Duane Hopwood (2005)
Rated: R
Theatrical Release: Nov 11, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: David Schwimmer stars as DUANE HOPWOOD, a down-on-his-luck divorced father who works the night shift as a pit boss at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City. Heartsick about the demise of his marriage to Linda (Janeane Garofolo), Duane does nothing much in his daily life but work and drink. When his... David Schwimmer stars as DUANE HOPWOOD, a down-on-his-luck divorced father who works the night shift as a pit boss at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City. Heartsick about the demise of his marriage to Linda (Janeane Garofolo), Duane does nothing much in his daily life but work and drink. When his visitation rights are threatened after he’s caught driving while intoxicated with his daughter in the backseat, Duane confronts the realization that the time has come to get his life back on track before he loses everything. A moving and humorous look at the limits of unconditional love, what defines a family, and how we’re all responsible for our own happiness, DUANE HOPWOOD was written and directed by Matt Mulhern. Set in the cold, windswept world of an Atlantic City November, DUANE HOPWOOD also stars Judah Friedlander as Anthony, a lonely slot machine repairman who dreams of comedy stardom, and Susan Lynch as Gina, a bartender who befriends Duane. Rich in the details of daily life, wistful and wise, DUANE HOPWOOD is the story of a man who comes back from the brink, and is finally able to celebrate life in all its imperfections. --© IFC Films [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: David Schwimmer, Janeane Garofalo
DVD Info
Release:
Apr 25, 2006
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Duane Hopwood digs into the soul of its title character with a patience rarely found in contemporary films.
Visually dreary and not especially illuminating, Duane Hopwood can't quite get where it must have wanted to go.
... this downbeat indie drama gives the leads a few excellent scenes together, and they acquit themselves credibly. But there's also a fair amount of wilted comedy from the stock supporting characters ...
Schwimmer demonstra uma enorme sensibilidade ao evitar qualquer tipo de exagero ou caricatura ao viver seu personagem alcoólatra, retratando-o como um homem triste e gentil que não enxerga o próprio vício.
A mellow-yet-effective character study that exhibits some real poignancy and delivers a stunningly good performance by Friends star David Schwimmer.
[The film is] suffused with hangdog dreariness, equivalent to a unsoled shoe treading rainwater.
Anthony is as upbeat as Duane is down. The character works so well as a counterpoint, you wish the film would abandon Duane altogether and follow Anthony on his moronic misadventures.
It’s just very authentic, very real. Everything that happens here you believe it.
Schwimmer's fine, but Duane Hopwood is flat and uninvolving for long stretches.
The movie is a wise and realistic portrait of the disease, showing the drunk not as a colorful or tragic character, but simply as a sad man whose days occasionally contain moments of joy and hope.
The movie is understated enough to let the emotional, and sometimes comical, story tell itself, with no over-the-top dialogue, nor worse, overacting.
Loaded with unoriginal ideas, weak comedic concepts, and underwhelming emotional climaxes, the movie is the definition of bland.
Writer-director Matt Mulhern confidently anchors his drama-comedy about an alcoholic Atlantic City pit boss with good writing and sharp dialogue.
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