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Clean (2006)
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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... 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 rock-and-roll star Lee Hauser (James Johnston). Their wild life has swung so far out of control that their young son, Jay (James Dennis) lives far away in Vancouver with Lee's parents, Rosemary (Martha Henry) and Albrecht (Nick Nolte). One night, after fighting over Lee's future career, Emily goes for a long ride, only to return to find that Lee has overdosed and the cops are ready to bring her in. After spending six months in prison, Emily discovers that life for a recovering heroin addict -- who still has a thing for other drugs, as well as alcohol -- is going to be a lot harder than she thought. She also decides to reconnect with Jay, who is not thrilled with her sudden and confusing reappareance in his life. Cheung, who has starred in such diverse films as Wong Kar-wai's romantic IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic HERO, and Assayas's own IRMA VEP, which is set in the world of moviemaking, was named Best Actress at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her mesmerizing portrayal of Emily, an ambitious woman lost in a haze of drugs and desire. Nolte excels as the soft-spoken Albrecht, who only wants what's best for his grandson while also being concerned about Emily's welfare. Musicians Tricky, David Roback of Mazzy Star, and Emily Haines of Metric appear in the film as themselves, and Beatrice Dalle and Jeanne Balibar are excellent in supporting roles. The soundtrack features songs by Brian Eno, Luna's Dean Wareham, Tricky, Metric, and Cheung herself. [More]
Starring: Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung, James Johnston, Don McKellar
Starring: Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung, James Johnston, Don McKellar, Remi Martin, Tricky
Director: Olivier Assayas
Director: Olivier Assayas
Screenwriter: Olivier Assayas
Producer: Niv Fichman
Studio: Palm Pictures
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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.
It'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.
Cheung makes her character work, despite a weak plot and script, both by director Assayas.
Maggie Cheung gives an astonishingly complex performance as a junkie rock star trying to clean up her act.
While 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.
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.
Cheung reveals a wealth of intense emotions, never once going for a predictable emotional chord.
There are so many quiet, understated miracles unfolding in Clean that all you can do is watch in awe and amazement.
It helps -- immensely -- that Cheung is pitch-perfect. Her performance is heartbreaking.
The rough, exposed emotional candor of Cheung's singing voice carries into her performance...
It's a joy to watch the characters in this grown-up drama interact, their exchanges laced with anger and doubt, sadness and regret.
The 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.
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.
Beautifully shot and cut, written with a visceral aversion to cliche, deftly skirting sentimentality, sensationalism and simplicity, it continually surprises, engages and satisfies.
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.
It’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.
Cheung, 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.
| 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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