Animals

2019

1 hr. 49 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

87%

63 Reviews

Tomatometer

61%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Longtime friends and party lovers Laura and Tyler navigate life and love in Dublin, Ireland but find themselves drifting apart when Laura becomes engaged.

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Critics Consensus

Elevated by the chemistry and bold performances of its leads, Animals takes a refreshingly frank and impressively ambitious look at female relationships.

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Andrei D

Needs more Alia weirdness

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

isla s

I can't say I particularly enjoyed this film overall. Its mainly a social commentary piece about a couple of girls in their 20s somewhat coming of age but I didn't find the female characters entirely likeable. I admit I'm not much of a party girl myself but it didn't strike me as entirely memorable...I guess I felt a bit sorry that they were clearly drifting apart and I appreciated the somewhat feministic undertones/dialogue at times, plus were a few scenes which were kind of funny, mainly in a cringey way, when the female characters find themselves in awkward situations but overall I wouldn't recommend the film as such, no.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Serge L

The film is well done and the acting is excellent. The whole thing is very believable. The issue is the story. It a free wheeling pair of best girlfriends drinking and sexing their lives away in a continuous party at night. Then, one of them falls a bit for a guy and the other can't take it. You'd think lesbianism but it is not a consumed one, apparently. The cheery beginning full of promises turn into jadedness. I see this film as a cautionary tale of a death spiral about to commence.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/15/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Tiresomely tedious. I fail to see why it gets rave reviews. There are frequent comparisons with I Tonya, not a great movie itself but interestingly watchable. I found this completely devoid of interest and after 50 mins or so found myself not actually watching any more so turned off the TV. Unlikeable self-obsessed characters with nothing interesting to say about life, and I doubt the 'real people' were who they purport to be either. Utterly, utterly pointless, as a movie or as real life. Get a life, indeed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Honest question.... why does every movie about feminism I watch involve the feminist being an overall trash human being ? Is that just like what the movement is about ? Treating all men crappy . How can you sympathize with a character just outta the blue cheating on her very nice fiancé for no apparent reason at all 2.3. Movie wasn’t terrible, I just thought if the characters were actual people the would be of low moral standards. I’m starting to think Alia may be like that in real life though because how many times can you play similar characters before you start to think eh maybe they just aren’t good humans

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/20

Full Review

Audience Member

I love the two woman who are the leads grappling through the end of their twenties into their thirties as their relationship slowly moves apart. Tyler holding firm onto what they have while Laura jumps into a different, more conventional world, Tyler on one end of the rope and Jim at the other. Her ambivalence tangible but she reconciles that this new engaged life will bring her clarity as an author, her struggle so fascinating to watch. Tyler hanging on to her coat tails for dear life also equally brilliant to watch. Half of me is rooting for Laura to make it with Jim and the other half thinking work it out for yourself and move wherever you're going to go organically not because outside influences dictate where you should be. The two women are fabulous so kudos to Holliday and Alia for creating magic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Sophie Hyde

Director

Holliday Grainger

Laura

Alia Shawkat

Tyler

Dermot Murphy

Marty

Amy Molloy

Jean

Pat Shortt

Bill

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

It's a tribute to [director] Sophie Hyde's work that these two gals, with tinkling white wine glasses and cackling laughter, become fully engaging women on screen.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Animals treats its subjects with patience and generosity.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 4, 2019

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

[A] preposterous version of the Irish capital wherein folk who can't hold down barista jobs live in vast Georgian houses, or perform sean-nós in salons surrounded by objects d'art.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 2, 2019

Full Review

Yasmin Omar

Harper's Bazaar

Animals ultimately celebrates the messiness of balancing relationships in your thirties.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

Bianca Garner

In Their Own League

Animals proves that women know how to party hard like men and there's some real "I shouldn't be laughing at this but I can't help it" moments.

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies

A beautiful, consistently funny yet devastating, mediation on modern love and friendship.

Nov 16, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Longtime friends and party lovers Laura and Tyler navigate life and love in Dublin, Ireland but find themselves drifting apart when Laura becomes engaged.

Director: Sophie Hyde
Executive Producer: Mark Gooder
Screenwriter: Emma Jane Unsworth
Production Co: Closer Productions, Kreo Films FZ, Head Gear Films
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 28, 2020