{"id":505182,"date":"2026-03-31T12:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/505182\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:45:08","slug":"what-the-critics-are-saying-about-the-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/505182\/","title":{"rendered":"What The Critics Are Saying About \u2018The Drama\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFirst reviews are out for The Drama<\/a>, the buzzy A24 feature drama starring Zendaya<\/a> & Robert Pattinson<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDirected by Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli<\/a> (Dream Scenario), the film also stars Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim. The plot is said to follow a happily engaged young couple whose relationship is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe early reviews are mixed; however, there appears to be a consensus among the critics about the quality of Zendaya and Pattinson\u2019s leading performances.\u00a0The Rotten Tomatoes review currently sits at 85%.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his review, Deadline\u2019s Pete Hammond<\/a> described The Drama as \u201ca darkly funny, yet explosively honest movie\u201d that \u201cmay not be what you expect at all going in, but one that is bound to spark spirited conversation when you are walking out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHammond also praised Pattinson\u2019s efforts in the film, describing his turn as a \u201ccareer-best performance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tCanada\u2019s CBC described the film as \u201cimperfect, controversial, and fascinating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe publication said \u201cthere\u2019s a near-endless level of discourse just waiting to be had\u201d about the film\u2019s much-talked-about plot twist, but warned that it could also alienate audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPattinson and Zendaya\u2019s morose, squirm-inducing, watch-through-your-fingers-style comedy stands a greater chance of alienating mainstream audiences than enraging them,\u201d the review read.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Australian newspaper panned The Drama, describing the feature as a \u201crepulsive, one-star mess\u201d in a highly critical review. But there was high praise from the UK\u2019s Guardian newspaper, which argued the film successfully \u201cdelivers on its promise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Drama has the spiky, ingenious, tasteless style of his previous film Dream Scenario, and both are superior to his unsubtle narcissism comedy Sick of Myself,\u201d the newspaper wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt offers us a provocation, a jeu d\u2019\u00e9sprit of outrage, a psychological meltdown that is more astutely articulated than in many another more solemnly intended film. And it gives us what it promises in the title.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMashable described the flick as a \u201ccringe comedy\u201d while US Today heaped praise on the lead performances, describing both Zendaya and Pattinson as \u201cstrong\u201d on screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cZendaya\u2019s is the more quietly powerful of the two, juggling the heavy emotions of a wedding with her world quickly falling apart around her,\u201d the newspaper wrote. \u201cMeanwhile, Pattinson is like a manic roller coaster on screen, increasingly off the rails as the weight of Emma\u2019s reveal has Charlie questioning everything and reacting badly to the situation. Then there\u2019s Haim, so full of venom and vitriol, who, depending on one\u2019s perspective, is low-key the hero or villain of the film.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a four-star review, Empire Magazine said The Drama is \u201chilarious in that cruel, keen way that Borgli has proved to be a specialist.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt bends towards the same arch cringe comedy that he explored in his fantastic second feature Sick Of Myself, an equally dark dramedy about a woman so jealous of her partner\u2019s successes she obsessively and loudly fakes a severe illness,\u201d the magazine wrote. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe Independent made a bold prediction and described The Drama as the \u201cmost uncomfortable film of the year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Drama asks questions I\u2019m not sure I have the answer to. And that makes me uncomfortable,\u201d the newspaper wrote. \u201cIt makes me feel exposed and challenged. It also makes me want to talk about it with every person I meet. And if that\u2019s not the point of art, then what is?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Drama arrives in theaters on April 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First reviews are out for The Drama, the buzzy A24 feature drama starring Zendaya & Robert Pattinson.\u00a0 Directed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,35588,89493,56,54,55,24489],"class_list":{"0":"post-505182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-robert-pattinson","11":"tag-the-drama","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom","15":"tag-zendaya"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}