Based on the bestselling novel by Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro and written and directed by Academy Award winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Klara and the Sun introduces audiences to Klara (Jenna Ortega), an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home.
When Klara meets Josie (Mia Tharia), each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother (Amy Adams), and they've suffered great loss, but Klara's innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie's complicated world.
Reviews for the movie have not been kind, with critics rating it a dismal 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, Klara and the Sun is the worst-reviewed movie of Waititi's career, placing it behind 2023's Next Goal Wins (46%).
The trades recently reported that Sony Pictures sat on the movie for two years, "befuddled as to how to release it." It seems the studio realised early on that it had a stinker on its hands, and an international release has already been scrapped in multiple locations after it was pulled from upwards of 1000 U.S. theaters (a result of a dismal opening weekend that saw it gross only $725,000).
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, Waititi has weighed in on the reviews, raging at critics who negatively reviewed Klara and the Sun while highlighting its Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes...which is based on a mere "100+" verified ratings.
"I haven't read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years. But I do listen to the people," Waititi shared. "So this Halloween, let's spare a thought for those sad lost souls who couldn't achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus became critics. The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit. Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin."
The Jojo Rabbit comparison is surprising, as that's actually "Certified Fresh" at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Regardless, the furious filmmaker turned off comments on his post, an interesting move for someone celebrating what his fans thought about Klara and the Sun.
Waititi once had the makings of becoming Hollywood's most in-demand filmmaker; after delivering indie hits like What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, he made his blockbuster debut with Thor: Ragnarok.
That was credited with saving the Thor franchise, but critics started cooling on Waititi after Thor: Love and Thunder, a disappointing follow-up to his MCU debut. With Lucasfilm scrapping plans for his Star Wars movie and various other high-profile projects he's been attached to not coming to fruition, "director's jail" may be next for him after Klara and the Sun has flopped (it'll take a lot for any studio to take a risk on him).
Check out Waititi's thoughts on Klara and the Sun's critics below.