Mountainhead Movie Review – Hilarious and Harrowing Satire

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong returns for another satirical commentary about rich people in HBO’s Mountainhead, which also marks his directorial debut. In this film, though, it isn’t about a family clamoring for power, but irresponsible tech bros with faux-messiah complexes and sociopathic tendencies. What follows is both a hilarious and harrowing analysis of the state of Big Tech, especially when you realize these four dingbats are avatars for real-life people who will probably destroy the planet in the not-too-distant future.

Souper (Jason Schwartzman) hosts an exclusive boys’ weekend at his new mountain home. His full nickname is Soup Kitchen, though, since that’s what his friends call him because he only has $500 million in his bank account while the rest are billionaires many times over. His “pals” Randall (Steve Carell), Venis (Cory Michael Smith), and Jeff (Ramy Youssef) all arrive to complete the quartet for what’s supposed to be a weekend of “no high heels and no business deals.” It’s clear, though, that there’s no real warmth between these friends as they humble brag and try to outdo each other. Yet, a problem arises when Ven’s social media company, Traam, launches generative AI technology that gets out of hand and sends the whole world into chaos. Like any good tech bro, though, Ven is a master of deflection and denying accountability, even when the U.S. President phones him up to air his concerns.

steve carell ramy youssef mountainhead movie review — Image Credit: Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO

In Mountainhead, Armstrong doesn’t write a satire – it’s a documentary. While the audience gets a chuckle out of the characters and their ludicrous interactions, a lot of what gets said here is the unapologetic truth about what’s taking place around us. Anyone who has worked for a tech company has likely encountered one of these megalomaniac narcissists who have too much money and too little empathy, being one step away from unleashing destruction because of greed and delusions of grandeur. In fact, Traam igniting anarchy in the world is no different from a certain social media platform that allows racism and misinformation to spread without consequence. And no, it’s not called alternative news – it’s called bullsh*t.

The film hits a point where you actually question if Armstrong wrote a comedy drama or if this is a clever horror, because a lot of these topics hit far too close to home and unsettle. You know how the use of AI is going unchecked and unregulated at the moment? Well, Mountainhead uses a crystal ball to look into the future and show everyone what will happen if it’s allowed to continue. It might be cute to make your own action figures with ChatGPT now, but just wait until deepfake technology paints you out to be a scene of a crime or committing adultery.

cory-michael-smith-steve-carell-ramy-youssef-jason-schwartzman mountainhead hbo — Image Credit: Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO

Like Succession, Armstrong manages to reel you in to watch despicable people doing and saying despicable things. None of the main characters are particularly likeable, with maybe only Jeff having some semblance of a conscience, but they keep you watching. This defies the traditional rule of filmmaking where there needs to be a protagonist for the audience to root for; however, I’d argue that Armstrong’s approach subverts this in favor of harsh realism. Who are the tech bros accountable to? Is there really a hero who can stop billionaires from doing what they want to? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Carell, Smith, Schwartzman, and Youssef produce seismic performances of the world’s greatest grifters. Their characters hide behind the reasoning that everything they do is for the betterment of the world and the only people who oppose them are bureaucrats and technophobes. In reality, though, Mountainhead is a sinister reminder that while technology enables society to do good things, if it goes uncontrolled, it can cause irreparable damage and devastation. Seriously, has no one ever watched Terminator before?

Mountainhead arrives on Showmax on June 1.