Taika Waititi's 'Klara and the Sun' gets negative reviews and a reported 20% Rotten Tomatoes score

Several film-news accounts, including The Hollywood Handle and Film Updates, reported that Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun opened at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some of those accounts called it the lowest score of his directing career. The posts did not supply a review count, so the number is best read as an early snapshot rather than a settled total.

The Guardian's review offered a sharply negative example, calling the film a "sentimental and laborious mess" and arguing that its humor and sentiment dilute the novel's questions about artificial intelligence, love and grief.

A robot story about human connection

Reuters reported from the movie's Oct. 15 London Film Festival premiere that Jenna Ortega plays Klara, an outdated Artificial Friend bought by teenager Josie and her mother, played by Mia Tharia and Amy Adams. Waititi, who directed, co-wrote and produced the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel, called it "probably my most dramatic film." The global rollout begins Oct. 21, according to Reuters.