Anora

An update of Pretty Woman for the age of WAP. 

Annie is a stripper, a sex worker and most of all a hustler. In another movie and another time Annie’s activities would be downplayed and her lifestyle would be explained away with a tragic backstory. 

But this ain’t that movie and Annie ain’t a hooker with a heart of gold.

Without giving too much away Annie connects with a man a few years younger than her who appears to be very rich and very persuadable. 

He wants her for sex and she’s happy to be on the market. But things change when Annie allows herself to accept a proposal and marries the man in Las Vegas. 

What happens next should not be spoiled but it is hilarious and riveting. 

There’s a time in your life where you probably attend a lot of weddings. In my part of the world it was small church services followed by dinner. Rarely any dancing and the couples were all somewhere in their mid 20s. 

Usually the brides weren’t showing. 

I’ll never forget when, at one of these happy occasions, my mom leaned over to me and said, “This will be a nice starter marriage.” 

I was so young and naive that it took four or five years and three or four divorces amongst my friends, before I understood what she meant. 

Anora is not a movie about a nice starter marriage. Or if it is it’s a starter marriage from hell. 

But Writer/Director Sean Baker understands all of his characters the same way my mother knew about marriage. He presents them with razor sharp humor, grace and empathy. 

This is one of the best movies of the year.