--- title: "Fair Play: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/fair-play/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/fair-play" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fair Play (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 17 reviews: 14 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like Fair Play. Fourteen of the seventeen reviews are positive, and nearly all of them single out Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich, whose performances as the engaged analysts are repeatedly called the reason the film holds together. Chloe Domont’s direction draws steady praise for a debut, and several reviews credit her with getting the hedge-fund world right, down to the status markers. The reservations gather around the script rather than the filmmaking. A number of critics find the third act improbable or overlong, and some feel the film loses nerve at the end, turning moralistic where it had been unsettling. The dissent runs deeper in a few places: Vulture finds the treatment of sex and sexism too black and white, Little White Lies calls the whole thing generic, and The Playlist sees a conservative take on a provocative premise. The spread is narrow, with the argument mostly about whether the film says anything new. ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2023. Chloe Domont’s sharply assured feature debut is a smart, crackling thriller about sex, money, gender, and power that mounts an up-to-the-minute rejoinder to classic corporate thrillers. Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich give superb performances as the couple whose relationship unravels under professional pressures. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-09-27/fair-play-review-netflix-erotic-thriller-alden-ehrenreich-phoebe-dynevor) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 21 January 2023. Festival review. Chloe Domont’s first feature is a riveting financial drama that nails the hedge-fund world while probing sexual passion and politics in the post-#MeToo era with artfully deft storytelling. It has much to say about the post-#MeToo world and has a lot of fun saying it. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/fair-play-review-alden-ehrenreich-phoebe-dynevor-1235497838/) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 6 October 2023. Chloe Domont’s sizzling debut is a brilliant erotic workplace thriller that turns steamy romance into icy resentment when the woman gets promoted over her partner. It offers a sly, perceptive take on toxic male entitlement with finely calibrated performances from Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/fair-play-review-phoebe-dynevor-alden-ehrenreich/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2023. The review calls the film a gripping, sleek, and impressive debut feature from Chloe Domont. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/fair-play-review-netflix/) ## The AV Club — Brent Simon Rating B. 27 September 2023. The critic calls it a wickedly engaging bad-romance thriller that excels in exploring messy complications of romance amid shifting power dynamics, praising the leads' performances while noting some third-act shortcomings in articulation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/fair-play-film-review-netflix-1850875028) ## Empire — Sophie Butcher Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 2023. The critic praises the film's tense exploration of gender dynamics in a competitive hedge fund setting, noting strong performances especially from Phoebe Dynevor who balances vulnerability with steely strength, and the leads' chemistry that keeps the thriller gripping despite some plot veers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fair-play/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2023. The caustic debut sets up a model relationship in a ruthless hedge fund where the woman's promotion exposes hidden male resentment and entitlement. It is an excellent but imperfect film that stacks the deck too far in one character's favor while delivering a propulsive, well-acted portrait of gendered power dynamics. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/17/fair-play-netflix-good-guy-delusion) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/3/2. 29 September 2023. The critic calls it a disappointingly generic corporate drama that fails to make the most of its premise about gender and sexual politics in domestic and professional settings. The script lacks imagination or insight, culminating in a predictable act of sexual violence. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/fair-play/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2023. The critic finds the film limited by its binary black-and-white approach to sex and sexism, praising its adept visualization of high-pressure workplaces and use of cringe but criticizing the lack of nuance and shades of gray. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/fair-play-review-it-never-gives-itself-a-fair-shot.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 28 September 2023. Chloe Domont’s impressive debut is a bracing, intelligent erotic thriller about a promotion that sparks dangerous friction at a hedge fund. It trades on forbidden lust but stays largely free of the genre’s ripe excess while nailing workplace status markers and gender dynamics. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/57ebfd1a-5ca9-418e-a612-e8a21a599855) ## Screen Daily 22 January 2023. Festival review. The critic describes an indictment of capitalism and fragile masculinity in which a would-be power couple’s bond proves tenuous after a promotion; it is wilfully provocative and sometimes strains credibility, but its poisonous cauldron of greed and contempt proves arresting, with compelling leads. