The Idol

The Idol(2023)

TV-MA
1 seasons
N/A/episode
Drama
5.4

"We all crave things that aren't good for us."

Overview

After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn's last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited by Tedros, a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?

The Weeknd

Creator

Sam Levinson

Creator

Reza Fahim

Creator

Where to Watch

Stream

HBO Max

Buy

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Fandango At Home

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Media

Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Trailer

Da’Vine Joy Randolph at Cannes

Da’Vine Joy Randolph at Cannes

Featurette

Invitation To Cannes

Invitation To Cannes

Featurette

Jane Adams at Cannes

Jane Adams at Cannes

Featurette

Get To Know Me - Troye Sivan

Get To Know Me - Troye Sivan

Featurette

Get To Know Me - Lily-Rose Depp

Get To Know Me - Lily-Rose Depp

Featurette

Official Teaser #4

Official Teaser #4

Teaser

Official Teaser 3

Official Teaser 3

Teaser

Official Teaser 2

Official Teaser 2

Teaser

Official Teaser

Official Teaser

Teaser

Social

G
A review by GenerationofSwine
10.0

Written on July 2, 2023

The sex is heterosexual. Depp is an attractive woman that is portrayed as an attractive woman. It opens with a discussion on a nudity rider that is going against the lead character's will coming from an effeminate man that looks Woke AF and a selfie with a, well, a shot.

Furthermore not all the good guys are people of color, not all the bad guys are straight white men and it does a really good job of making the industry look as horrible and scummy as it is.

The fact is, that all of that has been so censored out today that a woman playing an attractive woman as an attractive woman seems... shocking.

But if Depp played an ugly lesbian this entire thing would have been "empowering."

At the end of the day it's exactly the sort of thing that film needs. We need a film, a TV show, that breaks down the self-imposed political censorship. The Idol does just that and I look at it as a positive step in the right direction, we need more media to force it's way through that crap so we can get back to making media that is actually good again.

This isn't exactly Chinatown, but it is a step away from making pure political propaganda and a step towards making films to entertain again. And the more we have crap that pushes back against it, the closer we get to pop culture for the sake of entertainment again.

Let's face reality... It criticizes the music industry, so people are going to hate it. Depp is an attractive woman who gets naked, so people are going to hate it. The Weekend is a man that has heterosexual sex with her, so people are going to hate it. It calls out Hollywood, so people are going to hate it.

People compare it to Showgirls, and that's not accurate, it has a lot more depth than Showgirls, it is satirical of a lot more than Showgirls ever was. It points more fingers.

If Depp played a lesbian, and if it supported and said bright and happy things about the Music and Film industries, people would praise it. Because it doesn't, because it's political and people are obligated to hate on it.

The cold reality is, in 2023, we need to bring edgy back. We need to offend again.