Nicola Peltz’s directorial debut, Lola, has been trashed by critics and viewers alike, who have called the film nothing more than a “vanity project.”
The heiress, 29, wrote, directed and starred in the film, which premiered on February 9, with a limited theatrical and digital release.
She plays the main character, a teenager who works to save enough money to get her and her younger brother out of the toxic home they share with their mother.
She soon faces a series of traumatic clichés, including drug abuse, poverty, sex work, and teenage pregnancy.
But critics criticized the film as “a glorified commercial” for Nicola and accused it of being “poverty porn”, that is, the exploitation of poverty for entertainment and artistic recognition.
Nicola Peltz’s directorial debut, Lola, has been torn apart by critics and viewers alike, who have called the film nothing more than a “vanity project” (pictured in the film).
The heiress, 29, wrote, directed and starred in the film, which premiered on February 9, with a limited theatrical and digital release (pictured at the premiere).
She plays the title character, a teenager working to save enough money to get herself and her younger brother out of the toxic home they share with their mother (pictured in the film).
writing for In online reviewAyeen Forootan said: “There is nothing really surprising or new in Lola’s stereotypically melodramatic and poorly written story, which is presented mainly as typical arrangements of manufactured intensity and overt provocation of feelings.”
While The Guardians Kady Ruth Ashcraft called the project a “ridiculously oblique film” and wrote: “Lola, whose protagonist moves from one traumatic experience to the next, doesn’t explore difficulties, she exploits them.”
He added: “Filled to the brim with undercooked and often harmful tropes (the supportive black best friend, a queer boy facing an unceremonious death, the virginal stripper saved by motherhood, a hypocritical Christian drunk), the film leaves one wondering what could have been This would be achieved if any of these characters or their stories were given as much attention as the gaffers paid to the light falling on Peltz Beckham’s cheekbones.’
While I was writing in Spectrum cultureAndrew Burton recognized that Lola was “a film destined for ridicule”, Nicola being the daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz, and being as far away from poverty as possible.
But he continued: “It’s not a law that directors who make slice-of-life films must be personally familiar with the material they’re depicting, but before even seeing Lola, the disconnect between the dead-end world in which the film takes place and Peltz Beckham’s background stands out as discordant.
“We can’t help but feel that the project is doomed from the beginning because it is conceptually unsustainable.”
He added: “Overall, Lola relies too much on displaying flashy signifiers (cigarettes, crosses, makeup paraphernalia) at the expense of plotting around them.”
writing for Wherever I lookAustin Estrada said, “Lola’s script takes such big melodramatic swings without painting a complete picture of its characters that the entire movie feels like an after-school special.”
But critics criticized the film as “a glorified commercial” for Nicola, and accused it of being “poverty porn”, that is, the exploitation of poverty for entertainment and artistic recognition (pictured in the film).
Other viewers came to the same conclusion, with one reviewer concluding: ‘Overall, “Lola” was a mediocre and forgettable movie experience. Save your time and money for a movie that actually delivers on its promises.’
While another took to social media to write: “I’m watching Lola, Nicola Peltz Beckham’s poverty porn vanity project, and damn, it’s horrible beyond my wildest expectations.”
Most viewers criticized Nicola for failing to understand the world she was trying to create.
While many others criticized her ‘dead-eyed’ performance, taking issue with her constantly ‘staring into space with perfect makeup’, another lamented: ‘I felt like the whole movie was based on her looking pretty and giving her firsts.’ flattering plans. ‘.
speaking to World Water Day In February, Nicola responded to the backlash she received for outing herself as a struggling, drug-addicted teenage stripper while living a life of almost unimaginable privilege.
She said: ‘The way I see it, I feel very connected to the characters I created. And like I said, my best friend and my godson, those came from my life and a lot of connections and relationships came from my life.
‘But of course, I didn’t grow up like Lola at all. And I wanted to write a story from a person’s perspective and from another point of view that was not my personal vision or my education.
“I am an actress and my dream is to be able to look at the world from different perspectives.”
Most viewers criticized how Nicola had failed to understand the world she was trying to create (pictured)
Speaking to WWD in February, Nicola responded to the backlash she received for presenting herself as a struggling, drug-addicted teenage stripper while living a life of almost unimaginable privilege (pictured in December).
The actress has also been criticized for unfairly using her elite experience to make her pet project.
Nicola managed to enlist the services of 28-time Grammy Award-winning producer Quincy Jones, the man behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, to help with the Lola soundtrack.
It turns out that Quincy’s daughter, Kenya Kinski-Jones, 30, is dating Nicola’s older brother, Will, 37.
Nicola previously revealed the film had been six years in the making, saying: “I wrote it when I was 23 and it’s been a huge labor of love.” I’ve put my heart and soul into it.’