Late Fame (2026)

The critic finds the drama exquisitely wry and melancholic, with Jones turning characters’ foibles and pretensions into acts of tenderness. He singles out Dafoe’s finest performance in years for its trek from bliss to disillusionment and odd contentment.

The critic finds it a tender, bittersweet drama led by Dafoe's tender performance, praising its exploration of self-delusion, generational divides, and the desire for recognition, though noting some narrative stumbles.

The critic praises the film as a low-key but moving intergenerational portrait of ambitious writers in contemporary New York. Dafoe’s grounded performance is highlighted as a compelling treat that clashes effectively with Greta Lee’s theatricality.

This observant character study, transposed to contemporary New York, treats its characters with compassion and features impressive performances, especially from Willem Dafoe as the rediscovered poet. It notes the amusing pretensions of the young aesthetes without dismissing their nostalgia.

The critic praises this elegant, smart and literate adaptation as a tonic with marvellous tenderness and generosity, highlighting Willem Dafoe’s intelligent and self-possessed performance as the ageing poet.

The critic finds the film lyrical and enchanting, praising Jones’s naturalistic style driven by curiosity that reveals the humanity of everyone onscreen. He singles out Dafoe’s performance as a slowly unfolding wildflower that conveys buried yearning and resilience.

The critic calls the film often first-rate for its wisdom and depth on aging, dashed dreams, and the magic of rediscovery, plus a deliciously ironic final twist. He singles out the superb cast managed with aplomb and the cinematographer’s evocative capture of lower Manhattan.

The review calls the film a supremely elegant adaptation and character study that captures the faded soul of New York’s art scene, praising the nuanced performances especially from Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee.

The critic finds the film funny and genial with a cool astringency, boosted by strong performances from Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, noting its wry take on fleeting moments and talent.

The film toys with tragic, comic and feel-good modes but declines to commit fully, delivering an unsentimental story anchored by Willem Dafoe’s lived-in performance. It drifts toward a graceful conclusion while studying its pretentious characters largely without judgment.

Kent Jones’ comedy about a rediscovered poet talks a lot but doesn’t say anything new or compelling. It criticizes the script’s lack of bite compared to May December and finds the nostalgic downtown New York gaze grating and underdeveloped, especially in its treatment of characters.

The critic highlights Willem Dafoe's thoughtful, heartfelt performance at the center of this melancholy adaptation of an Arthur Schnitzler novella. It praises the film's sharp observations on bohemian poseurs and its cathartic ending.

The critic describes it as a perceptive urban drama, noting how the update of the novella allows for an insightful look at a former poet falling in with a young crowd and the dynamics that ensue.

Kent Jones’s second feature is a perceptive, lightfooted drama examining the thin line between creative aspiration and pretentious poseurdom, with strong turns from Willem Dafoe and especially Greta Lee, who steals scenes as the eccentric actress Gloria.

Kent Jones’s playful drama pokes gentle fun at New York literary circles old and new in a poetic meditation on the transience of fame. It highlights Dafoe’s perfect performance and the film’s compassionate, generous view of its anachronistic characters.

The critic finds the film amiable but notes it pulls its punches, praising Dafoe's graceful performance and the sincere direction while criticizing the limited perspective on characters and lack of stronger dramatic tension.

The critic calls the film understated and sharp, praising Dafoe's conflicted yet perfect performance as the rediscovered poet and the screenplay's exploration of notoriety and identity through graceful notes and character interactions.

The critic praises the film's wise and fond understanding of why some people want to become artists without making much art and why others quit. She singles out Jones’s light, confident, naturalistic direction and grasp of the Greenwich Village milieu.

The critic lauds Dafoe and Lee's performances and the enchanting premise but notes the film stumbles with cartoonish treatment of the young artists and feels less assured overall.

The film is a wry, clever, and thoughtful low-key portrait of modest fame and artistic validation. It singles out Willem Dafoe's delicate performance and the sly screenplay's handling of ego, class, and pretension in contemporary New York.

The critic calls it a gem about discovery and rediscovery, praising the superb performances of Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee along with the witty, biting screenplay that treats its characters with humanity and grace rather than satire.

Burch and Jones update the story to the present without falling into cliché, giving Dafoe and especially Greta Lee opportunities to show new sides of their acting. Greta Lee's performance of the Brecht/Weill song forms the disquieting core of this precise, layered film.

The review portrays it as a loving low-key farce that skewers and sympathizes with its characters in equal measure, highlighting Willem Dafoe's nuanced performance and the director's layered, non-cynical approach to themes of artistic legacy and class.

The critic describes the film as poignant but slightly unsatisfying, an elegy for old New York that fails to fully land its themes. Willem Dafoe's spellbinding performance as the rediscovered poet is singled out for strong praise.

The film is a predictable, mild satire of New York artistic circles that lacks sharp danger or deep character development, feeling like a lesser late-period Woody Allen dramedy. Dafoe's lead performance is convincingly modest and central, but even he cannot fully overcome the broad arcs and uneven supporting elements.