I’ve been reading a lot of articles about why West Side Story has bombed, and maybe some of the reasons given (Omicron, mainly an over-40 nostalgia piece, ending too downerish, not really in synch with the times, no chemistry between Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler) have merit.
I still maintain that the energy and choreography are palpable and invigorating and that it’s still an emotionally moving experience. Plus the critics scores are still overwhelmingly positive, my eyes definitely welled up during my first viewing, and the audience scores (generally in the 80s and 90s) are pretty good also.
In short, The film hasn’t changed but the climate has since the dismal box-office became known last Sunday. For their own safety people are running away from a movie that hasn’t yet connected (and perhaps never will connect…who knows?) but basically the fraidy cats are jumping ship…that’s all that’s going on.
You should understand, also, that when New Yorker critic Richard Brody pans a film, the odds of it being pretty good are fairly high.
