Summary
AM I OK?was the first Dakota Johnson movie released after her $100 million box office bombMadame Web, reminding viewers of what she does best.AM I OK?has received positive reviewsand currently holds an 81% critics scoreand an 80% audience score onRotten Tomatoesafter premiering at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and starting streaming on Max in June 2024. This is a big change fromthe disastrous Rotten Tomatoes recordsMadame Webset. The film set a record for the worst score of the Sony Spider-Man villain movies with just a 14% critics score.
Madame Webisn’t Johnson’s worst film onRotten Tomatoes, as 2015’sChloe & Theohas a measly 6% critics score, but it’s her most famous flop. DespiteMadame Web’simpressive castwith Johnson, Adam Scott, Sydney Sweeney, Emma Roberts, and more, no performance could save the predictable plot and poor execution. Even then, the performances were unexpectedly weak. In Justin Brown’s review forMedium Popcorn Podcast, he noted that“Dakota Johnson seemed like she couldn’t be bothered during key scenes in the film.”Her performance was criticized as lazy, but the same cannot be said aboutAM I OK?
Dakota Johnson’s Am I OK? Performance Amends A Big Complaint After Madame Web
Dakota Johnson’s Performance In Am I OK? Has Received Positive Reviews
As aforementioned,the biggest criticism of Dakota Johnson’s performance inMadame Webwas the perceived lack of effort. Before the film even premiered, the awkward delivery of a strange line in theMadame Webtrailer went viral. In her typical monotone voice, Johnson as Cassandra Webb says,
“He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died.”
The awful Amazon line didn’t makeMadame Web’sfinal cut, but plenty of moments like this led to criticism of the script and Johnson’s performance. With a much stronger script forAM I OK?by Lauren Pomerantz, Johnson had better material to work with. Johnson is anything but lazy inAM I OK?, taking the emotional and funny story about a woman who discovers she’s a lesbian in her 30s seriously. Perhaps Johnson’s commitment to delivering a great performance inAM I OK?was what allowed her to do just that.
Am I OK? Is A Reminder Of Dakota Johnson’s Best (Yet Underrated) Movie Performances
Dakota Johnson Shines In Smaller Movies
Madame Webisn’t the first time Dakota Johnson has starred in a major movie. Johnson’s breakout performance came in 2015’sFifty Shades of Greyand the sequels that followed it. Despite success at the box office, it received generally negative reviews for multiple reasons, including the acting. In 2018, she starred inBad Times at the El Royalewith Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, and more, which underperformed. This has unfortunately led many to assume Johnson’s just a Hollywood “nepo baby” (her parents are Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) with limited talents.
What A Nepo Baby Is (& Why Everyone’s Talking About Them Now)
The conversation around nepo babies is one of Hollywood’s biggest controversies, currently. Nepotism is sure to have an impact on the industry.
However, Johnson has shown that she shines in smaller movies that allow her to give more grounded performances.AM I OK?is the latest example, but it can also be seen in films likeThe Peanut Butter Falcon(2019),The Lost Daughter(2021), andCha Cha Real Smooth(2022), all of which hold some of her best Rotten Tomatoes scores.Dakota Johnson’s moviesspan a variety of subjects and genres, butJohnson appears most at home when working with character-driven scripts. AfterMadame Web,AM I OK?is a breath of fresh air and a must-see in Johnson’s filmography.
