I loved Knives Out 2: The Glass Onion. I was a fan of the first Knives Out, but this second one was even smarter. It’s my type of movie though – I love anything adapted from Agatha Christie’s work, and I love a clever whodunit. Rian Johnson is absolutely writing the kind of 21st century murder mysteries which are spiritually linked to Christie’s work. Christie pulled from real-life people and situations in her novels too, and The Glass Onion serves as a discourse on “internet billionaires,” specifically Elon Musk. The Glass Onion is extremely enjoyable for other reasons besides social discourse – a clever mystery, plus some genuinely funny lines and great performances by Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Madelyn Cline, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr and of course the perfectly brilliant Janelle Monae.
One of the best parts of the movie: all of the incredible cameos, some of which I didn’t even catch. Now I get why there was such a conversation about why Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is gay though – we get to see Benoit at home with his husband/partner. And when you see his husband, it’s one of the best reveals of the movie. Daniel recently spoke about how playing a gay character was a breeze:
Daniel Craig has talked about the recent confirmation that his Glass Onion character is gay, saying “it’s normal. But we don’t make a song and dance out of it”.
The actor reprises his role as master detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out sequel, which was released in cinemas in November and will arrive on Netflix later this month. Blanc’s sexuality was the point of much speculation given that the film features a particular scene that suggests Blanc is living with a man. Director Rian Johnson has since confirmed the character is queer.
Speaking about the revelation of his character’s sexuality in a new interview with The Sunday Times, Craig said that when making films, “you are supposed to reflect life. And that [gay] relationship reflects people in my life. It’s normal. But we don’t want to make a song and dance out of it. It just feels right.”
The Independent has contacted a representative of Craig’s for further comment. Johnson said: “It just made sense to Daniel and me [for Blanc to be queer]. We didn’t want to be coy or cute about it. We just wanted it to be a fact of the character.”
The James Bond star has previously said he does not want viewers to become “politically hung up” on Blanc’s sexuality.
It helps to think of Benoit as one part Miss Marple and one part Truman Capote. Daniel’s accent work was a lot better in this second film too, very Capote-esque. Anyway, I loved the film and I hope everyone dresses up as Benoit Blanc for Halloween. I want a yearly Benoit Blanc mystery!! PLEASE.
This photo Janelle posted is AMAZING.
— Janelle Monáe👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) December 26, 2022
Really want Benoit Blanc to keep wearing his little outfits and solving his little murders, cinema is fun again!!#GlassOnionAKnivesOutMystery pic.twitter.com/tDc4a5YmtD
— Blank (@nandini_godara) December 23, 2022
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
I love both movies and I really enjoyed the relationship between Benoit and Helen.
Yea, Janelle and Daniel had great chemistry together
I was getting a Hercule Poirot vibe off Craig’s Blanc. The fussy clothing. The private detective. His accent was less Foghorn Leghorn this time. So Hercule crossed with Miss Marple since he seemed to be there as a guest. Whereas the first movie, he was definitely a detective.
Janelle Monae was fantastic.
I agree. I thought both Blanc and the story of the movie felt more reminiscent of Poirot than Christie this time around.
Agatha Christie wrote the Hercule Poirot stories. (And I was able to solve Glass Onion’s mystery because something almost exactly like it happened in a Christie story.)
@ Emily me too. I read all her books when I was young, and it kind of gives you a reservoir of plot twists for all murder mysteries, doesn’t it?
I just saw this and immediately watched it twice more. It’s now one of my favorite movies. Everything in it is on point — every detail feeds into the whole.
Blanc’s sexuality is only a background thing, as is perfectly appropriate for the kind of character he is. These movies are not about Benoit Blanc, any more than the Holmes mysteries were about Holmes or the Miss Marple mysteries were about Miss Marple. This is my favorite kind of detective story: Episodic and cozy. And it’s great that Blanc just happens to be partnered up with a man like, whatever, this is normal.
