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Dedication (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 44
Fresh: 18
Rotten:26
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Consensus: Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup's lack of chemistry in Dedication makes it hard to maintain interest in this confused love story.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Aug 24, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Actor Justin Theroux (MULHOLLAND DRIVE) switches roles and takes a turn behind the camera for the twisted romantic comedy DEDICATION. Billy Crudup stars as Henry, an obsessive-compulsive author of... Actor Justin Theroux (MULHOLLAND DRIVE) switches roles and takes a turn behind the camera for the twisted romantic comedy DEDICATION. Billy Crudup stars as Henry, an obsessive-compulsive author of children's books. Henry is forced by his publisher to team up with a new illustrator, Lucy (Mandy Moore), after his former illustrator, Rudy (Tom Wilkinson), suddenly dies. The author's mental state is so fragile that he continues to communicate with Rudy via the Unisphere--a giant globe that was part of the World's Fair in Queens, New York, in the 1960s. Despite Henry's odd behavior, he strives to work to work with Lucy on a sequel to his successful (and porn inspired) kids book entitled "Marty the Beaver." Tensions mount between this very odd couple, but it's not long before they find a common bond, and their feelings for each other take a romantic turn. Theroux stirs a little subversion into the romantic comedy formula with DEDICATION, but the bulk of the movie sticks to familiar indie-rom-com territory. The soundtrack is laced with indie-rock; the subject matter touches on issues its 20-something target audience will readily identify with; and the quirky characters will appeal to fans of similar fare such as Miranda July's ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, Mike Mills's THUMBSUCKER, and Zach Braff's GARDEN STATE. This is Theroux's debut as a director, and although DEDICATION is drastically different from his work with mentor David Lynch, it does offer a hint at a future career away from acting. [More]
Starring: Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban
Starring: Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban, Dianne Wiest, Amy Sedaris, Martin Freeman
Director: Justin Theroux
Director: Justin Theroux
Screenwriter: David Bromberg
Producer: Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Galt Niederhoffer
Composer: Ed Shearmur
Studio: Weinstein Company
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Reviews for Dedication
Dedication's problem isn't its idealized conception of love but the thoroughly unconvincing way in which it is realized.
That's what it takes to make it through this self-consciously dark romantic comedy.
Theroux shoots and edits creatively, and elicits good performances, so here's hoping he gets another crack behind the camera with a more cohesive and consistent script.
Actor Justin Theroux makes an impressive directorial debut, aided by David Bromberg's mordantly funny dialogue.
Dedication is a loopy, semi-romantic comedy better served had it been made by Hal Hartley and released during the autumn of 1994.
Will help Moore get additional notice within the industry, from writers, directors and other creative types who pay attention.
[Director Theroux] has a tendency to overplay things, with self-consciously arty direction and an intrusive soundtrack.
Directed by actor Justin Theroux with a surprisingly saccharine hand, the film is neither believable nor novel.
Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore are immensely likable. We like them so much we regret having to see them in this story.
Theroux brings none of the electric surprise or intensity of his acting to bear on the movie. He seems unhappy with the assignment.
A well-acted comedy-drama that may feature the most disagreeable gang of characters to populate any movie this year. Too bad they're not quite as much fun to watch.
Crudup delivers a bracing, uncompromising performance, but it's unmistakably a solo turn in a romantic comedy that's supposed to be about the blurring of egos and the fusing of two idiosyncratic voices into a single harmonious duet.
Crudup exhibits admirable restraint. The story would be more compelling, however, had we not seen the same thing before in As Good as It Gets.
Dedication is engaging for a while, but flits from style to style, from dark to loopy comedy, only to settle on gooey romance.
Gratingly hip, joyless, small-budget Dedication is just another example of what New Yorker magazine recently identified as the 'slacker-striver' trope in today's romances.
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