Now streaming and on DVD: Mikey Madison deserves the 'Anora' Oscar, no question

Looking like something from the 1970s, it managed to launch Mikey Madison in a big way and make biting statements about oligarchs and their desire to push others around. Perfect for 2024.

In print, “Anora” looks like another take on “Pretty Woman.” A call girl hooks up with a Russian teen, agrees to help him spend his money in foolish ways and winds up married. When his parents find out, they’re livid and want to end it immediately. Simple, right?

Not really. Writer/director/editor/producer Sean Baker subtly sneaks in messages about power, personal pride and unexpected romance. He also gets plenty of humor and that performance from Madison that’s perfection.

Using an affecting Brooklyn accent, she makes her way around a club like a worldly veteran, able to move in on the Russian market because she learned the language at home. When Ivan (an equally fascinating Mark Eydelshteyn) arrives  flashing money at the club, it’s obvious Anora – or Ani, as she’s called – is the one to respond. She barters an off-site encounter and soon the two are spending what seems like a spring break at his monied home. There, we get humor from both of them and the idea that this could go longer than a weekend, a week, a month or a year.

A trip to Vegas seals the deal and then Baker kickstarts his second film – the “what do we do now?” when the parents arrive. They’re just as stare-worthy.

But a bodyguard (nicely played by Yura Borisov) offers another wrinkle. How this squares and where Ani winds up is anyone’s guess – even within minutes of the ending.

The ride, however, is so enjoyable it’s impossible to consider it ending. That’s what makes Baker’s creation stand the test of time.

Madison, who scored on Pamela Adlon’s series, “Better Things,” finds an interesting, fresh personality that suggests she’ll be an actress for the ages – one who could easily grab more than one Oscar, depending on how she plays it.

Eydelshteyn has a bright future as well. He’s so goofy – and charming – you could put him in any number of teen roles from the past five years (“The Descendants,” “The Power of the Dog”) and he could deliver.

Even better, Baker’s future seems secure. While he may want to head in another direction, his batting average with folks on the fringes has been pretty remarkable. “Anora” says there’s a place for those journeys and he’s just the person to guide them.

Enjoy “Anora” and see if you don’t catch yourself thinking about the characters long after they’ve left the screen. They, and the film, are indelible.