I haven’t seen a movie I loved as much as Glass Onion in a very long time. It’s a movie to turn your brain ON during. Oh and it’s hilarious.
I absolutely agree on all points. I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan and watched this for the first time yesterday although as I was still hosting for Christmas I wasn’t able to pay attention 100%. I will be watching it again later this week.
I loved the characters and I felt Blancs outfits were possibly the star of the show.
Everyone’s costuming was 100% on point. I don’t notice costumes unless it’s a fantasy or historical movie, but I did this time because they were SO good. They illuminated the characters brilliantly. This movie is so carefully detailed, it’s a joy.
There’s a video on YouTube of Rian talking about the arrival scene, where he also talks about the costuming choices. It was really a fun watch as well. I cannot wait for another installment in these movies!
Aside cuz of her pic, Love janelle so much. She should be in everything.
Agreed, Janelle Monae stole the show, so much so that I thought some of the other performances were a little flat in comparison. I didn’t think much of Kate Hudson’s performance and Ed Norton just can’t get lost in a role imo. But it was a solid movie overall and I really enjoyed it. Monae has such a presence, such a delight to watch.
I loved this movie! Loved everybody in it! Kate was excellent! The gay part to me was not relevant. Just life happening.
I just googled who his husband is and I DIED!!!
didn’t know it was on netflix, I have to watch it. Love me some Daniel, now Bond, now queer
I LOVED this movie!! I don’t usually watch mystery movies, but I kept hearing about this, so I put it on the other night. I was so sucked into it that I didn’t look at my phone once. I watched the first Knives Out last night. I enjoyed it, but Glass Onion was better, imo. Excellent cast, acting, writing…I want more Benoit!
I guess I’ll be in minority here, but I still think Knives Out is way better than Glass Onion. However, I hope Rian Johson keeps writing more adventures for Benoit Blanc, he’s one of the best original characters we’ve seen recently.
I’m with you. I enjoyed this movie (liked Blanc’s character better this time, and always love the luminous Ms. Monáe), but overall it wasn’t as intriguing or intense as Knives Out. I’ve also seen Edward Norton play this character before, and I find him pretentious and a bit exhausting.
@Valentina, I agree. I loved Knives Out but couldn’t warm to Glass Onion at all and was really, really disappointed. I’d been looking forward to it so much, but found it a bit hysterical and frenetic.
I didn’t like it either especially the last 40 minutes. Was lacking the star power of the first. Norton performance was nothing special.
I think Craig is signed on for 2 more so there should be at least that.
The Netflix deal is for one more. But Craig is having a blast and said he’ll play him as long as he can.
Oh, right, it was two more after Knives Out, my bad. I thought Craig said he has in as well but you’re totally right, the deal is with the director. Hope the next one lives up to the first two!
Agreed. I really disliked the film especially in comparison with Agatha Christie who could pin down a character with one line. The characters were flat and the actors poorly cast, and the mystery was delivered in a magic twist rather than slowly unfolded.
Christie wrote to her time and Blanc is an anachronism. I wish one could write a Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot of our times rather than this caricatural detective.
Monae was absolutely outstanding though.
Also not getting the big deal about Glass Onion. Not that funny and devoid of tension, with a mostly great cast who are partly wasted, Hahn and Odom Jr. in particular. Norton was nothing special, someone like Billy Magnusson or Kumail Nanjiani would’ve been great.
They’re entirely different genres.
If you expect a clone of Knives Out, you will be disappointed. This is a comedy.
“I didn’t like the dessert. It didn’t resemble the entree at ALL. Zero stars.” 🙄
I’ve now watched this movie 3 times and will watch it again when hubby gets home from work (he works out of state and has been gone for a month). Janelle Monae is The STAR of this movie and this is the hill that I’m prepared to die on!
Agree and she’s getting Oscar nomination buzz for it, which I fully support.
I love ensemble films. Also this now series of movies is just highly engaging and entertaining.
