A film that subjects us to one of the more irritating and unlikable leading men in recent romantic comedy history.
Dedication (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Get This Movie
Reviews for Dedication
An ordinary boy-gets-girl movie, and not a particularly interesting one.
Moore is such a smooth and comfortable presence onscreen that the at times embarrassingly naked framework of David Bromberg's screenplay seems almost believable.
You can see where all this is going -- author meets illustrator, crazy person meets sane person, withholding person meets giving person -- but there isn't one interesting thing about the journey.
Perhaps it's time to send the oh-so-amusing head case into the same oblivion as the hilarious drunk, along with the notion that the love of a good woman fixes all.
A weird hybrid of hipster art-house film and chick flick in which the warring intentions and attitudes cancel each other out.
This might work if there were chemistry between the stars, but eccentric Crudup and girl-next-door Moore may be the worst casting match of the year.
What works about it is very good and makes us want to see what Theroux could do with a more consistent property.
What began as an oddball study of a jagged male friendship devolves into cliché and compromise.
93 excruciating minutes. How does boring stuff like this get financing?
Director Justin Theroux takes what is otherwise a fairly straightforward romantic comedy formula and turns it into an elliptical meditation on the merits of actual human connection.
Truly tender, truly funny...a pessimistic, unrelenting take on love that is still a date movie for anyone who wants to enjoy a romantic comedy without feeling guilty about it.
So apparently maladjusted adult sensibility can give rise to a special gift for weirdly connecting to a child's imagination. Who knew.
Dedication is peppered with drolly passive-aggressive supporting characters and actors equipped to do them full justice.
An unoriginal romantic comedy that vainly attempts to mask its conventionality with all manner of eccentricities.
Bitterness yields to a bruised but earned sense of reciprocity in Justin Theroux’s wintry directorial debut -- a romance that feels, for better or worse, like a John Hughes film. (In this critic’s eyes, better.)
The wonderful actor Theroux (David Lynch films, TV's Brothers & Sisters) makes a disappointing directing debut with a wannabe romantic comedy that proves that messed up, obnoxious guys like his writer-hero also account for messed up obnoxious films.
Latest News for Dedication
August 15, 2007:
Tropic Thunder Cruise-ing for a Cameo?
It isn't next year's most buzzed-about movie, but judging from its cast -- which includes Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and a presumably lucid Nick... More...
August 11, 2007:
So apparently maladjusted adult sensibility can give rise to a special gift for weirdly connecting to a child's imagination. Who knew. ![]()
More...
August 04, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
January 30, 2007:
Sundance Reviews: Short and Sweet, A Review Roundup
We know some of you hate reading those cumbersome long reviews, so here's a gaggle of Sundance screening write-ups in three sentences or less. See if you can look forward to... More...
| 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 |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Dedication at Rotten Tomatoes
- Dedication at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



