Derrida (2002)
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 34
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 6
Derrida's intelligence and engaging personality make him an intriguing documentary subject.
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 1
Derrida's intelligence and engaging personality make him an intriguing documentary subject.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 951
My Rating
Movie Info
Jacques Derrida is a French author and philosopher who is regarded as one of the world's leading exponents of deconstructionism, a school of thought which argues (among many other things) that "truth" is not an absolute, and must be viewed within the context of the mindset of the person expressing it and the frameworks within which the idea has been related. Appropriately enough, Derrida, a documentary about the man's life and work, offers its subject many opportunities to present his ideas
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Jacques Derrida
Himself
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (38) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (7) | DVD (5)
I'm not sure you'll leave the movie understanding every nuance of 'deconstruction,' but you'll have a real sense of a sophisticated thinker.
Exhibits a devotion to its subject that just might drive you to his books and make you wish for tea with the man who wrote them.
Derrida, with his mane of white hair, piercing gaze and pipe clenched between his teeth, may be the most watchable thinker since Rodin's.
The picture's charm lies in the continuing by-play between the filmmakers and their subject, with each side doing its best to deconstruct the other.
Dense and thoughtful and brimming with ideas that are too complex to be rapidly absorbed.
Is it possible for a documentary to be utterly entranced by its subject and still show virtually no understanding of it?
Derrida gleefully states "No. I'm only going to tell you superficial things." At that point the cameras should have been packed up and the crew sent home.
If you have any doubts about the film, just ask yourself how many other films have you seen about a renown modern philosopher.
Along the way, we absorb bits and pieces of Derrida's ideas, but the total is insufficient for the newcomer to come away with any focused understanding of Derrida and only seems to fuel the dangerous cult of hero worship.
Derrida turns out to be an engaging, provocative and droll fellow before the cameras.
We are left with a superficial snapshot that, however engaging, is insufficiently enlightening and inviting.
At the very least, if you don't know anything about Derrida when you walk into the theater, you won't know much more when you leave.
The film is an intriguingly superficial view of a famously deep man.
Whether or not you're enlightened by any of Derrida's lectures on "the other" and "the self," Derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow.
Audience Reviews for Derrida
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Derrida yet.
What's Hot On RT
The Last Stand, Side Effects
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Rachel McAdams' time travel romantic drama
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock 0
- See the Best-Reviewed in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 12
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 85
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 39
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 106
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
Top Headlines
-
Which Film Franchise Has Been the Best for Female Characters?
0
-
Damon Lindelof Talks Tomorrowland
0
-
10 Movies About Really Fast Cars
0
-
Poltergeist Remake Synopsis Hints at Plot Differences
1
-
Kristen Wiig Says Welcome to Me
0
-
David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Gets Bumped
0
-
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Remake in the Works
0


Top Critic