supporting cast performance
Couture
1.3
The supporting performances are uneven, with some experienced actors making strong impressions while several nonprofessional models struggle with dialogue. The inconsistency makes the ensemble feel less cohesive.
How to Make a Killing
3.9
The supporting ensemble is frequently praised, especially Zach Woods, Bill Camp, Topher Grace, Jessica Henwick, and Margaret Qualley, despite limited screen time.
originality
Couture
4.5
The insider, gothic approach to fashion can feel distinctive, especially when it connects bodies, labor, and mortality. The originality is less convincing when the film falls back on familiar parallel-story structures.
How to Make a Killing
2.5
The film’s polish and some modern touches are appreciated, yet its remake roots and familiar eat-the-rich ideas make originality a major weakness.
realism
Couture
3.9
Real fashion locations, working processes, and understated interactions create convincing authenticity. That naturalism is weakened by several implausible plot turns and thinly explained choices.
How to Make a Killing
2.0
Plausibility is one of the sharpest recurring complaints, especially around the FBI, forensic gaps, and how easily Becket gets away with repeated murders.
screenplay quality
Couture
2.2
The screenplay contains compelling ideas and a strong central crisis, but it is repeatedly described as patchy, overstuffed, and underwritten. Too many parallel stories dilute the characters and emotional focus.
How to Make a Killing
3.8
The script has clever ideas and occasional sharp scenes, but exposition, thin characterization, and underdeveloped themes keep it from fully landing.
pacing
Couture
1.6
The subdued pace frequently feels languid, ponderous, or like a slog. Viewers who enjoy quiet observation may be more patient with it, but the fragmented structure makes the slow stretches feel longer.
How to Make a Killing
3.2
Pacing is uneven across the set. Some call it brisk and fleet-footed, while others find the middle repetitive, sluggish, or poorly proportioned.
chemistry between characters
Couture
2.0
Maxine and Anton share a few warm, intimate moments, but their romantic spark is muted. The relationship often feels more functional than emotionally charged.
How to Make a Killing
3.5
Chemistry varies by pairing. Becket and Ruth earn some warm praise, while other romantic dynamics are described as forced or unconvincing.
message quality
Couture
4.2
The film’s message about overwork, mortality, bodily autonomy, and living in the present resonates strongly. Even critics who dislike the structure often recognize the value of its central ideas.
How to Make a Killing
2.7
The class-and-greed commentary sometimes resonates, but a common criticism is that the satire stays obvious, shallow, or less incisive than it promises.
dialogue quality
Couture
1.6
The dialogue is often criticized as blunt, expository, or unnatural, especially in phone calls and scenes with younger models. A few intimate exchanges feel human, but many lines spell out emotions the performances already convey.
How to Make a Killing
2.9
A few quips and bits of repartee land, but narration-heavy exposition and a shortage of sharper wit are frequent complaints.
story quality
Couture
2.4
The film has a meaningful premise and several strong individual scenes, but the overall story rarely comes together. Maxine’s health crisis is compelling while the other arcs often feel thin, detached, or unfinished.
How to Make a Killing
3.7
The inheritance-murder premise has obvious appeal, but opinions split on whether the story remains engaging or becomes repetitive and implausible.
lead performance
Couture
4.9
Angelina Jolie’s lead performance is the clearest point of agreement, combining restraint, vulnerability, and commanding screen presence. Even the harshest assessments credit her with keeping the film emotionally alive.
How to Make a Killing
3.8
Glen Powell is the clearest consensus strength, repeatedly praised for charisma and likability even by critics who think he is miscast or too mild.
theme depth
Couture
4.3
Its exploration of women’s labor, mortality, resilience, bodies, and creative ambition gives the film real thematic weight. The ideas are often richer than the narrative structure carrying them.
How to Make a Killing
3.2
The film raises worthwhile questions about greed, class, contentment, and entitlement, but many critics say it stops short of exploring them deeply.
entertainment value
Couture
2.4
The polished fashion setting and performances keep parts of the film watchable, but many find the experience slow and unengaging. It works better as a reflective mood piece than as conventional entertainment.
How to Make a Killing
3.2
Reactions are mixed overall. Many customers found it fun and easy to watch, while a large share of critics called it dull, forgettable, or underwhelming.
emotional impact
Couture
3.8
Jolie’s diagnosis scenes and the women’s brief moments of connection can be deeply moving. The impact weakens whenever the film pulls away too quickly or leaves emotional threads unresolved.