Janelle is getting some well-deserved Oscar nomination buzz for this. I have watched this twice now, catching things in the second viewing that I missed in the first. We hear Benoit’s partner’s voice before we see him, so when we do see him, the focus is more on who it is than the fact it’s a man.
The Zoom cameos are hilarious. Why would that group of people ever connect?
Yesterday, far right wing, conservative idiot, Musk worshipper, & failed scriptwriter Ben Shapiro did a long, multi-part, spoiler filled rant on Twitter about how he absolutely hates everything about this film. Twitter pretty much destroyed him for it and it made me love this film all the more.
ETA And I will never hear Nat King Cole’s Mona Lisa without laughing again.
I’m desperate for Janelle Monae to do a cover of Mona Lisa.
“The Zoom cameos are hilarious. Why would that group of people ever connect?”
Because all of them at one point where involved in mystery genre at some point in their career.
The Zoom cameos got me because two of them passed away this year, before the film opened. What are the odds?
The two who actually worked together outside this film.
His rant is hilarious, because he complains about something which is an absolute standard part of the genre – that at a certain point you learn that you have been seeing what is happening incorrectly. What is normal is to be surprised and a bit delighted in how clever it all is, and want to watch/read it again to see what you missed. Proof that you are a miserable human being – complain that the film has wasted your time.
He’s a very stupid person. The film is clear in how much Blanc in particular hates very stupid people. Of course Shapiro hates it — it hates him too.
Okay, the end scene.
Andi? Yes?
I wondered about that myself. I’ve only seen the film once, but the door is open, I think.
I can totally seeing her play everyone along with Benoit and him appreciation it in the end.
The end scene where she does the Mona Lisa smile? Oh, that’s interesting. I’m not sure though bc you’ll notice that Helen and Cassandra (love the Trojan horse analogy with those names) part their hair on different sides, to subtly indicate to the viewer a different person?
Thank you for the “analysis” of the final scene as an enactment of Musk’s – oops – Miles’s over-simplification of “disruption.” I thought it was pretty freaking obvious, but clearly many people missed the point (as they missed many points), because so MANY of them are complaining about that scene…
Depressing when one’s mildly above-average intellect begins to rise not because one is getting any smarter, but merely because that rise is in inverse proportion to the general public’s.
They’re setting things up for Monae to be the sidekick in the next films, no? The ending felt like that and I hope so.
Seems like a strong possibility, but my kids and I are also rooting for Marta to come back in some capacity too. Maybe the next celebrity cameo!!
I love both Knives out movies. I’m late to the game but such a Daniel Craig fan. These are the only movies I’ve seen him in. Of course, Janelle Monae is wonderful in everything. The entire cast is so good. Whoever made Babylon needs to take notes on a great script and casting. It was interesting how they worked in Covid and the impact, or not, on the characters.
I watched it on Netflix but movies like this will get me paying money in the theater. And I would have seen this in the theater if it had been there long enough, I think it was only release for a week in my town.
You should watch Logan Lucky. He was brilliant in that. And of course, he’s wonderful as Bond. Sexy, rugged, but MORE than that. I love him. As for Glass Onion… LOVED it! Much better than Knives Out, imo. And so satisfying to see some of these rich idiots who think they are geniuses called out for who they really are. Kate Hudson was great in it as well. Role was perfect for him, and Janelle was just stunning in all ways. She has such presence. Such a talent!
Oh my goodness yes! I can’t remember where we came across Lucky Logan but we loved it.
Layer Cake. That’s the first Daniel Craig movie I ever saw & can highly recommend that one! I don’t remember it at all, I just remember thinking, wowzers! Who is that guy?!
Janelle is just AMAZING
💯
My family watched this on Christmas evening and loved it! Such a fun movie and yes the cameos were fantastic. I audibly gasped when Benoit’s husband /partner answered the door. LOVE!
