Why isn’t Miller’s Girl on Netflix yet?
LionsgateWe were all expecting Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman’s steamy movie Miller’s Girl to drop on Netflix yesterday — so where is it?
Time and again we see movies performing poorly at the box office, only to enjoy huge success when they’re released on streaming. This week, it was the turn of Anyone But You, the Sydney Sweeney starring romcom. Since landing on Netflix in the US on Tuesday (April 23), it’s raced to first place on the streaming service’s top 10 chart.
So, when Netflix announced earlier this month that Miller’s Girl — the divisive thriller starring Ortega and Freeman as a student and teacher — would be arriving on Netflix on Thursday (April 25), we were expecting a similar situation to unfold.
But it’s already Friday and the 2024 movie is nowhere to be found. But why isn’t Miller’s Girl on Netflix yet?
Why isn’t Miller’s Girl on Netflix yet?
Netflix has yet to reveal why Miller’s Girl isn’t available yet. But it appears there may have been issues with licensing the movie.
One subscriber took to the comments section of the April 4 post from Netflix announcing that the film would be dropping on the streaming service on April 25, stating, “I just talked to your customer service and they said this isn’t being released with y’all.”
They also asked, “So what happened Netflix?” But the company hasn’t responded at the time of writing.
Another clue that could indicate Netflix had issues with licensing Miller’s Girl is that there were no “coming soon” notifications for the film on the platform.
Taking to Reddit last week, one eagle-eyed subscriber wrote: “I’ve seen news about the controversial new Jenna Ortega movie, Miller’s Girl. I’ve been excited to see it because she’s an incredible actor and I’ve heard great things about Freeman as well. So, I was incredibly excited when I saw a few days ago that it’s supposed to be coming to Netflix April 25th.
“I set a reminder for it and now it’s not showing up on Netflix at all. Usually new titles would be listed as coming soon. Anyone know what happened?”
In response, another said, “Same, I set a reminder for it and now it’s not on the ‘Coming This Week’ or ‘Coming Next Week’ sections on Netflix.”
A third took to the post yesterday to add, “Well it’s the release date and it’s not there. I wonder what happened.” While a fourth speculated, “It is nowhere on Netflix. Maybe they thought the movie was inappropriate to its viewers.”
We’ll be sure to keep this space updated if and when Netflix responds.
Where to watch Miller’s Girl online
You can still rent or buy Miller’s Girl online via various on-demand platforms, including Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Apple TV.
Jade Bartlett’s steamy thriller landed in cinemas on January 26, although it failed to make a profit, earning $1.4 million against an estimated $4 million production budget.
However, it was released on digital formats in the US less than a month later, on February 16, to rent or purchase. While this option is still available, many were waiting for its Netflix release.
What is Miller’s Girl about?
Directed by Bartlett, Miller’s Girl is an erotic thriller starring Jenna Ortega as Cairo Sweet and Martin Freeman as Jonathan Miller, a respective creative writing student and teacher who establish a complicated relationship.
What starts out as a thought-provoking creative assignment soon takes a sinister turn, with blurred lines and manipulative schemes taking over. The movie didn’t go down too well with audiences and critics alike, earning a respective 42% and 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
One viewer described Miller’s Girl as “uncomfortably awkward and dull.” But on the other side of the fence, a second said, “Incredible and demanding performance from Jenna Ortega who continues to prove herself as one of the best up-and-coming talents.”
The reviews were similarly divided. Variety penned, “Miller’s Girl delivers a tale whose transgressions are stylish but disappointingly predictable, one written with skillful knowledge of form but not the maturity to implement it with originality.”
But the Los Angeles Times said, “What cannot be denied is that the film is well shot and that Ortega, like Freeman, fulfills their roles without much fault, which, for many spectators, will be more than sufficient.”
Ultimately, Miller’s Girl is worth checking out, if only to see two leading talents flexing their acting chops. What’s more, the movie is visually stylish. While its plus points might not have been enough to earn it box office success, Miller’s Girl would have likely fared well on Netflix.
Miller’s Girl controversy explained
Miller’s Girl ran into controversy earlier this year due to one particular sex scene, with some taking issue with the age gap between Ortega and Freeman.
In December last year, when the trailer for Bartlett’s romance drama arrived, viewers were quick to share their uneasiness about the movie. In real life, the Wednesday star is 21 years old, but her character is 18. Meanwhile, Freeman is 52, similar to the reported age of his character. The dynamic between the pair left some feeling uncomfortable, dubbing it “creepy” due to the age gap.
Similar comments were made when the movie was released in cinemas due to one particular scene, which starts when Miller reads an erotic short story written by Ortega’s character.
As he’s delving into her world, viewers see the scene play out as it does in his imagination, starting off with Ortega and Freeman’s characters kissing. He then stands over her and orders her to read pages from a book, and as she turns around he bends her over the bed and touches her body.
Alongside these snapshots, we see Miller masturbating to the story. The sequence has been met with shock, with one viewer writing on X, “I did not need to see Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman getting it on.”
“This Jenna Ortega/Martin Freeman film is so gross! So, so, so, so gross,” said another, while a third added: “Miller’s Girl makes me uncomfortable.”
While we wait for updates about Miller’s Girl’s Netflix release, be sure to check out all the new movies heading to streaming this month, as well as TV shows to add to your watchlist.
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