Let Them All Talk: Acting Legends Take the High Seas

Steven Soderbergh's Let Them All Talk is a light film that dives into heavy things. The film is a rare story about older women that depicts three former friends coming to terms with how the success of one of them changed everything. Simultaneously it balances the perspective of a young man with a larger than life aunt, and how people function around her.


Alice Hughes (Meryl Streep) is a world-famous, award-winning author that has been asked to accept an award in England. Due to health issues, she can't fly and so she convinces them to pay for her to take the Queen Mary with three guests. Her old friends Roberta (Candice Bergen) and Susan (Diana Wiest) and her nephew Tyler (Lucas Hedges) join her on the ship. Years have passed since her biggest book that turned her into a name was released and her new agent Karen (Gemma Chan) is hoping for a sequel. Karen gets close to Tyler to find out what Alice is working on.


Let Them All Talk is not the Meryl Streep show. Most of the time is spent with Hedges as he navigates these complicated relationships. Susan is an advocate for incarcerated women who is not bothered by Alice using their friendship in the book while Roberta is obsessed with it and thinks the only reason she is on the cruise is so Alice can use her for the sequel. Bergen captures Roberta's discontent with life without her feeling cliche.


The characters' strength is through the freedom they are given to converse. They are placed in a cinematic backdrop of the Queen Mary with the freedom to work out their material. It is interesting to watch the characters interact with each other in such a limited space. Soderbergh also serves as the cinematographer and editor. In these roles, he captures the beauty of the ship and wonderfully puts the story together.


The main question of the film is how success changes a friendship. Soderbergh doesn't overemphasize this but lets his cast play with the questions. Characters are allowed to wander off into subplots such as Tyler falling for Karen without the worry of fitting them back into the traditional narrative. There might be too much talking for some people, but it is refreshing to see a focus on developing breathing characters versus stuffing them into a Hollywood trope. The movie is like a casual hangout with a craftmanship to it. There is a free flow but it is shaped.


Let Them All Talk is a collection of scenes than a full story. The last act feels forced and strays away from the late-night conversations and deck walks. By the time the traditional plot came in it felt lost in the world created by the characters. It is a wonderful film to see a masterclass of acting and filmmaking.