Cillian Murphy makes an uncomfortably beautiful woman in this rambling tale that never congeals.
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:112
Fresh:63
Rotten:49
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Well-acted if monotonous drama about a transvestite prostitute in London during the 1970s.
Synopsis: Reuniting with writer Patrick McCabe, who co-scripted his acclaimed 1997 film THE BUTCHER BOY, Neil Jordan delivers another entertaining spectacle of a motion picture. Set in the United Kingdom... Reuniting with writer Patrick McCabe, who co-scripted his acclaimed 1997 film THE BUTCHER BOY, Neil Jordan delivers another entertaining spectacle of a motion picture. Set in the United Kingdom during the tumultuous 1960s and ‘70s, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO tells the story of Patrick "Kitten" Braden (an electrifying Cillian Murphy), an orphan from a small Irish town who dreams of escaping his drab surroundings. Though his orphan status is enough to make him an outsider, Patrick's gleeful decision to become the cross-dressing Androgynous Kitten sends him into the outside world for good. He ends up at the trailer home of traveling musician Billy Rock (Gavin Friday), who is hiding weapons used by the IRA in a series of vicious attacks. After an unexpected tragedy, Kitten says farewell to Ireland and heads for the glamorous, rough-and-tumble streets of London, where she faces hatred and hardship in equal measure. Through it all, Kitten somehow retains her unwavering spirit, teaching a valuable lesson about staying hopeful and optimistic in the face of harsh degradation. Murphy's portrayal of the fiercely flamboyant Kitten is a sight to behold. Beautiful as a man, Murphy's appearance takes on an even more ethereal glow as a woman. Adding greater weight to the proceedings are the performances from Jordan regulars Liam Neeson and Stephen Rea, as well as Ruth Negga, Laurence Kinlan, and real-life musician Friday. Filled with a staggering amount of great pop songs from that legendary era, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO is an inspiring ode to individual human spirit. [More]
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Laurence Kinlan, Stephen Rea
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Laurence Kinlan, Stephen Rea
Director: Neil Jordan
Director: Neil Jordan
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
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Reviews for Breakfast on Pluto
The overall film lacks a sense of urgency, as if Patrick had all the time in the world to get where he's going.
So dense with dying fizzle and limp ideas that I began to wonder if Jordan has an evil twin, or if there are in fact several Neil Jordans, among them at least one literate stylist and one humor-handicapped village idiot.
The whimsy is so forced, a half-dozen Mitzi Gaynor references occur during the first 15 minutes.
Murphy's turn as the irrepressible Kitten is simply mesmerising - outrageous, tender and full of the sort of deep pain that no amount of make-up can conceal.
Jordan is the kind of director you follow out of trust, even when his movies aren't perfect.
The film does not shy away from the chaos or the madness available, but you could see a love letter to Ireland in Kitten’s indomitable spirit. It’s a letter you’ll enjoy reading.
Starts out difficult to like but pays off with hard-won sympathy for a showboating hero/heroine.
An endearing portrait of a transvestite whose playful ease in the face of one harrowing experience after another makes him into what the Taoist sages call "a disciple of life"
Murphy has played two deliciously perverse villains this year, and it’s a measure of how amazing he is as Kitten that I never once thought of those earlier antagonists.
There's so much good stuff in here you'll wish it all fit together somehow.
There’s a thin line between innocence and willful ignorance. Breakfast on Pluto stomps all over it.
Murphy models his frocks comfortably enough, but 'Pluto is draggy in other, disappointing ways.
Neil Jordan gives us another gender bending gem that plays something like Velvet Goldmine with guns and explosions.
A Technicolor'd bird, flashed at the ridiculous capriciousness of life and Sartre's other people.
I couldn't help but feel that I've already seen this character, and always portrayed in this similar manner -- fey, fanciful, indefatigable.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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