Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Bliss (2021)’ Hits Hard – Even If I Don’t Know Why

REVIEW: ‘Bliss (2021)’ Hits Hard – Even If I Don’t Know Why

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez02/03/20215 Mins ReadUpdated:08/26/2022
unnamed 83
Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson star in BLISS Photo: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Amazon Studios
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Bliss

Every now and again a film comes out that shouldn’t work. Its pacing is off, it’s not particularly nuanced in its discussion or theme, and tries really hard to do something interesting. But for some reason, every piece that you would critique in another film sings and you’re not sure why. That’s Amazon Studio’s latest Original Bliss. 

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Written and directed by Mike Cahill, and starring Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek as its leads Joel and Isabel, Bliss pushes its concepts and offers a story that just hits me in my own mental health journey. Bliss is a mind-bending love story following Greg who, after recently being divorced and then fired, meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek), a woman living on the streets and convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is nothing but a computer simulation. Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel’s wild conspiracy as he falls into her world.

At that start, Bliss a couple of things clear about Greg: He needed his job, he loves his kids, and he’s out of refills on his medication. These three elements are woven into every choice of the film and while the trailer makes it seem like a Matrix-esque love story, the reality of the film is much different.  At its core, Bliss is a story about mental illness and the way changes in life can throw you into a tailspin.

Summarizing Bliss isn’t easy, especially when trying to avoid spoilers. But to write a review, some critical elements of the film have to be touched on. Through a science fiction narrative, we see Isabel and Greg fall in love. A manic pixie dream girl of selfish sorts, Isabel changes Greg from the straight-laced office worker to a man living on the streets and shunning a world he was taught was fake. For Isabel, the world around her is a simulation, one that is filled with NPCs that can be manipulated at will with a twist of a hand. But, there are a few people scattered throughout the world that are real. Greg is one of them.

The two form a bond through sex and drug use and a free spirit that can only be found in a simulation. But slowly, Cahill introduces elements to the story that begin to make the foundation of Greg and Isabel’s relationship buckle. We see Greg’s children, we see small moments that he should be able to correct with his powers but can’t, and we see him fall deeper, revealing the cracks in the story he believes.

There is a catharsis in Bliss, about letting the ones you love help you, about choosing to care for yourself even when the reality is worse than what your mind is creating. The film also showcases how mental health and homelessness go hand in hand – even if isn’t the deepest of dives on the topic. There is a lot of exploration of hard-hitting themes that I questioned. As Isabel, Hayek plays the typical manic pixie dreamgirl but spun into a hypersexualized version of the trope – which is frustrating given the fact that she is Latina. But at the same time, the last third of the film presents her as more than that, as a figure with power and intelligence that is beyond what she began as. And Hayek’s performance sells both sides.

Bliss

As for Wilson, Greg is highly relatable. For me at least. There is a somber downturn in every single one of his scenes, even when he’s happy. There is a fear, a crack showing that even he may not buy what he’s participating in. It’s Wilson’s acting as Greg that unsettles and brings the viewer to question the world. Throughout the film, the trio of things we learn about Greg holds true: he needed his job, he loves his kids, he’s out of refills on his meds. It’s a trifecta that makes for a traumatic culmination of events that guide the movie through its generic sci-fi and into its emotional conclusion.

Bliss doesn’t have any phenomenal parts to it. In fact, I can’t really explain why the large generalization and high-level commentary hit me emotionally. For other films, I can point to a scene, a moment, something concrete to explain why a film moves me. But with Bliss, it’s the sadness hiding beneath the fantasy. It’s the loneliness peaking out from behind the love. It’s the fact that Greg isn’t escaping anything, he just isn’t aware of it, through no fault of his own, but because of his lack of access to healthcare. While I can’t go deeper without spoiling the film’s finale, it’s the large sweeping emotions baked into the film that makes me feel Bliss in my core. And in all the sadness and fear and regret there is a piece of hope. One that can grow when it’s nurtured, when you let the people who love you in.

Since the credits, I’ve been trying to figure out why Bliss hit me the way it did – even with a trope that I’m not a fan of at the center. But After a second watch, I realized that it hit and works because of what its calling people to do. If you see people struggling, reach out to them, even if it feels like they’re in another world. But more importantly, if you’re struggling, even if you don’t know it, take the hand that reaches out to you. The film is about empathy and more importantly not letting it fall to the wayside – and more importantly, letting help in.

Overall, Bliss is going to be hit or miss for audiences and doesn’t exactly execute what the trailer promises. But, the film is one that will land with those who can feel the emotions laying under its surface. It’ll work for those who can see beneath the sci-fi. There is something grander in the film that I’m not entirely sure I’ve experienced fully, but its heart does shine through.

Bliss is available exclusively on Amazon Prime now.

Bliss
  • 7.5/10
    Rating - 7.5/10
7.5/10

TL;DR

Overall, Bliss is going to be hit or miss for audiences and doesn’t exactly execute what the trailer promises. But, the film is one that will land with those who can feel the emotions laying under its surface. It’ll work for those who can see beneath the science fiction. There is something grander in the film that I’m not entirely sure I’ve experienced fully, but it’s heart does shine through.

  • Watch Now with Our Prime Video Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Minari’ is a Moving and Near-Classic Immigrant story
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Otherside Picnic,’ Episode 5 – “Station February”
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here