Oliver (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student at Oxford. He befriends Felix (Jacob Elordi), a wealthy Adonis. Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his estate with his shallow family (led by Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant). The actors are known for playing jerks and monsters. We can tell things will go south. The only question is how long it will take for these folks to start screwing or killing each other.

Expectations can be dangerous. The press for Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn suggested a psychological thriller in the vein of The Talented Mr. Ripley. I wanted to root for Keoghan as I had for Matt Damon’s vulnerable Ripley in 1999. But Fennell keeps him an inscrutable creep surrounded by cartoon toffs. These thinly sketched characters are more suited for a Lifetime movie. Oxford, May I Sleep with Danger?  

The old money family has no hidden depths. They’re isolated and unambitious. They spend their time drinking, watching television or lounging by the pool. The snobbier ones resent Olivers’ presence. But none presents a particular challenge. Or delivers any revelations about the nature of wealth.

Oliver’s biggest conflict is internal. He wrestles with his feelings for Felix. He insists he isn’t in love with him. His obsessive behavior suggests otherwise. The queer press questioned “how gay” the film would get. The answer is “a little.” Archie Madekwe’s gay cousin provides some intrigue. But Felix remains defiantly straight. Those wishing to see Elordi get homoerotic will have to wait for his upcoming film On Swift Horses.

Fennell delivers the promised thrills in a rushed third act. The inevitable betrayals leave little mark as we’re never asked to invest in these people. The sexier scenes will soon find a home online. But once the eye candy is consumed there’s not much left. Except a sense of missed opportunity.

You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.