‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Review: Sally Field and Lewis Pullman Help Each Other Heal in a Melodrama of Distinctly Average Intelligence

Home Film Reviews May 7, 2026 4:00pm PT ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Review: Sally Field and Lewis Pullman Help Each Other Heal in a Melodrama of Distinctly Average Intelligence Omniscient narration from a wise octopus voiced by Alfred Molina makes about as much sense as anything else in this cluttered, sentimental tale of small-town intrigue and human connection. By Guy Lodge Plus Icon Guy Lodge Film Critic @guylodge Latest Miranda Priestly Ignited Meryl Streep’s Populist Era, ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ Shows She’s Still a Crowd-Pleaser 3 days ago ‘The Travel Companion’ Review: A Bromance Goes Adrift in a Gently Wry Indie Amble 5 days ago ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Review: Hotly Anticipated Sequel Is Breezily Diverting Fan Service and, Well, That’s All 1 week ago See All ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Are people still firing up “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix? The viral success of that documentary felt like a peak-pandemic phenomenon, when some of us were sufficiently starved for connection with both the natural world and our fellow humans that its thin anthropomorphic musings rang true. If it has a place in anyone’s heart today, however, then so will “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” a fictional bouillabaise of moist-eyed melodrama, marine-life metaphor and all-purpose cod philosophy that, were it not title-bound to the bestseller it’s based on, could have opportunistically been called “My Octopus Therapist” for its Netflix debut. Related Stories Madonna's Manager Guy Oseary ‘Not Sure Yet’ She’ll Tour Following Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Performance and 'Confessions II' Release