“PRETTY WOMAN’ IT’S NOT!
Anora
Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Daria Ekamazova, Aleksey Serebryakov
Duration: 2hr 19min
Rating: 📺📺📺📺📺
Where to Stream: Hulu
The Prologue:
While horror movies like Sinners and Weapons took centerstage in the recent 2026 Oscars, it was the 2024 movie, Anora, that stole the limelight at last year’s Oscars, winning numerous awards, including the coveted ones like Best Picture, Best Actress (Mikey Madison) and Best Director (Sean Baker).
And just like how Sinners’ major win was a pleasant surprise because the horror genre isn’t usually given the recognition that it deserves, Anora‘s awards were also unexpected given its mature-audience subject matter. In short, it’s the newest addition to the list of offerings about the world’s oldest profession.
The Plot:
Anora (Madison), or Ani, is a stripper who’s not averse to earning some extra money on the side. One day, she is called upon to dance for Ivan/Vanya (Eydelshteyn), a rich but immature young Russian. Finding Ani to be engaging after a couple of “dates”, Ivan books her for a week, which includes a trip to Vegas later. While there, Ivan proposes that he and Ani get married so that he can stay on in America. Skeptical at first, Ani later agrees. Just when she thinks she would live happily ever after with her Prince Charming in a mansion, Ani is later visited by fixer Toros (Karagulian) and his henchmen Garnik (Tovmasyan) and Igor (Borisov), who are sent by Ivan’s parents to annul the marriage. Pretty soon, she would also meet her formidable in-laws (Ekamasova, Serebryakov), who decide to make the trip to America to take Ivan back to Russia.
The Performances:
As the titular character Anora, Madison’s outstanding performance is well deserved of the Best Actress Oscar. She hits the right notes in her down-to-earth portrayal of a sex worker striving to cling to her dignity in the face of desperation and prejudice, and to keep some semblance of sanity and values in her own identity, like when she prefers to be called Ani to separate from Anora. Overall, there is no bad performance from the rest of the cast, with a notable shoutout to Borisov, who plays the cool and collected Igor, and the perfect foil to Anora’s chaos.
The Package:
Anora is no Pretty Woman for sure. While the 1990 Garry Marshall film merely glosses over and sugarcoats its subject matter of prostitution with a sweet romance between Vivian (Julia Roberts) and Edward (Richard Gere), Sean Baker’s Anora gives audiences a no-holds-barred look at life as a sex worker, including practical aspects like career competition, jealousy, and – if you don’t already know – lack of benefits like healthcare and 401K. With its great performances, humor, gritty slice-of-life portrayal, and even, yes, romance, Anora is truly the perfect package.