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Movies / On DVD / House of Fools
House of Fools

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House of Fools (2003)

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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

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Release:

Oct 28, 2003

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Reviews for House of Fools

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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I left the theater convinced that House of Fools is Konchalovsky's best work in almost 20 years (which it is) and that it might be something close to a masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
05/02/03
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A kindly film with a generous heart beaming through the discordant rumblings of useless wars.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
05/16/03
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Powerful war satire.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
04/24/03
Chuck Wilson
Chuck Wilson
L.A. Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
09/11/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

The film gradually seduces with its mix of dark humor and pathos, poetic, circus-like music, and haunting characters.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/22/03
Erica Abeel
Erica Abeel
Film Journal International

Comes awfully close to proving its point: that inmates in a psychiatric hospital are saner than the soldiers in the outside world.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
04/15/03
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Vysotsky projects an essential sunniness that helps keep the film from turning maudlin.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
08/29/03
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

A superbly shot film of emotional extravagance, sentimentality and even humor.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/24/03
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Janna, played with endearing toughness by Julia Vysotsky, is the heart of this film.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
08/21/03
Laura Kelly
Laura Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A humane and fantastic work, and it touches us precisely because Konchalovsky shows the reality of both the soldiers and the madhouse inmates.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/15/03
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's not much to Konchalovsky's tale ... but it's often beautifully told; a gentle fantasy of a harsh time.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/13/03
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/14/03
Oz
Oz
eFilmCritic.com

As Janna demonstrates, old assumptions and passions certainly die hard. And the worst is when they don't die at all.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
06/12/03
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

...the most striking feature of the film is the fundamental decency and even gentleness of both the soldiers and the mad

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
06/04/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A film that succeeds not by arguing that the world is crazier than the asylum, but by arriving at the melancholy possibility that both are equally insane.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
05/16/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's hard to dislike a movie that identifies Russian mental patients as Bryan Adams' core audience.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
08/29/03
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

Konchalovsky ... takes on a difficult subject with a light mix of dark humor and pathos.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/25/03
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

Often trying and not wholly successful but highly ambitious and ultimately rewarding.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
06/12/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

While this film offers engaging moments, the overall impact is too blurred and lost along the way.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/25/03
E! Online

It's too often weighed down by clichés.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
04/24/03
Bill Pearis
Bill Pearis
Citysearch
 
 
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