“It could have just gone to a streaming platform.”
“There could have just been a digital code provided with a purchase of the album so you can watch it on your phone, television, or laptop.”
“This could have simply been a single night theatrical event for fans of The Weeknd, instead of receiving a full theatrical release.”
These are just a few of the thoughts that went through my mind while having to sit in a theater for nearly two hours having the displeasure of giving my valuable time to Hurry Up Tomorrow. Clearly, Abel Tesfaye, more popularly known as The Weeknd, loved his small role in 2019’s Uncut Gems so much that he wanted to co-write, produce and star in his own version of the movie as a way to market his latest album of the same name. But there is a difference between Hurry Up Tomorrow and Uncut Gems. The latter film actually has depth, substance, purpose, and actually keeps you thrilled and anxious as a viewer. Imagine Uncut Gems was remixed in a slowed down fashion, taking notes from erotic captivity thrillers such as Pedro Almodovar’s Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down. I think a better title for this marketing romp would have been “Hurry Up and End This Movie.”
The Weeknd practically plays a version of himself. An artist whose public persona has often been shrouded in mystery, it can be assumed that who he is in this movie is a character created from his own imagination. Simply put, his protagonist is very unlikable. From the very first frame, you get a sense that this individual is toxic. We listen to a voice message from an ex-girlfriend vaguely discussing something he did to hurt her. He spends most of the narrative obsessively trying to get a hold of her, and becomes increasingly angry when she does not respond. At one point, he goes on a tirade just belittling her through a voice message. Like dude, you are not doing yourself any favors in this situation.
His emotions are interrupting his ability to perform during his tour, causing friction between him and his manager (Barry Keoghan in a role that is not doing his talent any favors), and eventually, he succumbs to drugs and alcohol as a means to cope, which results in damage to his voice. Enter Jenna Ortega as a devout, but clearly unstable fan. A chance encounter backstage leads to them spending a nice evening together, but then, we are reminded of how unlikable our protagonist is.
My biggest issue here is how much this is strictly style and aesthetic, with all substance and depth being thrown out the window and not a single effort is made to look for it. Some may argue, “You just don’t understand The Weeknd, or his lyrics, or his story. This movie is not for you!” Then why try so hard to give this a full release and waste studio money in the process if it has such a niche audience? Did Lionsgate not learn from Megalopolis?
Even at 105 minutes, there are good 30-40 minutes that could have been cut out of Hurry Up Tomorrow and gotten straight to whatever point it was trying to present, but instead, it drowns itself in a pretentious exhibition that never even feels remotely thought out. This literally could have been a short film that came as a companion piece to the new record. Instead, it is a full-length feature that got a major theatrical release by a studio. I found myself uninterested and uninvested in anything happening on the screen in front of me.
On paper, Hurry Up, Tomorrow surely seemed like a good marketing ploy for a new album. What it turned out to be was Abel Tesfay channeling his love for movies, trying to plant further seeds for him getting into the film business. But nothing of quality is offered to an audience. Diehard Weeknd fans may easily connect with it due to their appreciation for Tesfaye’s music, but I also suspect their breakdowns of admiration for this movie may be fabricated, believing they have found something profound in a void of empty creativity.
Hurry Up Tomorrow currently stands as the worst film I have watched in 2025 so far. The Weeknd is a great musician, but not a great actor or screenwriter, Jenna Ortega needs to stop saying yes to every single weird and out of the box project she is offered, and Barry Keoghan’s talents could have been given to a much better project, but hey, a paycheck is a paycheck. Above all, it baffles me that this movie was directed by Trey Edward Shults, who has previously delivered great movies such as 2015’s Krisha, 2017’s It Comes at Night, and 2019’s stunning and phenomenal Waves. Clearly, this was a paycheck movie for him. One thing is certain, any movie Shults makes from here on out is not going to have the moniker “From the director of Hurry Up Tomorrow” attached to it.
0.5/5
To check out more of our reviews, click here. If you have suggestions for movies we should check out, email [email protected]!
Adam Khromachou has been a lifelong film watcher. It all began in 1989 at the age of 6
when his mom took him to see Tim Burton’s Batman. From then on, he knew cinema
was his passion. By the age of 8, he was learning about actors, directors, and even
began exploring the history of cinema. At the age of 12, a big turning point occurred
when he watched Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. It was the moment he really started
diving deep into films outside of the action and comedy genre and looked to explore
more classic cinema through breaking down the film’s notable influences. He obtained a
Bachelor's and Master's degree from Arizona State and in 2021, he launched his TikTok
channel Sunset Loner Cinema where he reviews and ranks films, as well as providing
in-depth cinematic retrospectives. His content can also be found on Instagram and
YouTube. He is also an avid user of Letterboxd and considers himself a cinema purist,
believing that films should be experienced in theaters without interruptions or
distractions. His favorite films include Pulp Fiction, GoodFellas, Cinema Paradiso, Jaws,
and The Big Lebsowski. He is also the co-host of the podcast Before We Were
Streaming.