For nearly as long as we’ve been waging war, we’ve sought ways to chronicle it. “Warfare,” a new movie co-directed... more

The tension between art and commerce is a tale as old as time, and perhaps the most dramatic clashes in... more

Gossip, an essential human pastime, is full of contradictions. It has the potential to be as destructive to its subjects... more

The first episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” released in 2009, consisted mostly of its host smoking weed, cracking jokes,... more

In 1939, reviewing the beloved M-G-M classic “The Wizard of Oz” for The New Yorker, the critic Russell Maloney declared... more

For many of us, daily life is defined by a near-constant stream of decisions, from what to buy on Amazon... more

“The Pitt,” which recently began streaming on Max, spans a single shift in the life of a doctor at an... more

“Severance” is an office drama with a twist: the central characters have undergone a procedure to separate their work selves... more

The first episode of “Saturday Night Live,” which aired in October of 1975, was a loose, scrappy affair. The sketches... more

A few years back, novels classed as “romantasy”—a portmanteau of “romance” and “fantasy”—might have seemed destined to attract only niche... more

David Lynch, who died last month at seventy-eight, was a director of images—one whose distinctive sensibility and instinct for combining... more

In 1954, a young David Attenborough made his début as the star of a new nature show called “Zoo Quest.”... more

Westward expansion has been mythologized onscreen for more than a century—and its depiction has always been entwined with the politics... more

The first person is a narrative style as old as storytelling itself—one that, at its best, allows us to experience... more

Margaret Talbot, writing in The New Yorker in 2005, recounted that when animators at Pixar got stuck on a project... more

This year, high-profile failures abounded. Take, for example, Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project “Megalopolis,” which cost a hundred and forty... more

The American musical is in a state of flux. Today’s Broadway offerings are mostly jukebox musicals and blatant I.P. grabs;... more

Artists owe a great debt to ancient Rome. Over the years, it’s provided a backdrop for countless films and novels,... more

In her new FX docuseries “Social Studies,” the artist and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield delves into the post-pandemic lives—and phones—of a... more

One of the most fundamental features of art is its ability to meet us during times of distress. In the... more

Since the comedian Julio Torres came to America from El Salvador, more than a decade ago, his fantastical style has... more

The art of advice-giving, championed over the years by such figures as Ann Landers and Cheryl Strayed, has lately undergone... more

“The Apprentice,” a new film directed by Ali Abbasi, depicts the rise of a young Donald Trump under the wing... more

In “The Substance,” a darkly satirical horror movie directed by Coralie Fargeat, Demi Moore plays an aging Hollywood actress who... more

From classic eighties films like “Wall Street” to Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel “American Psycho,” the world of finance has... more

Almost immediately after the publication of Sally Rooney’s “Normal People,” in 2018, Rooney-mania hit a fever pitch. Her work struck... more

The writer Carl Sandburg, in his 1926 biography of Abraham Lincoln, made a provocative claim—that the President’s relationship with the... more

This summer, scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” hit a fever pitch. These influencers’ accounts feature kempt, feminine... more

Until recently, tarot, astrology, and spiritualism—practices often shorthanded simply as woo-woo—were the stuff of dusty psychic parlors and seventies nostalgia.... more

Cities have always been romanticized, but few of them have embraced—or actively engineered—their reputations as thoroughly as Las Vegas. On... more

“ ‘BRAT’ summer”—so named for the Charli XCX album that’s become the soundtrack of Kamala Harris’s Presidential run—has given pop... more

In her 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Patricia Highsmith introduced readers to the figure of Tom Ripley, an antihero... more

The announcement of Kamala Harris’s Presidential run has set off one of the most pronounced vibe shifts in recent memory.... more

Critics at Large is off this week. In the meantime, enjoy a recent episode from Vanity Fair’s “Dynasty,” hosted by... more

In an essay published earlier this month, Andrea Skinner, the daughter of the lauded writer Alice Munro, detailed the sexual... more

In 1954, a young David Attenborough made his début as the star of a new nature show called “Zoo Quest.”... more

Reality television has generally got a bad rap, but Emily Nussbaum—who received a Pulitzer Prize, in 2016, for her work... more

