There are plenty of sexually explicit movies to stream on Netflix, and with the release of Vladimir starring Rachel Weisz and Leon Woodall, you may have another title to add to your list. The book-to-screen adaptation centers around an unnamed, fourth wall-breaking college professor whose already-complicated marriage and career are thrown off-kilter when she becomes obsessed with a new colleague. Critics are “cringing for dear life” over the series, described in equal parts “cheeky,” “repellent” and brimming with “unhinged lust,” so let’s dive into their reviews.
‘Disgusting And Alluring In Equal Measure’
Kelly Lawler of USA TODAY gives the series — which premiered on the 2026 TV schedule on March 5 — 3 out of 4 stars, saying Rachel Weisz delivers “the good kind of cringe.” She warns that anyone with the tendency to dive behind the couch from second-hand embarrassment might struggle, but it’s worth it to experience its “gripping” and “addictive” commentary. Lawler continues:
Using the magnetism that has served her throughout her career, Weisz is the perfect center around which the show revolves. She's disgusting and alluring in equal measure, a train wreck and a gorgeous luxury car. Her performance is big and loud and lewd, as her character demands. Woodall gives back in equal measure, not quite the innocent, happily married man he appears to be at the series' start. Boundaries are crossed, but that's only the start of the twist-happy story.
Vladimir also makes use of the fourth wall-breaking device perfected by Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Fleabag, and critics had thoughts about that.
‘Will Have You Cringing For Dear Life’
Belen Edwards of Mashable says that in some aspects, the series is “too cheeky for its own good,” and while Rachel Weisz makes a strong attempt to bring something new to the direct-to-camera addresses, she doesn’t quite pull it off. More from the Vladimir review:
Lingering shots on Vladimir's neck and arms are accompanied by the sound of sparkles and heavy breathing, while her panic over an emoji's meaning turns her from professor to middle schooler in the blink of an eye. Yet her fantasies play out in underwhelming fashion: clichéd sexual encounters, rendered in quick, flashing dream sequences. It's still tough not to get swept up in Weisz and Woodall's game of cat-and-mouse, especially as the professor makes a series of moves that will have you cringing for dear life. Yet as an erotic thriller and a portrait of the ripple effects of sexual misconduct allegations, Vladimir is just like its protagonist's worst nightmare: It fails to captivate.
Vladimir also stars John Slattery as the protagonist’s husband and Ellen Robertson as their daughter Sid, as the following critic says the series satirizes Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z equally.
‘More Silly Than Sexy — And That’s Not A Bad Thing’
Taylor Gates of Collider gives the new Netflix series 8 out of 10, admitting it’s not perfect — it has some bite, Gates writes, but stops short of drawing blood. However, the writing is sharp, the dialogue witty, and it celebrates the female gaze. It’s a hell of a lot of fun, the critic says, writing:
Weisz makes a meal of her monologues, expertly playing off the audience, who she treats as both trusted confidante and unwanted intruder depending on the situation. Though marketed as an erotic thriller of sorts, Vladimir ends up being more silly than sexy — and that’s not a bad thing. Weisz has always been a gifted comedic actor, but rarely has she had the vehicle to showcase it quite like this, flexing her ability for dry, witty, dialogue-driven humor and much broader, kookier, and more physical fare alike. There’s not one second where she’s phoning it in, consistently going all-in at even the most ridiculous moments.
Rachel Weisz’s comedic performance is drawing praise in pretty much all of the reviews I’ve seen, including this one:
‘Weisz Is Reliably Magnetic’
When it comes to slapstick comedy, Alison Herman of Variety says the leading actress nails the art of playing “hot and bothered in an inappropriate setting,” but the series overall stops short of being wholly satisfying. Herman explains:
Vladimir takes on a host of knotty issues, from changing sexual mores to aging to infidelity to — imagine the loudest sigh ever sighed — cancel culture. Given that self-assigned degree of difficulty, Vladimir is far from the catastrophe it could easily be in clumsier hands. But while Weisz is reliably magnetic and the eight episodes often amusing as farce, Vladimir is an imperfect translation of the novel’s hothouse subjectivity to TV’s three-dimensional space, where canvases for projection and conduits for desire take the form of flesh-and-blood human beings. The ensuing issues with casting and pacing aren’t fatal, but they are significant.
Critics just can’t stop talking about Rachel Weisz performance and how seeing events through her perspective colors the entire series.
‘Blunts Nearly Ever Emotion But Unhinged Lust’
Angie Han of THR calls Vladimir “boldly prickly” and “fascinatingly slippery,” writing that if we dig into our deepest desires, we may discover that it’s more relatable than we’re comfortable admitting. Han continues:
The purposely insular point of view can make Vladimir a challenging watch. There’s no escaping the lead’s head space as she grows increasingly unmoored. We’re only ever allowed to understand Vlad or Cynthia or even John to the extent that she allows herself to, which isn’t much; to the end, it’s difficult to ascertain their true motives. And while the show’s lack of softness or sweetness makes sense, coming as it does from the perspective of a woman who’s short on both at the moment, the perpetually arch tone blunts nearly every emotion but unhinged lust.
It sounds like there is a lot going on in the eight 30-minute episodes that make up Vladimir — which is to be expected after that ridiculously provocative poster — and while the critics pointed out several flaws, it sounds like most of them recommend it as your next Netflix binge.
All eight episodes of Vladimir are streaming now with a Netflix subscription.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
