One of the most popular celebrities on the planet in recent years, Jenna Ortega has become something of a scream queen with roles in horror-driven projects like 2022’s Scream, X and Netflix’s Wednesday, with the Tim Burton-directed sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice coming later in 2024. The actress can seemingly do no wrong, as evidenced by her latest effort, Jade Halley Bartlett’s erotic dramedy Miller’s Girl, remaining among Netflix’s most-streamed movies since it arrived, despite the plethora of negative reactions from critics and viewers watching on Netflix itself.
Some Miller's Girl Background Info
Written and directed by the aforementioned Bartlett, Miller’s Girl centers on Ortega’s Cairo Sweet, an 18-year-old high school senior who goes the extra mile to inspire a college admission essay about her greatest achievement. But rather than attempting something scholarly or academic, Cairo sets her sights on Jonathan Miller, her frustration-plagued creative writing teacher.
As portrayed by The Office and Sherlock vet Martin Freeman, the titular Miller is more than 30 years older than Cairo, and also happens to be in the middle of a troubled marriage with wife Beatrice, played by Succession’s Dagmara Dominczyk. Understandably, all the sparks created by the new relationship are potentially dangerous for all involved, which only inspires the teacher and student to delve deeper.
Inciting some negative reactions just based on its illicit subject matter, Miller’s Girl made its world premiere at the Palm Springs Film Festival on January 11, 2024, and later enjoyed a limited theatrical release here in the U.S. starting on January 26, along with a variety of other countries around the world. Unfortunately, that push was prefaced by an assortment of negative reviews, both critical and otherwise, and the film currently sits with a dismal 29% Rotten score on the Tomatometer, while the Audience Score isn’t that much higher, at 42%.
Netflix Audiences Have Been Going Off About Miller's Girl
By and large, the opinions being shared about Miller's Girl since its Netflix arrival have been pretty hilarious, in that viewers appear to have bounced between two main forms of reactions: those who are completely confused by what went on, and those who are completely dismayed by what went on.
To be sure, a far smaller subsection shared positive support, which we'll get to lower, but for now, here's a rundown of snippy responses from those who watched.
- Just finished watching “Miller’s Girl” for the first time… I love pretty much the entire cast (Jenna, Martin, Bashir & Gideon) but WOW, that was so boring!! - @cavalierremedy
- #Millersgirl is such an uncomfortable watch. Who approved this nonsense? - @_ladizaloca_
- This movie sucks...omg, fuck this shit. The number of times I screamed, " Oh brother," was actually insane. On the plus side,it's forgettable, so in about 2 months, it will be gone from my brain. - @EsperanceAdy
- That shed scene in Miller’s Girl. Actually it’s all just cringe lol. #MillersGirl #Netflix - @feelabrussel
- Rating: 2/10 One star for Jenna Ortega, but this is literally trash - @RaenOfTerror
Interestingly enough, most of the people sharing their thoughts on X were general with their complaints, calling out the entire project as being faulted. That said, some specifically pointed to the flip-flopping reactions from Dominczyk’s character, while others called out the film for other details, such as its main-character bias when it comes to the school’s faculty and student body. But let’s look at some more wide-ranging potshots below.
- I watched that new Jenna Ortega Netflix show, Miller’s Girl. All I have to say is, “What the fuck?" - @Raysweirdworld
- Miller’s Girl on Netflix is terrible, 0/10 - @BrwnSkinQuesha
- almost done watching miller’s girl . it fckn sucks. - @ef4iryy
- i never rag on a movie because i tend to feel like we can keep most negative things to ourselves but i genuinely hated Miller's Girl - @kingphilwith1L
- #MillersGirl is shit! It really feels like that’s only half of the plot. She keeps going in and out of an accent. And the dialogue just isn’t digestible. Very mediocre all in all - @333Breezy
- Among the other issues I have with this movie, Jenna…babe…do you have a southern accent or not? #MillersGirl - @eves_horrors
As evidenced above, Jenna Ortega's southern accent is indeed a specific complaint that more than a few commenters spoke about, with one viewer comparing the entire cast to Bobby Hill's Cajun-leaning era on King of the Hill.
Given Jenna Ortega's growing fanbase, it's understandable that she had a number of defenders on social media singing her praises, sometimes while also complimenting the rest of the film, and sometimes with her as the only one earning any compliments. Here are a few of the more good-natured takes regarding Miller's Girl.
- Miller’s Girl was poetic and sophisticated. I’ll rewind for brilliant writing alone. Sensitive viewers should sit this one out. - @mjk60631
- See I can’t be a movie critic because this miller’s girl shit is goood omg and I’m on Cairo’s side I fear - @kingneilz1
- Just finished watching Miller’s Girl. Absolute 10/10. The way the narrative of the story kept changing subtly. Beautifully written. Original concept on a subject thats over saturated in film. LOVED IT!! - @myamichole
As someone who is extremely fond of a handful of movies that are known to be notorious stinkers, I can certainly sympathize with those trying to recommend Miller's Girl to others. I think the best way to approach that advice would be to make someone watch it on the spot without letting them look it up on RT or IMDb. Or on Letterboxd for that matter. Speaking of, let's enjoy one final bit of snark:
how do i make this video my letterboxd review of miller’s girl? pic.twitter.com/qSpIPMBiCYMay 6, 2024
Miller's Girl is currently available to stream for anyone with a Netflix subscription, though I wouldn't suggest watching with any younger children around. Head to our 2024 Netflix premiere schedule to see what else is hitting the service in the coming months.
