Gena Rowlands crying and laughing as she lay on the floor is probably the most relatable thing I’ve ever seen.
There is something so irrevocably honest about Opening Night that leaves you feeling delirious and horrifyingly seen. All I’m thinking about is that scene with Myrtle and Sarah, when she says age is the least important thing about the play and that it has nothing to do with the internal dilemma Virginia experiences.
I think this movie captured that likeness so well. Myrtle is absolutely nothing like me, or me to her, and yet I feel her frustrations as though they were mine even if I couldn’t understand it or bring that thought to words. This movie extended its brilliance to other lonely hearts despite our barriers and differences. A professional on the verge of collapsing, colliding with the expectation that she was not as brilliant or funny as she used to be—resisting that label and ending until she reclaims her spark and delivers something alive in her performance.
Some people might fight the ending as tacky or lackluster, but I’m not one of them. It’s a delightful mess, one whose true purpose lies underneath all that is never said or those that were spoken but passed off as jokes. It’s pessimistic, ridiculous, and utterly true.
Opening Night functions as an antithesis to films like Almost Famous, which convey the blossoming of a young talent in the industry. Instead, we follow Myrtle, the burnt-out, alcoholic acting legend who cannot connect with the lack of life in her character. The intention behind this movie is posed as a question rather than a statement.
“What can you do when you’ve lost the beauty of your youth and are burdened by the patriarchal pressure of aging?”
Do you accept it? Can you fight it? Should you even bother?
I think we can all look to Myrtle as an inspiration to never losing yourself in the brands people enforce you—while yes, she is erratic, at times irresponsible, and narrow-minded. She is dashing, daring, and simply put, fucking fantastic.
How do I leave my kudos on this movie?
(This is also my 100th movie of 2026 and 565th movie of all time.)
Gena Rowlands crying and laughing as she lay on the floor is probably the most relatable thing I’ve ever seen.
There is something so irrevocably honest about Opening Night that leaves you feeling delirious and horrifyingly seen. All I’m thinking about is that scene with Myrtle and Sarah, when she says age is the least important thing about the play and that it has nothing to do with the internal dilemma Virginia experiences.
I think this movie captured that likeness so well. Myrtle is absolutely nothing like me, or me to her, and yet I feel her frustrations as though they were mine even if I couldn’t understand it or bring that thought to words. This movie extended its brilliance to other lonely hearts despite our barriers and differences. A professional on the verge of collapsing, colliding with the expectation that she was not as brilliant or funny as she used to be—resisting that label and ending until she reclaims her spark and delivers something alive in her performance.
Some people might fight the ending as tacky or lackluster, but I’m not one of them. It’s a delightful mess, one whose true purpose lies underneath all that is never said or those that were spoken but passed off as jokes. It’s pessimistic, ridiculous, and utterly true.
Opening Night functions as an antithesis to films like Almost Famous, which convey the blossoming of a young talent in the industry. Instead, we follow Myrtle, the burnt-out, alcoholic acting legend who cannot connect with the lack of life in her character. The intention behind this movie is posed as a question rather than a statement.
“What can you do when you’ve lost the beauty of your youth and are burdened by the patriarchal pressure of aging?”
Do you accept it? Can you fight it? Should you even bother?
I think we can all look to Myrtle as an inspiration to never losing yourself in the brands people enforce you—while yes, she is erratic, at times irresponsible, and narrow-minded. She is dashing, daring, and simply put, fucking fantastic.
How do I leave my kudos on this movie?
(This is also my 100th movie of 2026 and 565th movie of all time.)
