Bliss (2021)

 

Streaming Services: Amazon Prime

Movie Name/Year: Bliss (2021)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Length: 103 minutes
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: Amazon Studios, Endgame Entertainment, Big Indie Pictures, Pakt Media, Stellar Visioning, Amazon Prime Video
Director: Mike Cahill
Writers: Mike Cahill
Actors: Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Ronny Chieng, Steve Zissis, Joshua Leonard, Madeline Zima, Bill Nye, Slavoj Zizek, DeRon Horton, Eugene Young, Adam William Zastrow, Lora Lee, Kosah Rukavina, Debbie Fan, Branko Smiljanic, Sanja Vejnovic, Guy Perry, Heath McGough, Roshan Maloney
 
Blurb from IMDb: A mind-bending love story following Greg who, after recently being divorced and then fired, meets the mysterious Isabel, a woman living on the streets and convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is a computer simulation.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
I am so confused right now.
 
The credits have rolled on my viewing of Bliss, and I’m not sure whether I’m going or coming.
 
What was real?
 
I’d say that this production has really accomplished their task in bending reality as they saw fit. I’m not sure which was the simulation (or a drug trip?) and which scenario was actually real. If they wanted to conjure up a serious mind-hack, well then they did it. I kept waiting for another post-credit scene that never came.
 
I question everything. Seriously, the people here in the real world that think we’re living in a simulation like The Matrix (1999) are going to eat this up. I can’t wait for more conspiracy theories to evolve. I digress.

I’m not always a fan of Owen Wilson’s (Marley & Me, Wedding Crashers, Midnight in Paris) work. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something just puts me off about his live-action performances that isn’t always present in his voice work. For Bliss, it didn’t seem to matter. I was buying his character and his visceral reactions to the situations he found himself in. I felt his wonder and longing. I tip my hat to him for this performance. Maybe I need to watch more of his serious stuff, rather than the goofball comedy he’s known for.
 
Salma Hayek (Savages, Everly, Like a Boss) was at the top of her game here, too. I’m seriously still wondering if she was really a doctor or if she was the drugged-out bag lady. What was real? I don’t even know.

 
I don’t know…maybe those ‘glitch in the simulation’ people have something figured out – I mean, it’s SNOWING here in Louisiana even as I write this review. We might get upwards of a foot accumulation this week. That just doesn’t happen. I’m digressing again.
 
Bliss was a solid piece of dramatic sci-fi. The worlds, simulated or otherwise, were executed well and made it decidedly hard to tell where reality stopped and simulation took over. The dedication to detail was amazing. I have a few guesses about how some clues were woven into the cinematography – but I’m spoiling nothing. I leave it to audiences to decide.
 
If this is your genre, and you love brainteasers, Bliss is going to be right up your alley. I’d love to hear which you think is real. 

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 30%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%
Metascore –  38%
Metacritic User Score – 6.3/10
IMDB Score – 5.3/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
 
Movie Trailer: