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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

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for House of Fools

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Deborah Young
Deborah Young
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tiresome!

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/28/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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

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

It may be based on a true story, but another filmmaker told it before -- and better.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
08/22/03
Marta Barber
Marta Barber
Miami Herald

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

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.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
07/11/03
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unbelievably insensitive in its depiction of the mentally ill.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment 1 Comment
07/11/03
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

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.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
07/11/03
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

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.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
07/08/03
Kim Linekin
Kim Linekin
eye WEEKLY

Sub-Fellini nonsense.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
06/28/03
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

The use of Bryan Adams as the madwoman's imagined paramour is indicative of just how mediocre this movie is.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/15/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Too disjointed, derivative and stylistically clumsy to be much more than an irritant.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
06/14/03
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Click to read the article

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

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

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

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

...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
 
 
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