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04/23/09
Clean (2006)
71
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:63
Fresh:45
Rotten:18
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: In one of her best roles, Cheung gives a believable and arresting performance as a recovering addict.
Theatrical Release:2004-00
Synopsis: Maggie Cheung gives an extraordinary performance in CLEAN, written and directed by her ex-husband, Olivier Assayas (DEMONLOVER). Cheung stars as Emily Wang, a junkie living with fading... [More]
Starring: Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung, James Johnston, Don McKellar
Director: Olivier Assayas
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Reviews for Clean
A tough tale that gives a fresh perspective and brittle honesty to the experiences of a recovering drug addict.
03/03/08
A disappointment.
03/02/08
Top CriticIt's a movie about bad choices and suffering the consequences and unfortunately, a lot of the suffering is done on the audience's side of the movie screen.
12/27/06
Cheung makes her character work, despite a weak plot and script, both by director Assayas.
10/13/06
Maggie Cheung gives an astonishingly complex performance as a junkie rock star trying to clean up her act.
10/07/06
Top CriticWhile this somber drug-abuse drama contains few surprises -- it's pretty much what we've come expect to expect from such material -- Cheung's convincing performance as a drug addict is what makes it watchable.
07/07/06
While it may sound like the premise for a Lifetime movie starring Tori Spelling, Clean pulls off the difficult task of telling a deeply emotional story without slipping into excessive sentimentality.
07/07/06
Cheung reveals a wealth of intense emotions, never once going for a predictable emotional chord.
07/07/06
There are so many quiet, understated miracles unfolding in Clean that all you can do is watch in awe and amazement.
06/30/06
It helps -- immensely -- that Cheung is pitch-perfect. Her performance is heartbreaking.
06/30/06
Top CriticThe rough, exposed emotional candor of Cheung's singing voice carries into her performance...
06/29/06
It's a joy to watch the characters in this grown-up drama interact, their exchanges laced with anger and doubt, sadness and regret.
06/29/06
Top CriticThe viewer comes to identify with Jay, feeling jerked around and not really wanting to get to know Emily, a lost soul who isn't worth two hours of audience investment to find.
06/29/06
The film locates its heart muscle, however, in its performances.
06/24/06
One of the most emotionally honest movies about drug addiction ever made. Well, maybe not addiction per se, but rather the attempt to disgorge oneself from heroin's grip.
06/24/06
Beautifully shot and cut, written with a visceral aversion to cliche, deftly skirting sentimentality, sensationalism and simplicity, it continually surprises, engages and satisfies.
06/23/06
Emily is played by Maggie Cheung with such intense desperation that she won the best actress award at Cannes 2004. Only a few actresses in the world could have handled this role from a technical point of view.
06/23/06
Top CriticIt’s a complex, very successful portrayal of an addictive, selfish, volatile soul who knows she might be running out of chances at a decent life.
06/12/06
Top CriticCheung, a star of Irma Vep and many Chinese films, has probably her best role so far, even after working for Wong Kar-wai and Zhang Yimou.
06/09/06
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