Manic Pixie Nightmare Lady snaps.
Anima then rapidly pushes “Hurry Up Tomorrow” into “Distress” territory, displaying what occurs when a slightly-cracked superfan meets her hero in a weak place. In each “Hurry Up Tomorrow” and “Distress,” the celeb will find yourself being tied to a mattress whereas their fan tortures and interrogates them. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is not as putting, nonetheless, because the superfan’s torture entails an essaying evaluation of the Weeknd’s real-life artwork. Many may also be considering of the Huey Lewis sequence in “American Psycho,” whereby a killer primarily reads their very own evaluate aloud. Tesfaye is basically staging the world’s worst press interview. The torture scenes aren’t meant to be humorous, however many individuals in my theater — together with me — had been laughing nonetheless.
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Pink Floyd: The Wall this ain’t
Ortega tries to lend some darkness to the function, however her wild eyes and illogical habits have her rising as a semi-comedic Tim Burton character. The movie’s biggest reduction (and largest giggle) comes when Tesfaye lastly shakes his approach out of the movie’s chewy, foggy reverie to inform her to close the f*** up.
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However a query lingers: how does Tesfaye really feel about his personal work? Is he declaring that it solely appeals to teary, deluded arsonists who tie victims to beds? Does he really feel he’s being emotionally irresponsible by floating songs about struggling into the pop consciousness? Is he inspiring dangerous habits by pushing himself too arduous in entrance of hundreds of thousands? And if he feels he is a monster, what did he do? What are his precise dangerous habits (past the boots of coke)? None of those questions are answered, and even successfully requested. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a mush of pseudo-emotional porridge that indulges an imaginary model of its hero. “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” this ain’t.
The Weeknd, as he’s depicted in “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” is empty. The movie has the stylistic vocabulary of a self-interrogation, however not one of the speedy rawness. One is not going to get the impression that the movie is an precise confessional or real outpouring of guilt. It does not go additional than a (truly fairly good) scene whereby Tesfaye loses his cool whereas leaving a cellphone message for his ex. The movie whines that being well-known is tough and that breaking apart is tough to do.
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We’re anticipated to search out the Weeknd’s melancholy entertaining. It is not. Neither is “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” It is simply terrible.
/Movie Score: 2 out of 10
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” opens in theaters on Might 16, 2025.
