Mikey Madison is a revelation as charismatic sex worker Anora in Sean Baker’s wildly entertaining, frenetically paced comedy. Ani, as she prefers to be called, meets Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, in a New York strip club when he requests a dancer who can speak Russian (she is of Uzbek descent); the young man is immediately smitten, asking her to be his girlfriend for a week of raucous, no-expense-spared partying, that culminates in an impromptu wedding in Las Vegas. The honeymoon period comes to an abrupt end when Ivan’s father sends his harassed fixer, Toros (Karren Karagulian), and his henchmen to effect an annulment by whatever means necessary. When Ivan splits, a madcap chase across the city ensues with Baker ratcheting up the mayhem to near Safdie levels of nervous tension and hilarity. Dir| Sean Baker | 139 mins | USA |2024