MaXXXine offers more style than substance

MaXXXine
Written and Directed by Ti West
Starring Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Kevin Bacon, Sophie Thatcher, Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale
Runtime 1 hour and 44 minutes
MPAA Rating R for strong violence, graphic nudity, gore, drug use, language and sexual content
In theaters July 5

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Editor in Chief

“In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.” -Bette Davis

I was thrilled with X (2022) and chilled by the magic in the bottle that was Pearl (2022). While I found Maxxxine to fall flat and ultimately be an exercise of style over substance.

We find Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) in Tinseltown 1985, six years after the “Texas Porn Star Massacre” event depicted in X (2022). She has made a name for herself within the adult film industry and is now looking to move into a more serious film career. One of the first sequences of the picture is Maxine trying out for a role within a horror film. She aces the audition, flashes her breasts upon request and leaves brimming with even more confidence than she strutted in with (which is quite the feat). With spirits high, she informs all the promising actors waiting outside for their big break, they might as well go home cause she “nailed it.” When Maxine finds out she has received the part in the film, her life simultaneously spins out of control. Fortunately, Maxine is an individual in which chaos is part of the everyday program. So, unsurprisingly, she handles the bloody, tumultuous ride with no more than a bat of the eye.

Maxxxine throws a lot on the screen (including that Bette Davis quote above), so much so that it loses itself. There is one thing that is crystal clear though: Ti West is a cinephile. He drops homages left and right via the plot, style, and characters, most of which are spot on. I read that West utilized techniques and camera equipment from the eighties filmmaking era to achieve the comprehensive look and feel of the picture. Without a doubt, Maxxxine achieves what he set out to do, as it has all the markings of an eighties slasher along with the climate of the time by including the fears of the Satanic panic, a Night Stalker killer roaming the streets, and a pair of bumbling detectives (Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale). West utilizes a giallo approach, De Palma split screen techniques, and synth filled music to hammer home a tribute to horror films of the past. Unfortunately, his admiration does not add up to a cohesive story.

Take, for example, Private Detective John Labat (Kevin Bacon) who is hired by an illusive figure to track down Maxine in Hollywood. Sure, this slimy two-bit hustler is entertaining to watch but does not manage add much to the plot other than to show West’s fondness for Jake Gittes of Chinatown and provide some titillating gore. Conveying Labat’s knowledge of Maxine’s grim blood-filled past, could have easily been handled without his existence. Instead there are extraneous scenes, one of which involves an insignificant studio chase that has Maxine seeking shelter within the Bates home from Psycho. Maxxxine is littered with Psycho (1960) references, which inevitably made me think of the private detective, Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam). Milton is hired by Lila Crane (Vera Miles) after her sister Marion (Janet Leigh) goes missing. There’s a scene in which he interrogates the suspect, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and is not satisfied with the yarn Bates has spun and says, “Well, to tell you the truth, I do mind. You see, if it doesn’t jell it ain’t aspic and - this ain’t jelling. It’s not coming together.”. These are my exact sentiments on the Ti West’s latest installment to the X film series.

I applaud the acknowledgement of cinematic history, but without any sort of context to connect the dots, I find it all to be fruitless. Much like the moment in which Maxine snubs out a cigarette on late actor, Theda Bara’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Theda was a prominent figure during the silent film era and is often referred to as the first sex symbol in cinematic history. This gifted her the nickname of “The Vamp”. Much like Maxine, she was known for her mysterious background and affinity towards playing seductive roles. Sadly, I foresee this reference and intended connection falling flat on much of West’s viewers given many folks disconnect from film history. There’s another moment in which Maxine has a violent encounter with a Buster Keaton impersonator that is equally frustrating. Also, I have to be honest, the way in which West did Keaton dirty in this scene (impersonator or not) is gonna leave me salty for quite some time… especially when a Charlie Chaplin impersonator was right there and much more deserving of a slay. I understand Chaplin was not the adequate set up for West’s witty pun, but I found even with all the bloodshed I witnessed before and after, this scene in particular was the most horrific for me to experience.

Elizabeth radiates in Maxxxine.

However, there were some bright spots within the film, such as severed limbs in a suitcase and Elizabeth Debicki. Debicki’s portrayal of Elizabeth Bender, the director of the horror movie, Puritan II, that Maxine will be starring in, is fantastic. I loved her blunt, sharp delivery and the way she brought this character to life with her overall demeanor. She is now my new style icon and I must procure an eyeglasses necklace holder post haste. I could not help but think this character was based on the late, great female director from the 1920s and early 40s, Dorothy Arzner. Regardless, each time Elizabeth graced the screen was a delight that left me wanting to know more about this individual. I need her back story post haste. In fact, sequences that involved the film set and behind the scenes of Puritan II were my favorite aspect of Maxxxine. A scene that comes to mind is when Sophie Thatcher, who plays the FX artist, is making a cast of Maxine’s face. My appreciation for this scene led me to think how much more I would have enjoyed the flick, if the story centered around a maniac terrorizing the film set. A simple, yet effective tale.

It is quite possible my expectations were too high. Especially after being inundated at the cinema with the trailer for months leading up to me finally viewing the thing. I also was kinda expecting more sleaze and even a touch more gore. A good friend pointed out to me after the screening that with any sort of series there always is a weakest link. Unfortunately, Maxxxine is it. Will I revisit it? Most likely. It will not however be a repeat cinema viewing and instead will occur from the comfort of my home. All and all, the trilogy as a whole is nothing to sneeze at. In a mere three years, West, Goth and the team managed to make three upstanding motion pictures that he wrote, directed, produced, and edited. Good for him and more importantly, good for Maxine. If anything, she has taught me to never give up and to not accept a life that I do not deserve.