Rating: 2 out of 4 Kisses 💋💋

Every week, I single out the one movie that left me cold, and it earns my dreaded seal of disapproval: Manny’s Kiss of Death. 💀💋 This week, that kiss goes to Klara and the Sun, and trust me, this one hurts.

On paper, this should have been a winner. It’s based on the novel by Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s written and directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi. And it stars Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams. So what went wrong?

Ortega plays Klara, an Artificial Friend, a robot companion who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home. She’s bought for Josie (Mia Tharia), a lonely, sickly teenager who has a strained relationship with her mother, played by Amy Adams. The family has already suffered great loss, and Klara’s innocence and loyalty are supposed to bring light back into their lives.

Jenna Ortega, Misused

Jenna Ortega normally shines in everything she does. Even in that horrible movie with The Weeknd, she was the best thing on screen. Here, she’s misused. Klara is a fascinating character on the page, but the film never gives Ortega the room to bring her quiet, observant inner world to life. The same goes for Amy Adams, one of the finest actresses working today, who deserves so much better than this.

Too Much Sugar

This is a big bummer for me, because I loved Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit. He blended humor and heartbreak so beautifully in that World War II dramedy. But with Klara and the Sun, he hypes up the sentimentality at every turn. Ishiguro’s story doesn’t need overt sentimentality. Its power comes from restraint, from what’s left unsaid. Instead of trusting that quiet ache, the film tells us exactly how to feel, again and again, and the emotion ends up feeling manufactured rather than earned.

The Verdict

A great novel, a great director and a great cast, and somehow it all adds up to a film that feels hollow. I’m giving Klara and the Sun 2 out of 4 Kisses, and it officially receives this week’s Manny’s Kiss of Death. 💀💋

Klara and the Sun opens in theaters Friday, October 23.