Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s The Drama Packs a Twist That Flips the Script
Two out of four stars: Dearly beloved, brace yourself—A24’s The Drama, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, turns the week before a wedding into a queasy trust test, asking how well you really know the person at the altar and what revelation could blow the vows apart.
A24 is back poking the bear. Their new provocation, The Drama, leans hard on the eternal pre-wedding worry: how well do you really know the person you are about to marry? It sets off like a rom-com, then yanks the floorboards right out. My take, up front: it has a killer opening but can not top it. Call it two out of four stars.
The setup (no spoilers)
Charlie (Robert Pattinson ) and Emma (Zendaya ) are a few days out from their big day. They are decompressing with a bottle of wine and their ride-or-dies: best man played by Mamoudou Athie and maid of honor played by Alana Haim. The conversation goes from casual to confessional fast — worst things you have ever done, that kind of spiral — and then comes a first-act reveal that detonates the rom-com vibe the marketing has been selling.
It lands in theaters April 3 and runs a tight 105 minutes. It is a black comedy, and yes, it is angled to spark arguments. If you are squeamish, know there are a couple gnarly grace notes along the way. Also, the trailer already tipped its hand that this is not a soft-focus love story — there is a blink-and-gasp moment where Zendaya slaps Pattinson during sex that made the rounds online.
What to know
- Writer-director: Kristoffer Borgli, continuing his taste for prickly, button-pushing setups.
- Premise: Pre-wedding truth-or-dare turns into a live grenade when Emma drops a confession that flips the movie on its head within minutes.
- Vibe: Black comedy that courts controversy; sharp, funny, and occasionally nasty, but more about shock than depth once the twist lands.
- In theaters: April 3. Runtime: 105 minutes.
- Performances: Zendaya and especially Pattinson work overtime with movie-star charm and a queasy chemistry that sometimes pulls you back into their mess. Alana Haim, simmering as the maid of honor, steals every scene she is in by channeling the movie's awkward energy into real, uncomfortable laughs. Mamoudou Athie makes for a solid, grounded best man. Zoë Winters pops as a game, funny wedding photographer.
- Gore/ick factor: A few specifically grisly bits. Consider yourself warned.
- Does it stick the landing? Not really. After a handful of wicked gags, the script keeps circling the same provocation and strands the cast in place. The finale never fully comes together.
- Big picture: It wants to fuse a teardown of the love story with a very American nightmare. The pieces never quite bond.
- Rotten Tomatoes: Sitting at 80% positive as of now.
- My read: A blistering first 15 minutes, then diminishing returns. Two out of four stars.
So... does it work?
The opening stretch is electric — four people, sharp banter, and a boundary that gets obliterated. After that, the movie keeps poking the same bruise. There are a few pitch-black jokes that land, but the narrative rarely finds a second gear. You can feel Zendaya and Pattinson trying to humanize a situation built to shock, and sometimes they get you there. Too often, the film seems pleased with its own audacity and just re-states it, louder, until the final act fumbles the handoff.
The reactions (yes, people are already arguing)
The film's at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, which tells you critics are engaged even if they are not aligned. Here is the gist:
One camp is into the boldness even while side-eyeing the messy finale — think climactic chaos that piles up like falling dominoes but still sticks in your brain for days afterward. Another contingent is impressed by how the central confession is both outlandish and rooted in something too real to dismiss; they see a gleeful anti-romance daring to lick a live wire in American culture. And then there are the skeptics who see a familiar pre-wedding cold-feet story in flashy clothes, arguing that the exact nature of Emma's reveal matters less than the movie wants you to think.
"It'll likely wind up one of the most controversial movies of the year."
- The New York Post
If you want to walk in cold, avoid Googling the twist — it is out there. If you prefer armor, you will not have to look hard to find it. Either way, The Drama is designed to get a reaction. Whether it earns one beyond the opening shock is the debate.