Let’s cool it with the cameos, this thing is one Lin Manuel Miranda appearance away from using up all the good will it earned by being otherwise excellent.

I saw this twice this weekend and for whatever reason I really didn’t get as much out of it the second time. Knives Out was a movie where the second viewing (and the third and the fourth) revealed a dozen innocuous things that were intricately placed clues and nods to the larger story, a meticulously built puzzle box where nothing was incidental. This feels slap dash by comparison, with more focus on goofs than details - which is fun, sure, but not as rich or rewarding. The structure - which I won’t spoil - also makes a rewatch feel a little weird, like I’ve seen the movie so many more times than just twice.

I wish I’d written this review after my first viewing when I was higher on it! I still can’t bring myself to go lower than four stars on this bad boy - Craig, Bautista, Norton, and WOW Kate Hudson are all having the time of their lives. It’s gorgeous. It’s fun!!! But Rian Johnson is a filmmaker who’s given us a few legit masterpieces - maybe it’s greedy to have hoped for another instead of something that’s just a very nice time at the movies.