Not long before Margot Robbie became a bankable Hollywood lead, she co-starred alongside Will Smith in the crime comedy film Focus. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the movie found an audience, raking in $158 million at the box office. Focus didn’t have much of a lasting impact after that, but nearly a decade later, it is finding new life on streaming, as the movie has climbed to pole position on Netflix’s top 10 movies list.
Focus follows veteran con man Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith), who takes the aspiring grifter Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) under his wing after she tries to scam him. After showing her the ropes, Nicky sends her on her way. They unexpectedly reunite three years later in Buenos Aires when Nicky begins working for a motorsports team owner.
Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), the movie’s cast also features Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, Adrian Martinez, B. D. Wong, Robert Taylor, Brennan Brown, Griff Furst, Stephanie Honoré, Dominic Fumusa, and Juan Minujin.
As noted above, it wasn’t exactly a critical darling, garnering a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In her review for USA Today, Claudia Puig said it “resembles a commercial for a pricey brand of liquor, an elite hotel or a luxury car more than a story-driven movie.” Meanwhile, other critics did find the fun in this glossy crime caper, with Time calling it “a movie that approaches the modest goals and effortless allure of a 60-year-old Hitchcock.”
Focus made its streaming debut on Netflix on Sunday, November 10, which goes to show just how quickly it caught on. Here’s the rest of the top 10 as of Monday:
- Focus
- Meet Me Next Christmas
- The Lost City
- The Secret Life of Pets
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Martha
- Just Go With It
- Time Cut
- Let Go
- Sing
As with the Bryan Cranston crime drama The Infiltrator last week, it’s always fascinating to see which licensed movies attract viewers on Netflix. With six Fast and Furious movies bowing later this week, I have a feeling we’ll see a few on this list in the coming days.
