Displaying items by tag: Jesse Armstrong

MOUNTAINHEAD

US, 2025, 108 minutes, Colour.

Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Corey Michael Smith, Ramy Yousef.

Directed by Jesse Armstrong.

The aftermath of his worldwide success with the television series, Succession, writer and director, Jesse Armstrong, turned his attention to the world of big business, AI, political and social control, the media magnates and their attempts at controlling world events. The film was made in the atmosphere of the 2024 American election, the campaign by Donald Trump, the influence, financial and personal, of millionaire Elon Musk.

The overwhelming election of Trump, his stances, policies, the imposition of tariffs worldwide, ambiguous involvement in the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, certainly serve as a contemporary background in 2025 for the reception of this film, released on television.

Mountainhead is the name of a Utah resort, allusion to author and social commentator, Ayn Rand, and her book The Fountainhead, where several millionaires meet, discuss their projects, ambitions, rivalries, takeovers, the role of AI, implications for government, their wealth, their ruthlessness.

Jason Schwartzman plays the least wealthy of the group, hosting the meeting. Rami Yousef plays the youngest, wealthy, but looked down on by the others, becoming the target of their murderous intentions. Corey Michael Smith is the wheeler-dealer, the wealthiest. Steve Carell is the oldest, ill, wanting to find some AI remedies, with a lot of experience and still manipulating.

The film is often dialogue-driven, audiences needing to be attentive to the details of the wheeling and dealing, and continually being challenged by the statements, stances, the implications of the behaviour of these billionaires.

1. The title, the allusion to The Fountainhead and Ayn Rand? The location and implications?
2. The work of Jesse Armstrong, Succession, political and business interests? Critique? Satire?
3. The state of the world on the 2020s, the state of the US, the corporate world, business, enterprise, political connections, AI, consequences? Rule, control? What accountability?
4. The US in the 2020s, the two troubled eras, tech magnates and their influence, the phenomenon of Elon Musk? The second Trump era? The repercussions for business, world politics, security?
5. Audience response to the themes and issues, the characters, unlikeable, the nature of their characters, morality and lack of morality? Ambition, greed, power, rivalries, accountability amongst themselves, but no accountability?
6. The weekend retreat, the luxury, Utah, the mountains, the range of the staff and advisers? The world situation, business, money in danger, AI, disinformation, interconnections between companies, consequences? Disrupting world order?
7. The team, the nickname of The Brewsters, their common interests, liking and disliking each other, the interactions amongst themselves, millionaires, Souper as the least wealthy, the past, coming to the retreat, their purpose, rivalries and plots?
8. The characters themselves? Souper, his age, experience, owning Mountainhead, his personal vanities, television programs and watching, exercise, the least wealthy? Ven, the richest, his companies, AI, ambitions, audience attention to the details of his company and deals or not? Jeff, the youngest, his AI, company and the consequences? The contrast with Randall Grant, his age, wealth, power and experience, cancer, his interest in healing, transhumanist cure? His influence on the others?
9. The snowmobile, in the mountains, writing the amount of money on their chests with lipstick?
10. The business interests, the chaos, their wheeler-dealing, each wanting control?
11. The president on the phone, intrigue?
12. The attitude towards Jeff, envy, greed, the decision to kill him, the chases, his hiding, the bungling of the attacks, the satirical details of their attempts, the satire on their ineptness?
13. The finale, still wheeler-dealing, still intrigues, the consequences for each, going away and their future actions? And Souper staying in his mansion and watching the television?
14. A parable/allegory for the contemporary world?