Review: Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough shine in "Monday"
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 11:00AM
The film may be called Monday but it’s all about the thrill of living for the weekend. It opens with a tracking shot of people, including our two American protagonists Mickey (Sebastian Stan) and Chloe (Denise Gough), getting their groove on in the dance floor as “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer starts playing. Everyone dancing to the rhythm with hardly a care in the world reflects the picture's tone as Mickey and Chloe engage in a blissful romance under the Greek Sun. Both act as if they’re stuck on that disco floor and hoping that dread day Monday never comes...
Their initial encounter leads to them waking up nude on the beach the next morning and getting arrested. They attempt to go their separate ways but circumstances cause them to spend more time together. Their weekend fling morphs into a relationship where they binge on drugs and sexual bliss. Even when they get into a heated argument, they’ll still have sex right after. Frankly, that’s almost all the film ends up being. Two broken people perpetually fighting and banging. (There is a subplot involving Mickey estranged relationship with his young son, yet everything else takes a complete backseat to Mickey and Chloe’s romance.)
The rinse-and-repeat nature of the central romance is made up for by Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough who make a superb dual act. Between the two actors, Gough has the weightier role as Chloe ends up coming to grips with the predicament she’s in. Mickey gives Chloe the appetite for excitement she’s craved, but his immaturity puts a strain on her. As for Sebastian Stan, he exudes both allure and pique as the carefree Mickey. His petulance may be a root of tension between them, but he's trying to be a good partner and his charm keeps Chloe drawn to him. Between this and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it’s been a good month for Stan to show off his underrated acting range.
Monday may not change the face of the romance genre, but it’s still better than the feeling of heading into a Monday after a nice, relaxing weekend. That's in large part due to the emotionally and erotically charged central performances. B/B-
Monday is available on VOD and in theaters.
Denise Gough, Monday, Reviews, Sebastian Stan
Reader Comments (4)
Not sure this movie is for me (volatile couples wear me out very quickly, both on screen and off), but I agree with you about Sebastian Stan's range. Having recently rewatched all the Captain America movies I think he does very good, nuanced work in them that I didn't fully appreciate the first time. Glad his profile is rising and hope he continues to do interesting non-Marvel roles.
Stan would have been on my Supporting Actor ballot for I, Tonya.
"That's in large part due to the emotionally and erotically charged central performances."
Love me some Sebastian Stan so I'm definitely checking this out now!
Stan's Bucky is the most layered sidekick work in the MCU, by far. He has huge potential as a leading man, and I can't wait to see this one.