Why Georgie Is So Important to ‘May December’
THERE'S NOTHING SIMPLE about May December, Netflix's new film from director Todd Haynes (Carol) that spends time being both bleakly funny and wholly disturbing. The movie, which is loosely based on the '90s tabloid story of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, largely falls in the hands of its three primary leads: Natalie Portman (who plays Elizabeth, an actress shadowing Gracie and Joe), Julianne Moore (who plays Gracie, based on Letourneau), and Charles Melton (who plays Joe, based on Fualaau).
This is a trio of acclaimed and heralded stars: Portman and Moore are both Academy Award-winning stars already and turn in great work, while Melton, primarily known for his work on Riverdale, has been universally acclaimed for May December. His stellar work has seemingly set him up for at the very least an Oscar nomination, if not a win.
But the great performances in May December go beyond the three getting the majority of the attention. As the film looks to explore the aftermath of the dark story at its core—one of a sexual relationship that should never happened—we also get to see how parties outside of the immediate family have been affected. In one early scene, Elizabeth goes to visit Tom Atherton (D.W. Moffett), Gracie's first husband, and we get the slightest glimpse of her life before Joe—and a quick glimpse of what she left behind.
But that's just a hint of the path of destruction that May December makes clear that Gracie has left behind. While she's busy living in a world of denial about her relationship with Joe—whom she first got together with when he was only 13, and whose second and third children together, twins, are about to graduate and head off to college—there's no better illustration of the wreckage she's left behind than the character of Georgie (Cory Michael Smith), her son from her first relationship.
Georgie is mentioned early in the film during a conversation between Elizabeth and Gracie; it's not explicitly stated how he feels about anything, but the context granted and the tones conveyed make it blatantly obvious how everyone feels about everything being discussed. The fact that we only hear Georgie's name but don't know what he looks like pays off in a major way later in the film—while Elizabeth is having a conversation at a local bar/restaurant with Gracie's lawyer, the singer for a band playing a live set has an on-stage breakdown/freakout. This, it turns out, is Georgie.
Georgie notices the lawyer, and makes his way over to their table to say hello. If the on-stage tantrum didn't give it away it becomes even clearer within a few moments that Georgie is not a well-adjusted adult based on the way he brashly speaks to those at the table (and even takes a drink out of Elizabeth's glass of water).
Georgie only shows up a couple more times in the film—including one late scene where he makes a bombshell accusation and gives Elizabeth an offer to really think about—but his present is always ever-present. Gracie's actions haven't just affected her new family, but have deeply impacted her old one as well.
May December is all about the shockwaves that get sent around the world when something like this becomes a major bit of tabloid news. And as the movie so heartbreakingly shows, while to some a story like this will simply be salacious tabloid drama, there are real people at the heart of the story—like Joe, and, to a lesser extent, Georgie—who will be deeply impacted for the rest of their lives.
Haynes is the perfect director for writer Samy Burch's script because both are constantly in harmony about the conflicting tones and emotions that come with each layer and moment of the story. But at the end, this is an upsetting story—one where the real tragedy is that some characters don't have much of a chance at ever having a happy ending.
Cory Michael Smith Plays Georgie in May December
Actor Cory Michael Smith hasn't received as much attention around the release of May December as his costars, the powerhouses of Portman and Moore and the breakout of Melton. But make no mistake—Smith absolutely steals the screen in his limited scenes, holding his own across from Portman and really giving the movie a whole lot of life. Best Supporting Actor is shaping up to be a tough and competitive category at this year's Academy Awards (contenders include Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer, Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon, Ryan Gosling in Barbie, and Melton in May December, just to name a few), but Smith's performance as Georgie, in a just world, would be right there in the conversation with them.
Perhaps the reason why Smith was so strong in front of the camera for May December is that he's got a comfort in working with Todd Haynes; he's previously had roles in the acclaimed director's films Carol and Wonderstruck before teaming up again for a third time.
Fans of the larger Batman world may recognize Smith for his role as Edward Nygma/The Riddle in Gotham, where he played the inquisitive villain for 100 episodes. He's made a number of other appearances on TV as well, starring in the main cast for Netflix's Transatlantic (released earlier this year) and Prime Video's Utopia (which was released in 2020 and was written by Gone Girl's Gillian Flynn).
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