Sundance Freezes Over: Where Were the Deals, Anti-Trump Politics and Drama That Gave the Festival Its Sizzle?

variety.com:

way in advance, lest people be forced into the fool’s errand of walk-ins. And though Jennifer Lopez and Jon Hamm made late-night appearances at Tao, while “Atropia” star Alia Shawkat was spotted at a coffee shop, there weren’t many of the fun entourage-less celeb spottings that are only possible in tiny ski towns.

If Sundance is closing its Park City chapter, it’s doing so with a whimper, not a bang. Dylan O’Brien’s dark comedy “Twinless,” Jennifer Lopez’s Technicolor “Kiss of the Spider Woman” musical adaptation, Rashad Frett’s searing drama “Ricky” and the feminist horror flick “The Ugly Stepsister” were embraced at their premieres.

But nothing on the 2025 lineup inspired anything close to the enthusiastic reception that greeted Sundance greats like “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Before Sunrise” or “Get Out.” More recently, movies like Chloe Domont’s audacious workplace thriller “Fair Play,” the Christopher Reeve doc “Super/Man” and Jesse Eisenberg’s road-trip drama “A Real Pain” became can’t-miss, word-of-mouth sensations in Park City before scoring eye-popping price tags.

This year’s slate lacked the sense of discovery that’s synonymous with Sundance. And worse, many of the titles coming in with buzz were met with collective shrugs.