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Babygirl opens with the sound of moaning… No, it’s not Nicole Kidman – as Roma – doing the do, but me complaining about yet another cinema movie being shot in 2.00:1, the aspect ratio that fits NO cinema screens!
I’m still trying to get things changed at Odeon and Cineworld, since the screen should really zoom in slightly, but doesn’t, so is treated like a 1.85:1 film, and ends up with black bars all round, as you have the usual black bars at the side, on a 2.39:1 screen (which is most of them in cinemas) as well as small black bars top and bottom, effectively windowboxing the image, so it doesn’t fit any screen. Cinemas should pay attention, given how many more films are in the 2.00:1 format these days, including last year’s Barbie, which was the biggest film of 2023.
She’s not satisfied with her husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas, recently all at sea in Paddington In Peru), causing her to immediately resort to flicking the bean once they’ve done the do, but she’s the CEO of an Amazon-type distribution company with a new set of interns to explore. Hence, Samuel (Harris Dickinson – Scrapper) enters the chat, choosing Roma to be his mentor, initially quietly demanding in his line of question, which comes across as effective, but soon after comes a scene where he orders milk for her in a bar, leading to her drinking it despite her friends telling her not to, and once they’ve left, he whispers to her, “Good girl“.
He’s into MILFs, like any sensible, right-thinking man, but 50 Shades Of Grey or Basic Instinct, this is not. In fact, it just crossed my mind that Sharon Stone would’ve been an interesting choice for Roma in this, but then while the character is a regular mom with 2 daughters, Ms Kidman is way too old for this film, as she’s 57, husband Antonio Banderas is 64, and the kids are meant to be early 20s at most.
It’s also ridiculous that for a supposedly sexy film, while the man are baring their nipples, Nicole makes sure to hide them, except for a moment late on when we see how plasticky her breasts are, anyway. Plus, when she picks up his tie – abandoned on the floor after an office party – and stuffs it in her mouth, my OCD started to wretch after realising how dirty the floor would’ve been…. and not ‘dirty’ in a good way.
Additionally, as a film, Babygirl just feels very disjointed and too long, with zero chemistry between the two leads.
In fact, I’m getting more excited about the forthcoming Sniper Elite: Resistance game, than seeing Nicole Kidman bare any flesh. And I’m still waiting for her to follow-up on Sean Hughes’ My Life As A Startled Bunny.
Babygirl is in cinemas now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 114 minutes
Release date: January 10th 2025
Studio: A24
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1
Rating: 3/10
Director: Halina Reijn
Producers: David Hinojosa, Julia Oh, Halina Reijn
Screenplay: Halina Reijn
Music: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Cast:
Romy: Nicole Kidman
Samuel: Harris Dickinson
Jacob: Antonio Banderas
Esme: Sophie Wilde
Isabel: Esther McGregor
Nora: Vaughan Reilly
Mr. Missel: Victor Slezak
Hazel: Leslie Silva
Hedda / Scarlett: Gaite Jansen
Brack / Stephen: Robert Farrior
Tom: Bartley Booz
Robert: Anoop Desai
Hannah: Mary Ann
Mary: Gabrielle Policano
Ophelia: Tess McMillan
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.