Once Todd Haynes’ film May December was announced, and it was known what its premise was, it was pretty clear that it would clash with some of the less discerning corners of modern cinema culture. That’s what happens when you make a film loosely based on the story of teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, who molested her male student Vili Fualaau, and later married and had children with him.
To be clear: The film has been, for the most part, well-received, with a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 90 percent and an audience score of 67 percent. And while not a frontrunner, May December has been in the awards conversation, with many regional critics groups at least nominating it for best picture, and all three leads (Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton) gaining numerous accolades throughout the season. Oscar nominations are expected.
It’s also been memed, a lot, especially that music cue with the hot dogs. That led to my favorite piece of FYC mail this season:
The movie is about what happens when the fictional counterparts of Letourneau and Fualaau have been married for many years, an actress making a movie about them visits, and Joe (the Fualaau) stand-in starts to question whether their life together was as consensual as he thought (in real life, the couple divorced, shortly before Letourneau’s death.) The film also has things to say about Hollywood’s exploitation of horrible events.
Arguments Against May December
Vili Fualaau has objected to the film, stating that he wishes he’d been consulted, and that the film could have been even better had he been allowed to give input. I don’t begrudge Fualaau for feeling that way about his own story, although the film’s main thrust — the visit by an actress — is fictional. As we’ve learned from the last few years of musician biopics when the real-life person is involved, it’s often to the detriment of the film.
Other arguments about May December have been less defensible. One Variety piece called it “problematic” that the film uses snippets from the score of an earlier film, The Go-Between, including for that famous hot dog scene. I’m not sure why that matters, especially considering 95 percent of the people who will watch May December have never heard of The Go-Between.
But then there are the people who misunderstood the film altogether, or were upset that the film doesn’t, I guess, draw lines on the screen pointed at Julianne Moore stating “See that bad lady over there? She’s bad, bad, bad!”
Then there are the surprisingly large number of people who seem to think the film is either endorsing grooming or treating the Joe/Grace relationship like a great love story or something.
Or, of course, Armond White (in his own category):
Am I overrating the bad opinions of a few randos? Perhaps. But May December has inspired more nuttery than any other 2023 film.