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/fair-play-sundance-review/5178365.article) ## Sight and Sound 25 September 2023. The critic finds it an incisive and slick workplace thriller that examines fragile masculinity and career competition through a poisonous relationship, with effective placement in the world of corporate finance. It praises the performances and the spikily satisfying finale while noting that the gender commentary can veer towards the obvious. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/fair-play-this-stormy-bitter-office-thriller-doesnt-pull-its-punches) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen 24 January 2023. Festival review. The critic praises its gripping depiction of shifting power dynamics and sharp dramatization of premarital decay, but notes it ultimately backs away from its most disturbing ideas and steers into moralistic waters. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/fair-play-review-alden-ehrenreich-phoebe-dynevor/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 24 January 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film slick and confident but not terribly deep, praising its nondidactic take on gender conflict while noting it lacks provocation and has some improbable turns. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/fair-play-review-phoebe-dynevor-alden-ehrenreich-1235309322/) ## The New York Times — Amy Nicholson Rating Critic’s Pick. 5 October 2023. The film is a superbly malevolent erotic thriller about two ambitious financial analysts whose secret engagement unravels after a promotion disrupts their power dynamic. Domont’s cutting observations on money, gender, and power are singled out for praise in an impeccable debut. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/movies/fair-play-review.html) ## The Times Rating ★★★★☆. 28 September 2023. Chloe Domont’s debut feature is a bracingly modern yet deliberately old-fashioned guilty-pleasure thriller about a secret office romance torn apart by a promotion at a Manhattan hedge fund. The message is clear: it’s still kill or be killed, with knockout turns from the leads. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/fair-play-review-knockout-turns-make-this-cut-throat-hedge-fund-thriller-l9nsp72c9) ## Collider — Therese Lacson Rating A. 3 February 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film a strong, anxiety-inducing thriller about a couple's toxic power shift. She singles out the leads' explosive chemistry and the script's sharp handling of gender and ambition themes. [Read the review](https://collider.com/fair-play-review-phoebe-dynevor-alden-ehrenreich/) ## /Film — Ben Pearson Rating 9/10. 22 January 2023. Festival review. The sharp script and phenomenal lead performances highlight the corrupting nature of power and ambition in a thrilling way, making for an electric and perversely thrilling experience. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1174781/fair-play-review-a-couple-experiences-shifting-power-dynamics-in-this-high-stakes-thriller-sundance/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2023. The critic praises Chloe Domont's debut as an explosive relationship thriller that heralds an exciting new talent, highlighting the terrific performances by Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich and the film's tight, taut direction. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/fair-play-review-chloe-domont/) ## Digital Spy — Mireia Mullor Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2023. The critic calls the film a sharp-witted and incredibly stressful drama that draws blood from unexpected places and one of the best Netflix releases of the year. They single out the boundary-breaking period sex scene that opens the movie and the star-making performances by the leads. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a45451500/fair-play-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Nathan McVay Rating 4/5. 24 January 2023. Festival review. It's a complete triumph and the best debut at Sundance 2023, with masterful thriller filmmaking and pitch-perfect performances from Dynevor and Ehrenreich that make it an intense, fun ride. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/fair-play-review/) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2023. Festival review. The critic describes an intense ride as a young couple descends into relationship hell over a job promotion, praising the performances but noting the film is too long and ends up in unrealistic territory. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/01/fair-play-sundance-film-festival-review-1235230407/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2023. The critic finds the film a unique exploration of power dynamics in work and relationships, praising the cast's performances especially Dynevor and Ehrenreich, but notes it feels bloated and switches between thoughtful drama and trashy thriller without fully delivering on either. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/fair-play-review-chloe-domonts-feature-debut-is-a-sizzling-workplace-drama/) ## The Playlist — Jason Bailey Rating C-. 21 January 2023. Festival review. The film misses opportunities to explore erotic and power dynamics provocatively, instead becoming a conservative take with silly turns and narrative leaps, though performances are decent. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/fair-play-review-phoebe-dynevor-alden-ehrenreich-fronted-erotic-thriller-series-missed-opportunities-sundance-20230121/) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Rating 7.7. 28 September 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it a blistering relationship thriller that effectively portrays entitlement and toxic dynamics in finance. He singles out Phoebe Dynevor's phenomenal performance and the visceral, unpredictable ending. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sundance-2023/fair-play-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fair-play.md