The Dreamers is an important film, if for no other reason than it finally offers a mature alternative for adult cinemagoers.
The Dreamers (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:150
Fresh:91
Rotten:59
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Though lushly atmospheric, The Dreamers doesn't engage or provoke as much as it should.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Feb 6, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $2,299,636
Synopsis: Left alone in Paris whilst their parents are on holiday, Isabelle (Eva Green) and her brother Theo (Louis Garrel) invite Matthew (Michael Pitt), a young American student, to stay at their... Left alone in Paris whilst their parents are on holiday, Isabelle (Eva Green) and her brother Theo (Louis Garrel) invite Matthew (Michael Pitt), a young American student, to stay at their apartment. Here they make their own rules as they experiment with their emotions and sexuality while playing a series of increasingly demanding mind games. Set against the turbulent political backdrop of France in the spring of 1968 when the voice of youth was reverberating around Europe, THE DREAMERS is a story of self-discovery as the three students test each other to see just how far they will go. THE DREAMERS was helmed by Bernardo Bertolucci, whose THE LAST EMPEROR swept the 1987 Academy Awards garnering nine Oscars© including Best Director and Best Picture. It marks his third film shot in Paris, following THE CONFORMIST and the Oscar-nominated LAST TANGO IN PARIS. The screenplay, adapted for the screen from his original novel, is by English author and film critic Gilbert Adair. THE DREAMERS was produced by Jeremy Thomas (BROTHER, SEXY BEAST) who teamed with Bertolucci on THE LAST EMPEROR, THE SHELTERING SKY and LITTLE BUDDHA. THE DREAMERS strikes a personal chord for both Bertolucci and Adair, for although their paths never crossed, they were both living in Paris at the end of the 60s, experiencing the events against which the film is set. Their love of cinema took them to the birthplace of the Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), immersing them in a strong international cinema culture. "There was something magic in the 60s," Bertolucci recalls, "in that we were … well, let's use the word ‘dreaming'. We were fusing cinema, politics, music, jazz, rock ‘n roll, sex, philosophy." The film stars Michael Pitt, recently seen in the award-winning HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, (and with Sandra Bullock in MURDER BY NUMBERS), Eva Green in her feature film debut, and Louis Garrel, who previously appeared in Yolande Zauberman's LA GUERRE A PARIS. -- © Fox Searchlight [More]
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Anna Chancellor
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Anna Chancellor, Robin Renucci
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Screenwriter: Gilbert Adair
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Reviews for The Dreamers
The Dreamers makes its point with clips of old films. And yes, there is quite a bit of sex and nudity.
Bernardo Bertolucci's love letter to Paris, cinema and sex in 1968 is as uneven and imperfect as it is unique and impassioned.
It is both a love song to escapism and a warm embrace of the real world -- a wake-up call that one place, without the other to occasionally return to, would make life for us (who are the real dreamers) far less wonderful.
Do these characters really care about the collected works of Godard? Not for one Parisian minute.
Anyone seeking cheap titillation would do better to invest their movie cash in a fresh copy of Playboy or Penthouse than to spend the two hours of contemplation needed to fully appreciate the myriad layers of The Dreamers.
No matter how many mirrors he uses to fracture his characters into meaningful multiple images or how many shots he includes of out-of-control falling, [Bertolucci] can't make the naughty innocence compelling.
An ambitious and exciting piece of work, a movie about sex and movies made by a filmmaker who understands the power of each to set off fantasy, create addiction, incite danger and transform the spirit.
This handsome, mildly brave scrapbook probably won't be prophetic of upheavals to come.
Marks a long-overdue return to the important themes of human connection and social commitment that run through many of Bertolucci's most memorable films.
In almost every way, The Dreamers is a less sexy, less successful ode to the innocent passions and energy of a bygone era than Austin Powers.
The real world in which these characters live is only hinted at, making their behaviour look mighty precious most of the time.
An out-of-print postcard of a movie, neither shocking or smart enough to matter in the modern world, and too disjointed to be involving.
It effectively explains why we obsess over movies and rock and roll and honest communication long after those passions have been hijacked by parodists and advertising agencies.
Rather than turning into a coming-of-age story, the movie wallows in the cocoon-like insularity of its characters.
A rich movie filling the viewer with a four-course French meal of sensuality, politics, ideas and character.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 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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