Interview Rian Johnson – GLASS ONION: A Knives Out Mystery

Originally posted October 25, 2022

Four members of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle  LeAnne Lindsay (me), Dan Tabor, Stephen Silver & Rich Heimlich, got the opportunity to sit down with Rian Johnson in Philly, the morning before “Glass Onion” screened at the 31st Annual Philadelphia Film Festival. His interview is part of our Film Scribes Podcast.  Of course you never have enough time to ask all the questions you have prepared, but I was glad to fit in a little aside about how much I admire his wife, Karina Longworth‘s Podcast “You Must Remember This” a deep dive into old Hollywood. And whether or not their home is haunted.

Listen to our Film Scribes Podcast Below:

GLASS ONION: A Knives Out Mystery | Netflix | Writer/Director Rian Johnson

Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview – As a filmmaker how coveted would it be to discover you’ve created a franchise?  I suppose it would depend on how much you love the world you’ve built. Well, Rian Johnson is more than fond of his knives out mystery verse and lead character Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) and if Glass Onion does half as well as 2019’s Knives Out (PhilaFCC Best Picture winner) then they’re both happy to keep the franchise going.

When it comes to movies and COVID what I’ve mainly seen so far is either the movie is steeped in it or ignores it all together.  Johnson decided to address it as the elephant in the room for a beat at the beginning and then cleverly shoots the elephant and rids the rest of the movie of this actuality.  We are introduced to the cast or rather soon to be suspects: Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) a vacuous, self-centered music legend, with a fabulous wardrobe.  Her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), has the difficult job of keeping Birdie from being cancelled again on Twitter. Kathryn Hahn, whose career is super hot these days, plays Claire, a democratic politician. Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) is a Joe Rogan type influencer. Cody’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) seems to be just a pretty face who looks hot in a bikini, but she’s much smarter than she looks (this is not a clue).  Lionel (Leslie Odom, Jr) is a brilliant scientist. Andie Brand is a corporate CEO (Janelle Monáe) who steals the movie, she’s so watchable.  And all of them revolve around Miles Bron (Edward Norton) a compilation of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and any other billionaire with too much excess and no sense of reality.

We’re introduced to them individually in their own worlds, but soon we have them all on Bron’s island for a little reunion, as all these characters know one another from their early days before their careers took off.  I won’t tell you why or how Benoit Blanc is on the island, but I do like that we get to see a bit of his home life too before going.

For me, Rian Johnson has done it again!  I enjoyed it almost as much as Knives Out, although it’s impossible to recapture the element of surprise I felt back then, realizing Johnson had modernized the Whodunit to so much good effect. For Glass Onion my expectations were already set. Knives Out was also a darker comedy; the mood and location for this one is much lighter with less layers, which is ironic that it doesn’t have as much to peel.  But in terms of staging, pacing, engagement it’s right up there with the original.