Babygirl: Nicole Kidman stars in 'riveting' erotic thriller
'The sex and the silliness' is quite fun, but it's 'ploddingly predictable stuff'

"Cementing her status as Hollywood's boldest actress, Nicole Kidman bares herself every which way – physically, emotionally and artistically – in 'Babygirl'", Halina Reijn's erotic thriller about a kinky workplace affair, said Tom Shone in The Sunday Times.
She plays Romy, a CEO who cheats on her theatre-director husband (Antonio Banderas) when she falls for Samuel (Harris Dickinson), an intern newly arrived at her firm.
'Subtle-as-smoke'
Be warned: the film takes its lovers "to the edge of destruction, and its audience to the edge of embarrassment" – at one point, Kidman is seen "crawling around on all fours, lapping at a saucer as if she were a cat" – but it's as riveting as it is squirm-inducing, and Kidman has found the ideal collaborator in Dickinson, who proves to be a master of "subtle-as-smoke line readings". Just be sure not to go "with your children, or your parents, or with a date".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Ploddingly predictable'
Kidman gives a "brave, exposed performance", said Wendy Ide in The Observer, but it's a pity that her character is "a thinly written collection of urges rather than a fully fleshed out" person. As for the film itself, it tries painfully hard "to be provocative" – but feels "more synthetic and mannered than spontaneous and transgressive. For all its silky shots of tantalising erotic ecstasy and Kidman's gorgeously luxe wardrobe, it's ploddingly predictable stuff."
It's all pretty "preposterous", said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday, like "Fifty Shades of Grey" with echoes of Steven Soderbergh's "Secretary", but "with the distinct risk of a 'Fatal Attraction'-style comeuppance".
And while "the sex and the silliness" is quite fun, "how Kidman is picking up awards nominations for this defeats me. For taking off her clothes at the age of 57? In 2025? Really?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Doing the hustle: Are side gigs a sign of impending recession?
In the Spotlight More workers are 'padding their finances while they can'
-
The ambiguous legal state of ectopic pregnancy care
The Explainer Rep. Kat Cammack's accusations of 'fearmongering' are the latest example of how mixed messages are complicating the debate around abortion
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 years
Speed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour
-
Echo Valley: a 'twisty modern noir' starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney
The Week Recommends This tense thriller about a mother and daughter is 'American cinema for grown ups'
-
Larry Lamb shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The actor picks works by Neil Sheehan, Annie Proulx and Émile Zola
-
Stereophonic: an 'extraordinary, electrifying odyssey'
The Week Recommends David Adjmi's Broadway hit about a 1970s rock band struggling to record their second album comes to the West End
-
Shifty: a 'kaleidoscopic' portrait of late 20th-century Britain
The Week Recommends Adam Curtis' 'wickedly funny' documentary charts the country's decline using archive footage
-
Lollipop: a single mother trapped in a 'hellish catch-22'
The Week Recommends Daisy May Hudson's moving debut feature is a gut puncher in the Ken Loach tradition
-
Marfa, Texas: Big skies, fine art, and great eating
Feature A cozy neighborhood spot, a James Beard semifinalists, and more
-
6 light-filled homes on the Jersey Shore
Feature Featuring a Victorian with a wraparound porch in Beach Haven and a condo with ocean views in Asbury Park