Western Comedy ‘Eddington” Is Streaming on HBO Max, Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal

by

I’ve been so excited to see Westerns make such a comeback lately! It feels like Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone really kicked things off, and then we’ve seen some fantastic movies that aren’t your grandpa’s cowboy stories. One that totally grabbed my attention was Ari Aster’s film – it pitted two strong characters against each other in a really intense power struggle, and honestly, the backdrop of a pandemic made it feel incredibly relevant and unsettling. It’s a story about…

In May 2020, a disagreement between the sheriff, Phoenix, and the mayor, Pascal, caused major tension and divided the town of Eddington, New Mexico, turning neighbors against each other.

The movie, intended as a funny and satirical take on Westerns, received very different reactions from critics and viewers. It wasn’t successful in theaters, earning only $12.5 million despite costing $25 million to make. Opinions were sharply divided – one viewer called it a “wonderful, fun movie full of surprises,” while another described it as “horrible,” with unappealing characters, a silly story, and poor direction.

HBO Max subscribers can now judge for themselves whether Eddington is worth watching, and the film is already proving successful – it debuted at the top of the streaming service’s movie chart. While strong viewership doesn’t necessarily mean universal approval, it often outweighs negative reviews, as the ultimate measure of success is how many minutes people spend watching.

‘Eddington’ Is a Dark Insight Into the World Right Now

Like many films that don’t explicitly reveal their underlying message, Eddington – a satirical take on the Covid era with strong masculine themes and political undertones – resonated with audiences in different ways, largely based on whether they found its premise believable or not. In an interview with MovieWeb shortly after the film’s release, director Ari Aster explained that current world events often feel inherently absurd.

What’s really striking about our current culture is how things feel both incredibly dangerous and strangely ridiculous. It’s hard to take serious threats seriously, and if you try to depict this realistically in a film, it almost inevitably veers into the absurd.

Aster pointed out that even though he predicted the movie’s ending, it still felt powerfully relevant – a reflection of current events. He went on to say:

It seems like the current trend of dividing people and fueling their anger will inevitably lead to more serious consequences. When we constantly blame others and create divisions, it erodes the bonds that hold society together, and ultimately, that can result in violence.

Eddington is streaming now on HBO Max.

Read More

2025-11-17 05:03