I seem to be the only person who didn’t even enjoy this sequel, despite all the great cameos. (Did anybody else catch that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the voice of the GONG?) The perpetrator was the most obvious person the whole time, and it’s hard to say without any spoilers but the main gimmick of the twist was the laziest plot device I’ve ever seen. I loved “Knives Out” and I was really looking forward to this almost like unwrapping a present, so maybe I built my expectations up too high.
FancyPants, I too wasn’t as blown away. I liked it A LOT and Monae and Craig were amazing due to chemistry and also great actors. But the bar was set high from the first one. My kids loved it so we will watch the first one.
SPOILER BELOW
Now, I did try to connect the breaking of the art pieces as cathartic and since filmed in Greece, they tried to tie it to the Greeks breaking plates when partying until Mazel Tov was said instead of OPA.
I loved that last scene…it filled so many purposes. For one, it was a distraction because she knew she was going to blow up his place but needed to be able to get to do that. No way she could start with just starting a fire…that would be stopped right away. So she needed to create chaos first, to distract from her real purpose. Plus I’m sure it was cathartic. And secondly, the whole scene was an act out of what Bron described as his theory on disruption. Start breaking something small, that no one really cares about. Then you see her move to destroy the piano and people are like, wait, no. And then the fire and people try to stop her. And then of course, the Mona Lisa that no one wants destroyed.
I’m in the same boat. I didn’t hate it but I just don’t think it had the surprise magic of the first movie. It felt like the characters were overly caricatured. The first felt more subtle.
Re: blanc being gay. Never even crossed my mind. Not when there was a man yelling through the door of the bathroom or when, I think his name was Philip, answered the door … whoosh! Right over my head! I didn’t question the relationship or anything. For a split second, I thought roommate or maybe a butler or something. That he was gay didn’t even enter my mind! What an idiot. In retrospect, I like that it they left the relationship and their sexualities as being they are what they are, nothing to fuss over.
I like that they left it open too. I never caught on. I did find him a bit eccentric, but I worked in academia, and it’s filled intelligent eccentric people and I just chucked it up to the character being extremely smart.
Sigh. Everything you’re pointing out as a flaw was intentional. This movie isn’t supposed to be a carbon copy of Knives Out, in tone, plot, or characters.
That stupid “A Knives Out Mystery” subtitle really did a disservice to people who might otherwise have simply enjoyed Glass Onion for what it is: a comedy masquerading as a mystery.
NOBODY didn’t figure out who did it. That was the POINT.
Embarrassing admission here: I had thought Knives Out was a cooking competition and didn’t pay any attention to it. Then along comes Glass Onion, adding to the belief that it’s a cooking competition but how do you cook with a GLASS onion????
Then I saw the cast lineup and realized it was a movie. I watched it on Sunday and really enjoyed it. The cameos were hilarious and I thought Janelle did an amazing job. As someone posted above, I think she’d be a great addition to Benoit’s team.
Knives Out would be a great name for a cooking show!
Janelle is awesome, and I’m a big Kathryn Hahn fan too. this movie sounds good.
This film is a must watch for the fashion alone. I drooled over Lamar Odom Jr and Janelle Monae’s wardrobe.
I agree that it looks like a Helen/Benoit partnership is in the works. Benoit kept saying how Helen was good at things that he wasn’t.
Watched it this weekend and loved it. JM was amazing!
Loved it! I literally didn’t realize it was Leslie Odom Jr till the end! The cameos were great! Loved Janelle and Daniel…and I normally can’t stand him. Have skipped all his Bond movies except the first but liked him in this role and in Knives Out.
I love these movies. One thing I really appreciate is that Johnson so clearly loves and respects Christie’s work. So many things inspired by her are either mocking or missing what makes her stuff special. He clearly gets it and uses it to inspire his own storytelling.
People keep saying Blanc is Miss Marple, but I think he’s far more Hercules Poirot. The accent and demeanor used to make people think he’s not as smart as he is. Also, the true kindness and care he shows towards vulnerable people. Miss Marple always had a kind of cold cynicism that Poirot lacked.