Disclaimer – Review | Apple TV+ Series

DISCLAIMER on Apple TV+ is a psychological thriller series starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. Based on a novel, this series adaptation comes from Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón. Read our full Disclaimer miniseries review here!

DISCLAIMER is a new Apple TV+ miniseries from the Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. The series has seven episodes and premieres by releasing the two first. You’ll have to be patient to get to the bottom of this mystery which is full of twists and turns.

Unless, of course, you’ve read the novel it’s based on. In that case, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how it evolves as it follows the book fairly closely. We’ve watched all seven episodes of this series because Cate Blanchett is breathtaking. The series as a whole? Not so much.

Continue reading our Disclaimer miniseries review below. Find the two first episodes on October 11, 2024.

The past and present collide

In Disclaimer, we meet the acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) when she receives a novel from an unknown author. She has made a career out of shining the spotlight on the misdeeds and transgressions of others, but now someone is focused on her.

When she realizes that the main character in this new story is about her, she is both shocked and horrified. If I stuck with repeating the official plot description, I honestly don’t feel it would do this story much justice.

However, as the plot states, she is very nervous that this book could expose her darkest secret. That’s why she tries to get in front of this disaster by doing what she can to uncover the writer’s true identity.

This, in turn, forces her to confront her past before it destroys her life and her relationships, which is exactly what she has struggled to preserve. Her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee) mean everything to her.

Though, to be perfectly honest, I cannot fathom why. Both seem utterly useless and one of them is even extremely unpleasant. To put it mildly.

The cat and Cate… that’s the show!

The gorgeous gray cat in the Ravenscroft household, however, is a true treasure. This cat is aiming at getting top-billing alongside Cate Blanchett herself and is more interesting than Sacha Baron Cohen ever manages to be.

That abysmal wig alone is enough to drive me crazy. That’s not the actor’s fault, obviously, but his character truly isn’t very likable.

Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Power of the Dog, Let Me In) as their son, Nick (or Nicholas), delivers exactly the portrayal required. Again, the character largely isn’t very likable. And yes, I would prefer to watch that rebellious gray cat.

It’s here, there, and everywhere… no matter how many times Catherine Ravenscroft or Cate Blanchett tries to move it away. I loved it… it worked so perfectly for her character as well. The cat is a brilliant co-star really!

Cate Blanchett in yet another award-worthy performance

Overall, Disclaimer really is Cate Blanchett’s vehicle. She is breathtaking and may seem a little crazy at times, but it makes sense in the end.

Also, I simply must also mention Leila George (The Kid), who portrays the young version of Catherine Ravenscroft. Now, her scenes are something of note as well. Leila George works perfectly as a younger Cate Blanchett. In every single way!

And okay, yes, Kevin Kline and – in flashbacks – Lesley Manville also both deliver strong and memorable performances. However, I did feel Kevin Kline came close to taking it too far. I almost expected him to rub his hands together and laugh maniacally like a Disney villain.

Well, except for the scenes where he is directly across from Cate Blanchett. You’ll have to wait until the final episode, Chapter 7, for this to completely unfold. Fortunately, this is a very strong episode. Well, if you like the ending, of course.

Plus, Louis Partridge (Enola Holmes) as the young man in Catherine’s past is also very memorable in all the right ways. And finally, Indira Varma as the narrator is just gorgeous because, well, Indira Varma’s voice and acting skills are perfect for the narration of this story.

Watch Disclaimer on Apple TV+

Disclaimer was written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men). It’s based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Renée Knight, so if you’re familiar with this book, you’ll pretty much know the gist of everything.

I expected to like this a lot more than I did. With the “gripping psychological thriller”-driver and Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in the two key roles, I felt high expectations were in order.

Well, Cate Blanchett was brilliant. As was that wonderful gray cat and, especially, Leila George as the young Catherine. However, I did not enjoy all that Alfonso Cuarón did with this. Some scenes gave me borderline motion sickness from the constantly moving camera and certain choices (like that wig on Sacha Baron Cohen) gave it a weirdly fake feeling.

This definitely is not a bad limited series by any stretch of the imagination. However, I think it may suffer from not being released in one go, as people might not be intrigued enough to return week after week. They should, though, because that final episode is strong.

The story of Disclaimer is told in seven chapters (that’s “episodes” to you and me), and the final chapter comes out on November 15, 2024. Do not miss out on that one.

Disclaimer premieres with two episodes on Apple TV+ on October 11, 2024.

Details

Creator: Alfonso Cuarón
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Indira Varma