“Almost inhumanly gaunt, skin pulled tightly over the bony ridges of his spine and ribcage, Phoenix offers a theatricality more alien, and more accidental, than the character usually possesses,” The A.V. Club‘s reviewer explained of Phoenix’s take on the iconic villain.
“The actor’s physicality here is something to behold,” a critic for the NY Post noted, before adding, “It’s never quite clear why Arthur’s so emaciated, but the way he contorts his spindly frame, and occasionally stretches it out into a joyful, Kabuki-esque dance, is mesmerizing.”
When it comes to Day’s performance, however, most critics made mention of how the singer, making her feature film debut, wholly embodies the troubled, heroine-addicted Holiday. They just do it in far less grandiose ways, unconsciously reiterating the way in which women are supposed to look onscreen: thin.
