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The Cannes Ketchup: Cannes Kicks off with Messi, Meryl Streep, and Furiosa

ALL THE NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM THE 72ND CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, UPDATED DAILY.

by | May 16, 2024 | Comments

Rotten Tomatoes is in the South of France to break down the biggest news, acquisitions, early reactions, and other happenings of the 77th Cannes Film Festival daily. Check back here for ongoing updates, including the premieres of George Millier’s latest in the Mad Max Saga, Furiosa, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, his follow-up to his Oscar-winner Poor Things, and Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis. 

Meryl Streep is Golden on the Croisette

Tuesday, May 14: Kicking off the festival on Tuesday was the Opening night film of Second Act, a French comedy film written, shot, edited, and directed by Quentin Dupieux and starring some of the biggest names in French Cinema, including Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, and Louis Garrel just to name a few. It has earned mixed reviews, with Kevin Maher of Times UK writing, “The fun, however, can only last so long, and despite some giggle-worthy slapstick involving a nervous, shaking, wine-splashing waiter, The Second Act eventually moves into a slower, less ebullient gear.” The likely highlight of the film premiere was Messi from the Oscar-winning and Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall assisting in the festivities and stealing the show yet again.

The premiere event for the day was Rendez-Vous with Meryl Streep. Before being honored with an honorary Palme d’Or, Streep was on hand for a photo call with Festival President Thierry Frémaux, followed by a moderated conversation about her career later that day. Security has been tight, as many have been expecting protests on the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but the heels are on the red carpet, and the starlets abound. If you want to keep up to date with all the looks from the red carpet, be sure to check out our Festival Photo Gallery. Tomorrow is likely to be the most anticipated day of the festival, welcoming back George Miller and his latest in the Mad Max saga, Furiosa, just shy of a decade after its predecessor Fury Road hit the Cannes Film Festival to a rapturous reception and eventual Oscar Gold.

Witness her!! Furiosa dazzles the Red Carpet at the Cannes Premiere

Wednesday, May 15th: Day 2

The second day of the Cannes Film Festival saw all assembled crowds buzzing about the Palais in an effort to “witness her.” The “her” in question was, of course, the standout character of Mad Max Fury Road , Furiosa. The film already made headlines long before the film or the filmmakers landed on the Croisette with social sentiments early last month, hailing the film a masterwork. Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue tweeted, “Furiosa is epic, beautiful, and everything I wanted for my queen.” Crowds were anxiously assembled to see Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, George Miller, and several other key players of the Cannes Film Festival show up for the starry premiere. Before arrival at the premiere, our Furiosa had a rather scary touch-and-go moment when she arrived at the airport. Some very aggressive autograph seekers made her trip from the airport to her awaiting vehicle somewhat tenuous.

Thankfully, the star of The Menu was able to arrive and dazzled us yet again with another signature look, showing that she has been both thoughtful and brilliant with every effort she has made in the promotion of this film. The Cannes premiere follows a whirlwind tour that kicked off in Australia, with people already heralding the film as an impressive entry, albeit not to the level of the incredible effort that is Mad Max Fury Road. We were, of course, on hand to hear the crowd’s reaction and the rapturous seven-minute standing ovation, and we were lucky enough to be one of the people who joined Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth, Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataki, and Miller as they celebrated the film at the after party on the beach.

Baz Luhrmann, Law Roach, and Greta Gerwig were just a few of the illustrious names who were on site to wish Miller and the folks behind the film at Warner Bros. congratulations. Poised for an epic global launch over Memorial Day weekend, the buzz out of Cannes should help raise awareness of the film, and if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out our interview with the cast filmed in the US before the press tour and grab your tickets for Furiosa here.

Wednesday also saw the premiere of The Girl with the Needle, Magnus Van Horn’s eerie black and white feature, which promises horrific historical drama and a fictionalized true crime tale that will leave the audience shaken. It also boasts our highest-rated film of the festival so far. Loosely based on the true story of a Danish serial killer, it definitely had folks talking. Don’t forget to bookmark this page and check back tomorrow as we will be breaking down the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis and Andrea Arnold’s Bird.

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