The two face off in Ari Aster's 'Eddington'—a heightened black comedy neo-western that finds them re-living 2020, battling anxiety, and Pascal "smacking the sh*t out of" Phoenix.

Ari Aster’s Eddington is a unique take that will hold your attention and give you some stuff to think about, but probably bit off more than it had to.

Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal face off in "Eddington." Credit: A24 Comedy is tragedy plus time. There may be a day when critics look back on Ari Aster's COVID-19 comedy Eddington with kinder eyes.