Despite being one of the most acclaimed directorial debuts of recent times, Michael Angelo Covino’s The Climb remains a relatively lowkey. The movie continues to hold a “certified fresh” 90% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, although it didn’t quite make much of an impact at the box office. But The Climb earned him enough recognition to level up with his sophomore feature.
His new film, Splitsville, debuted theatrically this week, and was almost as well-received as Covino’s debut film. It holds a “certified fresh” 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “A classic farce with very modern relationship dynamics, Splitsville spreads the comedic wealth across its well-balanced ensemble.”
Covino also stars in the film, alongside his creative collaborator Kyle Marvin, who played the co-lead in The Climb. But the major addition to their merry band this time around is Dakota Johnson, who, incidentally, is coming off of another sophomore directorial effort from a promising up-and-comer.
Johnson recently starred in Past Lives director Celine Song’s Materialists, alongside Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. Distributed by A24, the movie earned positive reviews, and is sitting at an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although it proved to be slightly divisive among audiences, the romantic drama was a box office hit, grossing a healthy $75 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $20 million.
Splitsville, which is being distributed by Neon, also features Adria Arjona, who broke out not too long ago with Richard Linklater’s romantic thriller Hit Man, headlined and co-written by Glen Powell. Splitsville premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and also features Succession’s Nicholas Braun and The Handmaiden’s Tale’s O-T Fagbenle.
Dakota Johnson Was Overdue a Critical Comeback
In his review, Collider’s Jason Gorber praised Johnson’s performance, and wrote that the movie “deftly navigates the complications and hypocrisies of so-called ‘open’ relationships, stating in ways both broad and subtle how the choices we make both socially and sexually are often not in one’s long-term interest, no matter how satisfying it feels in the moment.”
Johnson had been having a rough run prior to Materialists, having starred in the box office bombs Madame Web and Daddio. You can watch Splitsville in a limited number of theaters this week, or wait for it to expand on September 5. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
