David O’Russell’s ‘Amsterdam’ hits theaters

The star-studded film receives mixed reviews

STELLA SCHNEIDER / CONTRIBUTOR / THE USD VISTA

“Amsterdam,” written and directed by five-time-Oscar -nominated David O. Russell, hit theaters this past weekend. Set in the 1930s, the film follows three friends who not only witness a murder, but become suspects themselves and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Margot Robbie, Christian Bale and John David Washington are the leads of the film, with a trail of A-list actors and actresses alongside them. From Anya Taylor Joy to Robert De Niro and singer Taylor Swift, the star-studded cast of “Amsterdam” garnered significant attention.

Whenever a film with such a stacked cast hits theaters, many ponder if it will enhance the quality of the movie. USD professor and Film Studies minor co-director, Dr. Eric Pierson believes a movie must have more than an A-list cast.  

“The film still has to resonate with people, I don’t think you can stack your cast to success. If the film stinks, it stinks,” Pierson said. 

Even if these actors have had ample success in other films, the film itself must rely on its own merit rather than the success of the people acting in it, and there’s some debate on how “Amsterdam” fits into this logic. 

With a rotten tomatoes score of 33%, “Amsterdam” wasn’t looking at a promising opening weekend. The crew working on the film were hopeful that the appearance of singer Taylor Swift would gather her fans for some box office sales, but this did not greatly affect the turnout. 

Pierson expressed doubts that Swift’s appearance would attract the brand of movie goers interested in the film. 

“I don’t know if the people who would go to see the film because Taylor Swift is in it will understand the film they are going to see,” Pierson said. “They may end up profoundly disappointed.” 

“Amsterdam” opened with only $6.5 million in the box office and has many mixed reviews already, with some moviegoers concerned the cast’s talent wasn’t taken advantage of enough. USD Sophomore Aoibheann Murphy has a similar worry. 

“The cast raises peoples’ expectations going into the movie and the cast doesn’t make up for how good the movie could be and may leave people disappointed.” 

“Amsterdam” seems to have comedic writing and an ambitious plot, but there are aspects that many aren’t interested in. Another concern for students is the watchability of the many popular actors and actresses in the film. 

USD junior Michael Fagan commented on “Amsterdam.” “The ratings may go down if someone’s favorite actor or actress is in ‘Amsterdam’ and doesn’t get enough screen time, but other than that, I can only see the cast helping the success of the film.” 

Director David O. Russell is  known for his previous movies he directed, such as “American Hustle”, “Silver Linings Playbook’’ and others. He hasn’t written and directed a movie since “Joy ‘’ in 2015. Coming back to the scene, Russell may catch the attention of some movie lovers or individuals looking to see what he’s up to, but his work, as with many other directors, can be an acquired taste. 

USD Junior Jana Dulcich saw “Amsterdam” opening weekend. “I expected more action and excitement; I think [the movie] had such talented actors they could have taken [better] advantage of.”

“Amsterdam’s” trailer insinuates a suspenseful film, but most of the screen time yearns to establish the plot through heavy dialogue. With the end of the year approaching, fall is when movies are released more often if they are looking to earn awards. “Amsterdam’’ may have a stacked cast, but Pierson argues, “the film will have to fail or succeed on its own.”  

Despite the casting and big budget, “Amsterdam” had a quiet opening weekend in the box office and mostly negative reviews so far.