The Circle Movie Review

The Circle (based on Dave Eggers' 2013 novel) is a thriller about a huge tech company. Starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, it tackles timely issues related to privacy and accountability. There's a car crash and an offscreen death, as well as threats and characters in peril. One non-graphic sex act is shown between the main character's parents; the woman straddles the man in bed. Language is fairly strong, with a use of "fu-k" and several uses of "sh-t." Several scenes show social drinking, and one character mentions using pills to help stay awake. Despite its relevant themes, the movie really falls flat.

The film is directed by James Ponsoldt, American director and producer known for The Spectacular Now (2013), Smashed (2012) and The Circle (2017).

WHAT'S THE STORY?
Mae Holland (Emma Watson) is working a dull temp job, so she eagerly accepts when her friend Annie (Karen Gillan) gets her an interview at huge internet company The Circle. At first, Mae finds her new job enjoyable, but peer pressure mounts -- it's clear that she's expected to be more present on the company's social network. After a kayaking accident, Mae realizes that it's not safe to keep secrets, so she agrees to be totally transparent, wearing a camera and broadcasting every aspect of her life online. She becomes very popular and advances through the company. But a friendship with one of the company's founders, Ty (John Boyega), leads to the realization that the company's kindly, charming chief officers (Tom Hanks and Patton Oswalt) aren't what they seem.

MOVIE INFO
Rating: PG-13 (for a sexual situation, brief strong language and some thematic elements including drug use)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Directed By: James Ponsoldt
Written By: James Ponsoldt, Dave Eggers
In Theaters: Apr 28, 2017
Runtime: 110 minutes
Music: Danny Elfman
Studio: EuropaCorp / STXfilms
Cast: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan, John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, Bill Paxton, Jimmy Wong

Fuente: CommonSenseMedia.org