Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A young woman thinks she’s found a path to internet stardom when she starts making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger – until the dark side of viral celebrity threatens to ruin them both.
Mainstream tackles the hollow world of social media fame with ambition but uneven execution. The satire of internet celebrity culture has some sharp edges but the narrative itself is cluttered and tonally inconsistent, lurching between comedy and darker drama without fully committing to either. Andrew Garfield brings genuine energy and unpredictability to his role, elevating scenes that might otherwise fall flat, while Maya Hawke holds her own as the grounded counterpoint. Visually the film tries to mirror the frenetic aesthetics of online content with split screens and stylized sequences, achieving a distinctive if occasionally exhausting look. The satire of influencer culture was not especially fresh by 2021, and the film doesn't add enough of its own perspective to stand out in the crowded media-criticism space. The ending struggles to land its thematic points, feeling abrupt and underdeveloped given the escalation that preceded it.