# Poor Things - movie. Open spoilers after first post **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 21, 2024, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425 "2024-01-21T04:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/81 "2024-03-08T05:34:35Z")
I’m not sure what scene(s) in _Meaning of Life_ you think are equivalent (genuinely asking) but here’s a bit more info on the UK censorship. It’s totally stupid, of course, but apparently real. > **[This Is Why A Sex Scene From Poor Things Had To Be Edited For Its UK Release](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/poor-things-sex-scene-needed-edit-before-uk-release-this-is-why_uk_659fdb2ee4b0e696b910e517)** > > Emma Stone has won huge acclaim for her performance in the polarising film Poor Things. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/82 "2024-03-08T05:37:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I’m not sure what scene(s) in _Meaning of Life_ you think are equivalent (genuinely asking) The one where a classroom of kids (and some Pythons-dressed-as-kids) watch two adults fucking as part of their education. And take notes. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/83 "2024-03-08T05:40:34Z")
Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve seen _Meaning of Life_ (time for a re-watch!) but I assume there was some significant distinction in the eyes of the censors. Anyway, the above article seems to confirm the story. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/84 "2024-03-08T07:47:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I assume there was some significant distinction in the eyes of the censors Probably the amount of nudity of the adults in the scene, I imagine. But that skips right past how much nudity the kids themselves are seeing, which seems to be the point of the law. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/85 "2024-03-08T13:20:05Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The point was less the part that was alt but the time period. Yes it would have benefited from a discussion about infections had among the workers though. Perhaps. But does every film need to be a public service announcement? Does every film have to have huge social discussions and lessons? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/86 "2024-03-08T14:15:08Z")
Oh not for that reason but for Bella’s reactions and responses to the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/87 "2024-03-09T08:22:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > What I did find somewhat amusing, though, is that one of them had to be cut for the UK release, which is unfortunate for Brits because it was pretty funny. It was the one where Bella, working in a brothel, is visited by a gentleman with his two young sons in tow. I watched it at a standard chain cinema here in Bristol and it included that scene \ ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/88 "2024-03-09T16:39:52Z")
The HuffPost article I quoted (and I’ve seen the same info from other sources) implies that the British Board of Film Classification required that the scene be modified, not necessarily completely removed. But I really have no idea. It’s possible the original decision was rescinded. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/89 "2024-03-09T18:11:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The HuffPost article I quoted (and I’ve seen the same info from other sources) implies that the British Board of Film Classification required that the scene be modified, not necessarily completely removed. Can people in the UK just stream it when it comes to Netflix? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/90 "2024-03-09T18:26:26Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Can people in the UK just stream it when it comes to Netflix?   Like all internet content providers Netflix has geographical restrictions due to different licensing and distribution agreements in different countries. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/91 "2024-03-17T21:47:39Z")
Just watched it now that it’s available on Hulu. I liked it, but I’m a Yorgos Lanthimos fan. I didn’t like it as much as The Lobster, but I liked it more than The Favourite. But really, for most of the time watching it I just kept thinking that I should rewatch The Killing of a Sacred Deer tonight, which is my favorite of his movies that I have seen. I believe I’m in the minority with that take, though. (Looks like TKoaSD is only on Tubi, unfortunately, which means commercials.) As for recommending it to others, I would only just say it’s a Yorgos Lanthimos film. If they like his movies they would probably like this. Someone talked about it being horror. It is not a horror movie in any way, I don’t think. Also, I didn’t see it mentioned in the thread, but it won 4 awards out of 11 nominations: best actress for Emma Stone, which seemed well deserved to me. Then three minor awards: best costume design, production design, and makeup and hair styling. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/92 "2024-03-18T00:52:20Z")
