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Movies / On DVD / Baghead
Baghead

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Baghead (2008)

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Reviews Counted:87

Fresh:67

Rotten:20

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: Pitting actors against murderers in a self-aware struggle for stardom, Baghead successfully skates the borders of horror and comedy.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual content and nudity.

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Jun 13, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Following up on the surprise success of their micro-budget production THE PUFFY CHAIR (2005), brothers Jay and Mark Duplass turn their handheld DV camera toward skewering the pretentiousness of the... Following up on the surprise success of their micro-budget production THE PUFFY CHAIR (2005), brothers Jay and Mark Duplass turn their handheld DV camera toward skewering the pretentiousness of the independent film world while tossing in a few horror film scares for good measure. The result is entertaining and unique, with enough laughs, insight, and excitement for adventurous viewers. After seeing the accolades heaped up on a colleague for his laughable film (WE ARE NAKED) at a Los Angeles film festival, Matt (Ross Partridge) decides that he can do better. With his sometime girlfriend, Catherine (Elise Muller), and friends Michelle (Greta Gerwig, HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS) and Chad (Steve Zissis) in tow, they immediately set off to a cabin in the woods for the weekend to create the film that will make them all famous on the festival circuit. While Chad focuses his energy on winning the affections of uninterested Michelle, Matt comes up with the cinematic construct of a stranger with a paper bag on his head terrorizing a group of people in the woods. After the initial evening of alcoholic brainstorming, though, the idea becomes reality, and the friends' relationships are tested as they find themselves in a truly scary situation. The idea for BAGHEAD was hatched on the set of the THE PUFFY CHAIR when, during a discussion requesting those involved to think of the scariest thing imaginable, someone said, "A guy with a bag on his head staring into your window." Though it may be a flimsy starting point for a film, the Duplasses surround the idea with a believable cast, truthful insight into relationships, and a few genuine chills. The result is clever, funny, and refreshingly difficult to classify. [More]

Starring: Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller

Starring: Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller

Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Screenwriter: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Producer: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, John Bryant
Composer: J Scott Howard
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 27, 2008

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Reviews for Baghead

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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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A raw, wickedly clever comedy that also includes moments of genuine terror.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
08/01/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

Baghead is an original, confident piece of filmmaking that isn't easily categorized or even summarized.

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
08/01/08
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

...you're not quite sure what to make of Baghead, though in a good way.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
08/01/08
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

He [baghead] is obviously simply a device to make the movie long enough to qualify as a feature, and the denouement will be one of stunning underwhelmingness.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
08/01/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mark and Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair) once again show how you can make a good, cheap movie with a good idea, some strong characters and one, simple visual motif.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/31/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

it's a relationship movie, a horror film and an independent Hollywood insider satire, all three elements winking at each other the whole time.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
07/31/08
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A funny, scary send-up of filmmakers.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
07/28/08
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter

Simple, minimal yet charming and original, Baghead should be included in courses like Indies 101, as demonstration of the democratic nature of the filmmaking process and the viability of low-budget guerrilla cinema.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/26/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

The movie's concern with its characters' shifting alliances and petty vanities also evokes early John Sayles and, at times, Eric Rohmer.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
07/25/08
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate

A very short and cheerfully scruffy comedy-thriller by the Duplass brothers.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment Comment
07/25/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I want to persuade you to see Baghead, but I don't want to overhype it, because in many ways it's a delicate construction best served as a surprise.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
07/25/08
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Satire, you see, requires the sort of artistic discipline that is anathema to mumblecore filmmakers.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
07/25/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While the acting is uneven and the focus wavers, the Duplasses take several well-aimed potshots at their bloated industry.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
07/25/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Delightfully unpredictable.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment 1 Comment
07/25/08
Michael Ordoña
Michael Ordoña
Chicago Tribune

One of the year's standout indie efforts.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
07/25/08
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

The semi-improvised performances, which seem so natural that it is tempting to confuse the actors with their characters, bring Baghead into the realm of group therapy observed through one-way glass.

comment Comment
07/25/08
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What could have been an amusing short subject, the Duplass Brothers' not-quite-horror/not-quite-comedy drags its one note premise out to an almost mind-numbing 84 minutes.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
07/25/08
Edward Havens
Edward Havens
FilmJerk.com

Much of the fun of Baghead is that it's unclassifiable, by turns a movie-movie lark, an Eric Rohmer-like relationship comedy, and a surprisingly effective Friday The 13th kids-in-the-woods slasher film.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
07/24/08
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

Once the threat arrives, I was praying to return to the childish mating rituals of these monotonous characters. Watching lousy actors try to express heartache through limited gifts is far more frightening than any masked, crazed killer.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
07/24/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

It's entertaining, often funny and ultimately endearing, thanks mainly to its ensemble cast.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
07/24/08
Rafer Guzman
Rafer Guzman
Newsday
 
 
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Latest News for Baghead

June 20, 2008: Baghead: A Mumblecore Mix of Laughs and Screams Opens in new window
A guy with a bag on his head can play out a couple of ways. The Unknown Comic went for laughs. Recent films such as "The Orphanage" and "The Strangers" go for straight scares.... More...

May 11, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

May 06, 2008: trailer and trailer review Opens in new window
More...

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