Click to read the article
House of Fools (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:18
Rotten:29
Average Rating:5/10
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some violence and nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Theatrical Release:Apr 25, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: In House Of Fools, a beautiful young Chechen woman, Janna (Julia Vysotsky) is one of several inmates living in a psychiatric hospital. Insulated from the world, the inmates are oblivious to the war... In House Of Fools, a beautiful young Chechen woman, Janna (Julia Vysotsky) is one of several inmates living in a psychiatric hospital. Insulated from the world, the inmates are oblivious to the war that rages around them. Janna spends her time playing her accordion. Her playing soothes the mischievous, and sometimes violent, behavior of her fellow patients. In her private dream world, Janna finds comfort and safety when "fiancé" Bryan Adams sings her love songs. One evening, the train that had nightly delighted the inmates, does not pass. In the morning, when the patients awaken to discover that the medical staff has vanished, the problems of the outside world begin to invade their refuge. As Russian troops near, the patients must fend for themselves. The insane, the fragile and the handicapped must now organize themselves as best they can. As some begin to think of leaving, the sound of nearby bombing sends them running back for cover. A group of Chechen soldiers invade the hospital and settle in with the patients. Janna becomes attracted to a soldier and plans to leave with him. But she is left behind when the Chechens leave. Disappointed and saddened, all she can do is play her accordion and revel in the love of her "fiancé," Bryan. Persona, Hachette Premiere et Cie, Bac Films and Paramount Classics present House Of Fools (Dom Durakov). Written and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the film stars Julia Vysotsky with a special appearance by Bryan Adams. The film is produced by Andrei Konchalovsky and Felix Kleiman. The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by cinematographer Sergei Kozlov, production designer Lubov Skornia, costume designer Svetlana Volter and editor Olga Grinshpun. Original music is composed by Edward Artemiev. -- © Paramount Classics [More]
Starring: Julia Vysotsky, A. Kalyagin, Sultan Islamov, Evgeni Mironov
Starring: Julia Vysotsky, A. Kalyagin, Sultan Islamov, Evgeni Mironov, Stanislav Varkki, Elena Fomina, Vladas Bagdonas, Ruslan Naurbiev, Cecilia Thomson
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Screenwriter: Andrei Konchalovsky
Producer: Rene Cleitman, Jean Labadie
Composer: Edward Atemiev
Studio: Paramount Classics
Get This Movie
Reviews for House of Fools
It's hard to dislike a movie that identifies Russian mental patients as Bryan Adams' core audience.
Vysotsky projects an essential sunniness that helps keep the film from turning maudlin.
It may be based on a true story, but another filmmaker told it before -- and better.
Janna, played with endearing toughness by Julia Vysotsky, is the heart of this film.
It ultimately feels like a folly that sounded great in the filmmaker's head, so great that he had to be put on screen, where it flounders around with no small degree of embarrassment.
It's an odd mix to combine the harsh reality of war with the surreal world of mental patients. This makes for a bizarre movie, but it has some really tender moments.
War is insane. Insane people are cute. Bryan Adams is God. There, now that you've got these three principles down, you don't need to see House of Fools.
The use of Bryan Adams as the madwoman's imagined paramour is indicative of just how mediocre this movie is.
Too disjointed, derivative and stylistically clumsy to be much more than an irritant.
There's not much to Konchalovsky's tale ... but it's often beautifully told; a gentle fantasy of a harsh time.
As Janna demonstrates, old assumptions and passions certainly die hard. And the worst is when they don't die at all.
Often trying and not wholly successful but highly ambitious and ultimately rewarding.
...the most striking feature of the film is the fundamental decency and even gentleness of both the soldiers and the mad
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- House of Fools at Rotten Tomatoes
- House of Fools at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



