Sharper trailer: 3 key takeaways from the Julianne Moore-Sebastian Stan starrer

Sharper will hit select theaters on February 10 and will start streaming on Apple TV+ on February 17, 2023.

Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, Briana Middleton, Justice Smith, and Darren Goldstein are the actors in the film Sharper. It will be a psychological thriller with a gripping plot that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, following a game of ambition, greed, passion, and envy.

The psychological thriller is directed by Benjamin Caron from a screenplay by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka. The duo has previously worked together on episodes of series like Superstore and Animal Practice.

Following the launch of its trailer, let's take a look at three things we can learn from it.

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Three key takeaways from the Sharper trailer

The official synopsis of Sharper, according to Apple TV+ reads:

"No one is who they seem in Sharper, a neo-noir thriller of secrets and lies, set amongst New York City's bedrooms, barrooms and boardrooms. Characters compete for riches and power in a high stakes game of ambition, greed, lust and jealousy that will keep audiences guessing until the final moment."

1) Julianne Moore a gold digger in the film

In the trailer of the movie, Moore talks about Max (Played by John Lithgow). She says:

“Of course I like him. He’s a billionaire.”

This makes it pretty clear that she is only with him because of his wealth. Deception can take many forms, including romance, Caron explains:

"I've always been interested the idea of a romance scam. Because I think it explores deeper themes of how much the profit motive affects every aspect of our lives, from s*x, to physical and mental health, to family, to work, and politics — and not least, love."

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2) Sebastian Stan’s Max tries to scam his own step-father

Sebastian Stan’s, Max is a conman in Sharper whose mother is married to a billionaire named Richard. In the trailer, Max is seen trying to con Richard off out of a thousand dollars. Everyone in the movie is in touch with their sanity except Max. Director Benjamin Caron says that this is a film in microcosm.

In an interview with Empire, he described Max's character by saying:

"Deception is probably the defining feature of this movie. Sharper is probably less interested in crime specifically and more interested in how people talk, flirt, lie, impersonate, and connive in order to get what they want."

He continued:

“Max is quite a seductive proposition. He's audacious, he's smart, he's inventive. But he's also kind of vulnerable and unpredictable. Sebastian has this amazing ability to inhabit all of those things."

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3) Sharper sees not one but two love scams

Yes, Julianne Moore is with John Lithgow in the film for his money, but so is Briana Middleton and Justice Smith. Smith plays billionaire Richard's son. Moore's son, Max, hires Sandra to seduce the rich kid in order to get a massive sum of money. Or is it?

Upon asking director Caron, he said:

"I would rather anyone who comes to this knows nothing at all. The idea of transformation is really appealing to me."

He continued:

"The notion of escaping one reality and entering another one is fascinating — it's the realm of fairy tales. Cinderella going to the ball, Eliza in Pygmalion, Vivian in Pretty Woman... we are conditioned to respond positively to stories of reinvention. The transformations in Sharper are deliciously unscrupulous and cunning."

Justice Smith's Tom falls for Sandra, played by Briana Middleton, and is unaware of the massive scam happening under his nose.