I watched it in two sittings. I wanted to turn it off after about ten minutes, but stuck it out to minute fifty-one. Subsequently, I watched the rest. I did not care for it. I generally do not care for movies that focus on mentally impaired characters. Most of the “humor” I found grating, not funny. Some of the dialogue seemed taken from a thesaurus. Stylistically, overuse of fish-eye lens took me out of the movie repeatedly. The production design was magnificent. An interesting comparison here might be _Once Upon a Time in Hollywood_ (another film I did not care for). The latter’s recreation of late-sixties Hollywood is every bit as audacious and ambitious as _Poor Things_, but it serves as a (lower-key) period-correct background for the story. In _Poor Things_, the steampunk look is a cool fantasy, but it screamed “this movie was DIRECTED, goddamnit!” For me, the settings existed apart from the story rather than complementing it. The main trio of characters (Bella, Godwin and milquetoast Max) are clearly meant to be sympathetic, but as they all lack morality, they were not appealing to me. In the context of science, lack of morality is lack of ethics: the “experiments” of Godwin are plainly unethical. The fact that he is a victim as well does not justify or excuse his actions. BTW, no one in this thread seems to have commented on the fact that the origin of the brain used in his second “experiment” is omitted from the film (I haven’t read the novel). I suspect this is because showing how it was procured would have revealed just how depraved Godwin and Max really are, diminishing their audience appeal. I understand Bella is all about learning from experience and reading, but she seems to exist only for her own ends, exhibiting no consideration for others outside Godwin and Max (the black whore’s role was too insubstantial to really matter in this regard). Granted, the lawyer is an exploitative dickwad, that did not excuse/justify stealing his money and incompetently giving it away. Bella may not know the ways of the world any better at that point in the story, but such ignorance does not make her sympathetic, just a misguided thief. Her ultimate aim, to be a doctor, is paid lip service only, and it seems likely, given the treatment given to her (former) husband, she will prove every bit as unethical as Godwin. I had the sense the movie’s centerpiece is Bella finding contentment in the brothel. This seems inescapably a male conception. For me, the conceit of an attractive female willfully subjecting herself to the desires of mostly unappealing men skews towards porn (or “art-porn,” if you wish), even if the actual depiction does not. All in all, a waste of cool production design and hair extensions. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/93 "2024-03-18T01:01:15Z")
I just remembered, in addition to not being a fan of the fisheye lens, I was baffled by the peephole camera shots sprinkled throughout the film. What was that about? > [@Dropo](#): > > Her ultimate aim, to be a doctor, is paid lip service only, and it seems likely, given the treatment given to her (former) husband, she will prove every bit as unethical as Godwin. Agreed completely. I would definitely not want to be one of her patients. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/94 "2024-03-23T02:02:15Z")
I just finished watching it. I enjoyed it. I’ve never heard of the director before, but I thought the scenery was great, even if I didn’t quite get the futuristic touches. I enjoyed the transition from B&W to color as Bella’s knowledge of the world changed. I think Emma Stone’s Oscar was well-deserved, and while I do think Mark Ruffalo gave a good performance, I think Willem Dafoe was more worthy of a nod. Intentional or not, I got vibes of Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/95 "2024-03-27T21:41:13Z")
This movie is for the billions of people who said: “You know what Edward Scissorhands, Grand Budapest Hotel, and Being John Malkovich needed? Ungodly amounts of gratuitious sex.” The movie was interesting, artistic, and thought provoking. But it wasted so little time on those things, and instead focused almost solely on sex. Bella spends all of 5 minutes dealing with the fascinating topics of gaining an understanding of politics (“we’re going to a socialist meeting”), the development of empathy (crying over dead children), the role of capitalism in injustice (giving money away), and instead spends 80% of the movie focusing on Bella’s sexual activity. What could have been a fascinating look at an intriguing character and how a human develops a view of the world decided instead to focus almost solely on the who, what, where, when, and how Bella has sex. A shame, because the character was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425/96 "2024-03-28T17:55:06Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I could have used a couple less sex _scenes_, partly because I was with my sort of reserved SIL, but mostly because it became tiresome. Almost as if we’re not _meant_ to be titillated. I said this upthread (sorry to quote myself; wasn’t sure the best way to do it). I agree that the sex scenes are repetitive and, to me, rather boring after about the first two. It kind of irritated me due to my boredome of it, but not specifically because it’s sex. IOW I would have groused if we were subject to numerous scenes of her learning to walk or speak or anything else. I’m not sure of the director’s motivation for doing it but it doesn’t strike me the way it does a lot of other folks. Replying to @Hamlet if it isn’t clear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-things-movie-open-spoilers-after-first-post/996425.md?page=4)