Be careful what you wish for.
Tom Cruise wants an Oscar very, very badly. He’s been terrific in serious dramas and blockbusters alike, and you can’t blame him for wanting that golden statuette.
Along comes “Digger,” which offers a one-two punch for Oscar consideration. The film casts Cruise in an over-the-top role that dramatically alters his appearance.
Check!
The narrative is all about Climate Change, a message that speaks to Hollywood’s progressive heart.
Double-check!
And it all backfires in spectacular fashion. Put this one in the Louvre, a portrait of ego and ambition in a death cage match against Storytelling 101.
Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an obscenely rich oil tycoon who cares for his ancient cat the moment he wakes up. The poor cat is all but dead, but Digger refuses to believe it.
It’s outrageous and funny, suggesting he cares more about a cat than actual humans. Get it? He’s a monster.
Noted.
His morning ritual gets a rude awakening when a scientist at his Arctic oil refinery checks in. The lackey alerts Digger to a potential eco-disaster, something he desperately wants to downplay.
Digger’s drilling station has created a small but growing crack in the ice shelf, one that might expand and send a glacier careening out of control.
Hey Europe … duck!
It’s the start of an ecological nightmare that summons the U.S. President (John Goodman) to Digger’s estate for guidance.
The less said about the plot, and a massive storytelling surprise surrounding it, the better. Just know that surprise undercuts the narrative, reducing an already cartoonish satire in the process.
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What’s left? Endless speeches, most involving the horrors of Climate Change and how dern evil oil is. Cruise’s Digger gets an extended closeup where he rants, raves and reveals the truth about oil and culture.
We need it. We crave it. We’ll risk everything to burn it. So this is all our fault.
Fascinating! We’ve never heard this argument before. Grab a paper and pen, folks. This is critical information you won’t see anywhere else. Certainly not at the local cineplex.
That’s one of “Digger’s” many sins. It bravely shares information we’ve already been told and acts as if it’s revelatory.
The plot itself is a Climate Change warning. Fine. Good, albeit the New Normal from Hollywood. It’s normal to revisit the theme as a way to present fascinating characters and stories.
Except “Digger” does nothing of the sort.
Pity Goodman, one of our very best character actors. He gets a couple of laughs from his character’s medical plight, but otherwise he screams his entire performance.
Literally.
“Digger” is bloated, dull, obvious, utterly lacking in self-awareness and, yes, exhausting. Would you want to spend two hours with grown men screaming at the top of their lungs?
No? Get in line, but not to see “Digger.”
Nothing makes sense in a story that lacks sincerity or coherence. Digger, who seems like a character with endless potential, is so poorly written that Cruise is left to chew whatever scenery Goodman left behind.
And chew he does, his Movie Star instincts unaware of how ineffective it all proves.
An early sequence with Digger, the president and key administration officials is the film’s high point. The sequence is also “Digger” at its most aggressively partisan.
A gaggle of old, pasty white men chortles over the lack of women in the room while tsk-tsking the chance that millions will die at Digger’s hands. They still gather for a group prayer, a naked attack on both Christians and faith-minded Republicans.
Obvious. Lazy. Cliched. And it’s still far better than the rest of this dreck. At least it makes sense and crackles with broad comic energy.
RELATED: 9 CLIMATE CHANGE FILMS TO STOKE OUR FEARS
Director/co-writer Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“Birdman,” “The Revenant”) does one thing well with “Digger.” He proves that ideological instincts can crush even the most talented of auteurs.
The film’s early supply of laughs dries up, leaving quality actors like Cruise, Goodman, Riz Ahmed as a dazed climate expert and Jesse Plemons to flail about in front of some admittedly impressive sets. “Digger” looks amazing, which helps explain its unconscionable budget (north of $125 million for a broad satire with modest commercial appeal).
“Call it what you want – it’s entertaining,” one supporting character says later in the film.
If only.
“Digger” is a massive misfire, a humiliating self-own from Cruise and a likely candidate for some Worst Movies of 2026 lists.
This critic has it at the tippy top of his list.
HiT or Miss: .5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Comedy/Satire
Runtime: 2 hours, 8 minutes
Where to Watch: In theaters Oct. 2
Family Friendly? Adult language and themes. Comic violence. R
The post ‘Digger’ Disaster: Climate Change Satire Scrapes Bottom of Barrel appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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