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Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:6
Rotten:23
Average Rating:3.7/10
Consensus: Despite the beautiful visuals, Crime and Punishment is too somber and pretentious. Also, the acting is of mixed quality.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In director Robert Schmidt's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (the "in Suburbia" is Schmidt's addition), the role of the protagonist is played not by a troubled... In director Robert Schmidt's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (the "in Suburbia" is Schmidt's addition), the role of the protagonist is played not by a troubled young man who kills his landlady, but by a teenage girl (Monica Keena) who murders an older man who has been molesting her. The punishment, rather than a police interrogation and exile to Siberia, is a series of psychological discussions with a common cop who has a romantic interest in her. An interesting take on an old story, the film raises the nagging moral questions: When is a crime justifiable? and How does the punishment fit the crime? [More]
Starring: Monica Keena, Vincent Kartheiser, Ellen Barkin, James DeBello
Starring: Monica Keena, Vincent Kartheiser, Ellen Barkin, James DeBello, Michael Ironside, Lucinda Jenney, Valerie Wildman, Jeffrey Wright
Director: Rob Schmidt
Director: Rob Schmidt
Screenwriter: Larry Gross
Producer: Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler
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Reviews for Crime and Punishment in Suburbia
Despite its pretenses, the film fails to break the mold, presenting stock characters in predictable situations without a gimmick to separate it from the pack.
The best thing that can be said about Rob Schmidt's Crime and Punishment in Suburbia -- aside from the fact that it's over in less than two hours -- is that it doesn't glorify violence committed by sexy teens.
The crime? Turning Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel into a glorified music video.
The picture is so garish in its violence ... so laden with angsty metaphoric gloom, that its mood would feel grimly overcooked even if it were applied to one of the infamous high school rampages of recent years.
What should be the heart of the movie (the interior lives of the mother and daughter at the tale's center) is instead a dud; the female characters are barely drawn at all.
Watch this movie instead of reading Dostoyevsky's novel, and you'll still fail the exam. This movie fails, too.
You wouldn't want to give any of these people the time of day in real life. They are blah or worse, and they are headed for some violent confrontations that seem pointless because they are so unworthy of our attention in the first place.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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