A raw, wickedly clever comedy that also includes moments of genuine terror.
Baghead (2008)
Tomatometer
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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
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Reviews for Baghead
Baghead is an original, confident piece of filmmaking that isn't easily categorized or even summarized.
...you're not quite sure what to make of Baghead, though in a good way.
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.
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.
it's a relationship movie, a horror film and an independent Hollywood insider satire, all three elements winking at each other the whole time.
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.
The movie's concern with its characters' shifting alliances and petty vanities also evokes early John Sayles and, at times, Eric Rohmer.
A very short and cheerfully scruffy comedy-thriller by the Duplass brothers.
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.
Satire, you see, requires the sort of artistic discipline that is anathema to mumblecore filmmakers.
While the acting is uneven and the focus wavers, the Duplasses take several well-aimed potshots at their bloated industry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's entertaining, often funny and ultimately endearing, thanks mainly to its ensemble cast.
Latest News for Baghead
June 20, 2008:
Baghead: A Mumblecore Mix of Laughs and Screams ![]()
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 ![]()
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May 06, 2008:
trailer and trailer review ![]()
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