There’s arguably no better time for falling down a cultural rabbit hole than the languid, transitory summer months. On this... more

In recent years, as our culture has embraced therapy more widely, depictions of the practice have proliferated on screen. On... more

It’s a confusing time to travel. Tourism is projected to hit record-breaking levels this year, and its toll on the... more

“Hit Man,” a new film directed by Richard Linklater, is not, in fact, about a hit man. The movie follows... more

In recent years, in the realms of self-improvement literature, Instagram influencers, and wellness gurus, an idea has taken hold: that... more

From John Cheever’s 1964 short story “The Swimmer” to Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling 2006 memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love,” our culture has... more

The rap superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been on a collision course for a decade, trading periodic diss tracks... more

Over the past several years, true crime’s hold on the culture has tightened into a vice grip, with new titles... more

From “Raging Bull” to “A League of Their Own,” films about athletes have commanded the attention of even the most... more

“Civil War,” Alex Garland’s divisive new action flick, borrows iconography—and actual footage—from the America of today as set dressing for... more

Since the turn of the millennium, HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” has slyly satirized the ins and outs of social interaction.... more

In her 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Patricia Highsmith introduced readers to the figure of Tom Ripley, an antihero... more

News of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis arrived after months of speculation regarding the royal’s whereabouts. Had the Princess of Wales,... more

Science fiction has historically been considered a niche genre, one in which far-flung scenarios play out on distant planets. Today,... more

For centuries, the bildungsroman, or novel of education, has offered a window into a formative period of life—and, by extension,... more

The office has long been a fixture in pop culture—but, in 2024, amid the rise of remote work and the... more

The campaign for an Oscar is just that: a campaign. In the weeks and months leading up to the ninety-sixth... more

At this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, Usher Raymond sang through decades of hits while twirling on roller skates, making... more

As much as contemporary audiences relish a happily ever after, some of the greatest romances of all time are ones... more

If some of us have managed to avoid mean girls in life, we’ve had no such luck in art. The... more

The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family... more

Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special, “The Dreamer,” has drawn criticism for its targeting of trans and disabled people–the latest in... more

In this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz turn their attention... more

In recent years, in the realms of self-improvement literature, Instagram influencers, and wellness gurus, an idea has taken hold: that... more

Hollywood’s obsession with stories about creative types has resulted in familiar tropes—namely that of the tortured artist, whose fanatical devotion... more

After six decades as an icon in country music, it’s hard to imagine Dolly Parton had anything to prove.  But... more

In the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, a literal doll, leaves the comforts of Barbieland and ventures into real-world Los... more

In the weeks since George Santos was expelled from Congress, his story has been funnelled straight into the entertainment pipeline,... more

Margaret Talbot, writing in The New Yorker in 2005, recounted that when animators at Pixar got stuck on a project... more

From Merchant Ivory’s classic adaptations of E. M. Forster novels to the BBC’s beloved rendition of Jane Austen’s “Pride and... more

Samantha Irby’s latest essay collection, “Quietly Hostile,” cemented her place as one of the great professionally funny people working today.... more

Reality television is all about artifice, and contestants on “The Bachelor” often seem more interested in becoming influencers than in... more

In the years since the pandemic began, the experience of dining out has been utterly transformed. Coveted tables now disappear... more

The celebrity memoir has long been a place for public figures to set the record straight on the story of... more

Throughout his career, Martin Scorsese has traced crime, greed, and corruption across American life. In his new film, he turns his gaze... more

Throughout film history, heterosexual relationships have served as a battleground for questions of sex, power, and equality. From the 1949... more

In 1963, a British spy writing under the pen name John le Carré published a novel that shot to the top of... more

Taylor Swift has long been the subject of adoration, scrutiny, and debate—but it wasn’t until this summer, as the Eras... more

Elon Musk’s presence in our lives is inescapable: his cars roam our streets, his satellites orbit our skies, and his... more

In the inaugural episode of The New Yorker’s new culture podcast, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz make... more

On Critics at Large, a new weekly culture podcast from The New Yorker, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry,... more