Maxxxine (#572)

Two things you should know about me is that I rarely read anything about a movie before going to see it, and I rarely remember anything about a movie after I see and review it—not even the title.  The only thing I knew about the movie I saw today was that "it follows the woman who was the only survivor of the bloody incidents in X as she continues her journey towards fame as an actress in 1980s Los Angeles."  Today's movie starred Mia Goth, and she is unusually gifted.  I know I saw her in another film but can't remember the film.  I vaguely recall I thought she was pretty good in that one.  I should have suspected something because all the previews were of horror or weird or both films, and the title, MAXXXINE, with its three Xs should have been an obvious clue to anyone but me.  Mia Goth, as Maxine Minx, is a successful star of pornographic movies but wants to make it as a legitimate movie actress.  That is the main thrust of the plot.  Concurrently, Los Angeles is reeling under the threat of a serial killer whom the police can't seem to identify or find.  I found the movie disjointed, moving from place to place, theme to theme, with no particular plot to follow.  I will only disclose that she is weird, the serial killer is revealed, and Kevin Bacon and Bobby Canavale are also in the movie but that's all I can offer other than it is an hour and 44 minutes long, and it held my attention most of the way through even when I wasn't quite sure who was on first (for the uninitiated, that's an old Abbott and Costello comedy routine which you may want to look up on the internet, I'm sure).  75% of critics and 78% of audiences gave Maxxxine a thumbs up.