Dir. Taika Waititi · 2026 · 116 min · in cinemas from 23 October (UK)
Taika Waititi adapts Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel, writing the screenplay with Dahvi Waller. Jenna Ortega plays Klara, an android companion bought as a friend for Josie (Mia Tharia), a young teenager whose mother Chrissie (Amy Adams) wants her looked after. Aran Murphy plays Rick, and Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne are in the cast. That is the first act, and this review stops there.
Even the harshest critics keep their kindest words for the cast. Slant's David Robb finds Ortega's earnest performance has a charm that keeps the film from tipping into schmaltz, and says Adams conveys guilt, stubbornness and grief in a few effective scenes. Flickering Myth's Matt Rodgers, the warmest voice in the pile at three stars, calls it a gentle, good-hearted film, likes the visuals and Waititi's restraint, and says Adams' storyline is the most rewarding part. Little White Lies' David Jenkins grants that the comic first half is more bearable and that Waititi has fun introducing the film's societal shifts.
The split is lopsided. The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and Little White Lies give one star each, and The Independent gives two, as collected in an LBC round-up. Variety's headline calls it a calamitous android fantasy. The shared complaint is tone: critics say the novel's quiet ache gets undercut by jokes and whimsy. Robb calls it a faithful adaptation that strips out the insight, finds the genetic-engineering premise incidental and the story episodic. Jenkins says the set-ups are left dangling and the look is a cluttered mix of pastel sparkle and lens flare. Even Rodgers finds the religious parallels heavy-handed and the script messy by the end.
A breezy, incoherent fantasy that constantly misses the emotional mark.
David Jenkins, Little White Lies
Rotten Tomatoes showed 25 per cent from 12 reviews at the time of writing, an early number that will move.
This is a film for completists: people who love Ishiguro's novel and want to see what Waititi did with it, or who will follow Ortega and Adams anywhere. If the book is a favourite, the reviews suggest you will miss it on the page. If you have not read it, the reviews do not promise a rescue. The BBFC advice lists moderate threat, violence and injury detail, with themes of death and bereavement, so it is not a light family outing despite the fairy-tale look.
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The film screened at the BFI London Film Festival and opens in UK cinemas on 23 October 2026, according to the LBC round-up and the BBFC listing; Rotten Tomatoes gives the same date for US theatres. Availability varies by country, so check your local listings.
Sources: Little White Lies, Slant Magazine, Flickering Myth, Variety (headline), LBC for the star ratings from The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent, BBFC for runtime and content advice, Wikipedia for credits, Rotten Tomatoes.