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The Laundromat

2019

Steven Soderbergh

Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, David Schwimmer ...

5.5

5,157

Mystery. Thriller. Comedy Based on the book by Jake Bernstein titled 'Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite'. The Panama Papers were leaked documents in 2017 that showed how Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, allowed the wealthy and the connected to funnel money illegally in and around the world.

	Media	Author	Review
		Owen Gleiberman Variety	" 'Traffic' lite (...) [It] is Soderbergh at his most playful, and also Soderbergh at his most wonkish"
		Todd McCarthy The Hollywood Reporter	"Soderbergh and Burns seemingly wanted to emphasize the sheer outrageousness of the scam and have a little fun with it in the bargain, but their satirical aim ultimately doesn't measure up to the sharpness of their ambitions."
		Stephanie Zacharek Time	"Much of the movie is bitterly funny; some of it just amusingly droll. But the finale, a rallying cry that’s both galvanizing and wistful, is a wrap-up worth waiting for."
		Jessica Kiang The Playlist	"[It] is essentially a caper film (...) The tone is lighthearted (...) But the wit and ease are deceptive, concealing almost frighteningly impeccable filmmaking."
		Alonso Duralde The Wrap	"There’s no question that more people should be familiar with the Panama Papers (...) but even with its heart in exactly the right place, 'The Laundromat' isn’t going to move that needle."
		Eric Kohn IndieWire	"Soderbergh excels at exploring the complex systems governing modern society with a delicious ironic tone. With 'The Laundromat', that tendency reaches a grandiloquent extreme."
		Richard Lawson Vanity Fair	"[It] is entertaining enough, and many great actors wander through it (...) Still, I hoped for something more nourishing, something that made more satisfying sense out of all this robbery."
		Rory O'Connor The Film Stage	"All credit to Soderbergh’s frequent screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, who has done a fine job of translating Jake Bernstein’s dense non-fiction account of the fiasco into such a zippy, cinematic trip."
		Chris Osterndorf The Daily Dot	"Its mission statement would be more deeply felt if what came before wasn’t so inconsistent (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"
		Xan Brooks The Guardian	"Soderbergh’s wickedly entertaining romp (...) is an effective mixed wash of truth and fiction (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"A poorly-conceived and -executed film (...) Obvious good intentions are drowned in a hot wash of showboating stars and flooded by self-indulgence."
		Robbie Collin Telegraph	"The cumulative message comes over loud and clear, the fun and indignation make for a tasty, bracing cocktail. This is a film that wields its sledgehammer with panache (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Geoffrey Macnab The Independent	"Soderbergh is clearly trying to skewer the super-wealthy but the satire here is too lightweight to do them any real damage (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Donald Clarke Irish Times	"It’s fun. It’s occasionally wise. But it doesn’t feel quite finished (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Brian Lloyd entertainment.ie	"[It] has its moments and while it's by no means Soderbergh's finest, it's an intriguing and bleakly funny assessment of how the rules don't apply when you're despicably rich (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Paddy Kehoe RTÉ	"An amusing burlesque which won't change the world (...) but it will pass a pleasant ninety minutes or so (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

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The Laundromat

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