Oppenheimer (2023) — Riley Cross Reviews

The Trinity Test of Your Leisure Time

So, it’s Friday night. You’re barricaded behind your door, avoiding texts from your mother and the landlord, and you’ve decided you need a legitimate "Night In." You don't want ghosts jumping out at you, and you definitely don't want to think about your bank account balance again. You want a movie that feels dramatically important but requires zero emotional investment to enjoy. I recommend *Oppenheimer*.

I’ve worked the counter at Blockbuster for six years. I’ve seen teenagers try to rent this thinking it’s a documentary about beekeeping, which frankly, is way funnier than the movie itself. It’s Christopher Nolan trying to make us appreciate physics, which is ambitious for a guy who famously hates releasing the story to critics beforehand.

It’s a dense, three-hour ride, but it’s perfect for a night when you want to feel smart without having to attend a lecture. The dialogue rattles by at a speed that requires you to invest (the sandwich scene in the hotel meeting room is iconic right up until it isn't), and the editing is frantic. You will leave the house feeling like you just ran a marathon, which is the perfect excuse to crawl back into bed and ignore the outside world until Monday morning rolls around.

Just don’t wear headphones while watching; Nolan loves a little auditory overload, and you don’t need your own internal soundtrack blasting during your relaxation time.

Bottom line: A high-concept history lesson that is terrifyingly easy to get lost in.