The gentlemen of The Odyssey

We’ve seen the women of The Odyssey show up and show out for their final premiere, now let’s turn our attention to the gentlemen, who certainly…showed up. Let’s start with Tom Holland, because he is always a ray of sunshine. He wore an all-black suit by Fear of God, and his hair is especially curly. The heat and humidity is getting to everyone this summer, I swear.

I cannot find the quote, but someone said that Tom Holland is who we all thought Timothee Chalamet was, and I do think The Odyssey will do wonders for his acting career. He’s been so occupied with Spider-Man for an entire decade now, it’s easy to forget he is actually a very good actor. Not that his performance as Spider-Man is bad, it isn’t! But The Odyssey is another gear for Holland. It actually reminds me of his work in his first film role in The Impossible from 2012, in which he plays an annoying son. He is SO annoying as Telemachus. I wanted someone to punt him off a cliff so badly. Perfectly calibrated performance, truly.

Elliot Page was never one to dress dramatically, and he certainly isn’t here with a basic suit ensemble, sans tie, but he did show up with actress and comedian Julia Shiplett, marking their red carpet debut as a couple.

Matt Damon also went basic with his suiting, though he included a tie, and he also brought his significant other, his wife, Luciana, and their daughter, Isabella. So…how long before Isabella Damon starts acting?

More partnerships on display include Christopher Nolan and his wife and creative partner, Emma Thomas. They’re the model Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler are following as a director-producer pair making lavish films that are both artistically and commercially successful. Once again, a man in a basic suit, though I will give Nolan props for the wild tie. And Thomas gets props for those cool glasses.

 Corey Hawkins stars in the film as Polybus, one of Penelope’s suitors, and he turned up wearing Fear of God like Tom Holland, and brought his BFF, Teyonah Parris. They went to Julliard together and have been ride or die ever since. We stan platonic relationships!

Finally, Spike Lee turned up, looking slightly less enthused than he did during the Knicks’ championship run.

Lee is not just a filmmaker, he’s also a tenured professor of film at NYU (where he actually teaches in-depth courses, not just coasts on his laurels for a steady paycheck), so when he offers critique of your work, it’s not just coming from a peer, it’s coming from an incredibly well-informed peer. He offered some criticism of Oppenheimer back when it came out, which Nolan received well, calling Lee “one of my idols”. And now his idol is at his premiere. Everything comes full circle.