How to Make a Killing
2.9
There are isolated moments of genuine feeling, but much of the film is described as emotionally distant, hollow, or hard to invest in.
romance quality
Couture
2.1
Maxine’s connection with Anton contains a few tender and human moments, yet the romance is widely seen as underdeveloped or shoehorned in. Their chemistry never fully ignites.
How to Make a Killing
2.9
The Ruth relationship provides warmth and a moral counterweight, but several critics find the romance too thin, perfunctory, or underdeveloped.
drama quality
Couture
2.8
The cancer storyline carries genuine stakes, while the fashion and supporting arcs often feel too slight to match it. The result is intermittently affecting but rarely tense or fully dramatic.
How to Make a Killing
3.6
The film finds occasional gravitas, especially late, but many critics say its serious dramatic side never earns enough emotional investment.
costume design
Couture
5.0
The garments and runway presentation are a major visual pleasure, especially during the short-film shoot and climactic show. The costuming helps sell both the glamour and the labor behind fashion.
How to Make a Killing
4.3
Wardrobe choices add polish and noir flavor, especially Julia’s fashion, though one critic wished the film did more with its costume possibilities.
character development
Couture
2.0
Maxine receives the clearest emotional arc, while Ada, Angèle, Christine, and several supporting figures are repeatedly left thin or unfinished. The divided focus keeps promising personal stories from developing fully.
How to Make a Killing
2.5
Character depth is a recurring weakness: Becket’s motives and several supporting players are often described as thin, rushed, or underwritten.
genre satisfaction
Couture
3.5
As a quiet ensemble drama, the film is sharply divisive: some find it riveting and emotionally rich, while others consider it flat and underpowered. Its restrained style will suit a narrow audience better than viewers seeking conventional dramatic momentum.
How to Make a Killing
3.9
It works best for viewers who accept it as a light dark-comedy thriller; critics wanting sharper farce or tougher suspense are often disappointed.
production design
Couture
4.5
The mirrored fashion-house interiors, ateliers, hotel spaces, and rain-soaked runway create a polished, faintly haunted Paris. The environments strongly support the contrast between public glamour and private fear.
How to Make a Killing
4.7
The wealthy settings and glossy surfaces help sell the Redfellows’ world, giving the movie a convincingly lavish presentation.
ending satisfaction
Couture
3.2
The rain-soaked fashion show provides memorable imagery and a thematic sense of surrender to the uncontrollable. Reactions are mixed because the resolutions feel rushed, overly neat, or cut off before the strongest final image.
How to Make a Killing
3.3
The ending is sharply divisive: some viewers love the twists and coda, while others find the resolution contrived or unsatisfying.
audience appeal
Couture
4.0
This quiet, fashion-focused character drama is most likely to connect with viewers interested in creative work, female solidarity, and understated storytelling. Its diffuse structure will limit its appeal for audiences wanting a propulsive plot.
How to Make a Killing
3.9
Audience reactions lean warmer than the critic consensus, with many calling it watchable, fun, or worth seeing even when imperfect.
cinematography
Couture
4.3
Paris, the ateliers, and the storm-lashed runway are frequently photographed with striking elegance. The visual craft gives the film atmosphere and beauty even when the drama feels flat.
How to Make a Killing
4.3
The polished, grainy photography is widely admired, with several critics singling out the lighting, texture, and camera work.
visual style
Couture
4.4
The ateliers, gothic short film, couture garments, and stormy runway create an elegant, sometimes breathtaking visual identity. The imagery is consistently more accomplished than the storytelling.
How to Make a Killing
4.4
The film’s slick, colorful, polished look is a regular positive, even among critics who think the style never fully coheres with the tone.
acting performance
Couture
4.6
The cast often gives the film more life than the writing provides, with natural, emotionally restrained work standing out. Performance quality becomes less consistent among some inexperienced supporting models.
How to Make a Killing
4.6
The cast is one of the film’s steadier strengths, with many viewers praising the ensemble even when the material around them feels uneven.
plot clarity
Couture
2.5
The subtle plotting can become opaque, leaving the importance of certain beats and connections unclear. The three main arcs do not always cohere into a single, easily readable story.
How to Make a Killing
2.5
The confession structure helps some viewers follow the story, but others find the narration cumbersome and the timeline or logic needlessly confusing.
cultural representation
Couture
5.0
The film treats women from different cultures and professions with empathy, emphasizing shared pressure, displacement, and mutual support. Its strongest moments honor solidarity without turning the characters into simple symbols.
How to Make a KillingNo score yet
world-building
Couture
3.6
Rare access to fashion workspaces and attention to fittings, makeup, sewing, and runway preparation make the industry feel tangible. Some viewers still wanted deeper insight beyond the polished surfaces.
How to Make a KillingNo score yet