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Movies / On DVD / Hurlyburly
Hurlyburly

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Hurlyburly (1998)

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Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:20

Rotten:13

Average Rating:6/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: David Rabe's 1984 play HURLYBURLY made it to the big screen in 1998, with some well-measured performances from a cast littered with big names from the Hollywood A-list. Ostensibly Anthony Drazan's... David Rabe's 1984 play HURLYBURLY made it to the big screen in 1998, with some well-measured performances from a cast littered with big names from the Hollywood A-list. Ostensibly Anthony Drazan's film is a riff on the empty-headedness and misogyny that runs rife throughout the Hollywood studio system. But delve beneath the depths of these surly, obstinate characters, and a cheerless, misanthropic tract on the transient nature of friendship is made manifest in this unrelenting portrait of the depths to which human beings can sink. Mickey (Kevin Spacey) and Eddie (Sean Penn) are two casting directors who reside in a condominium secreted deep in the Hollywood Hills, where their out-of-work actor friend Phil (Chazz Palminteri) is a frequent visitor. Hollywood mogul Artie (Garry Shandling) is also an acquaintance, and loves to drop by to provide a few favors for Mickey and Eddie; one of these "favors" comes in the shapely form of Donna (Anna Paquin), whom Artie picks up whilst hitchhiking, and hands her over to the boys as a sex toy. Meanwhile, Darlene (Robin Wright Penn) seesaw's between relationships and dates with both Mickey and Eddie, causing problems when the latter forms a genuine affection for her. As if to prove he's not a lightweight when it comes to dumping on women, Phil goes on a date with stripper Bonnie (Meg Ryan), which ends in inglorious fashion as he throws her out of a moving car. As drugs are snorted, relationships flounder, and friendships fall apart, Drazan effortlessly steers his cast through some lengthy, Mamet-like dialogue, that manages to make both repulsive and compulsive viewing. An unforgettable experience, HURLYBURLY brings some hard-hitting subject matter to the screen in spectacular style. [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Meg Ryan, Kevin Spacey

Starring: Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Meg Ryan, Kevin Spacey, Anna Paquin, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling

Director: Anthony Drazan

Director: Anthony Drazan
Producer: David S. Hamburger

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Release:

Jun 22, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Hurlyburly

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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
David Rooney
David Rooney
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rabe has streamlined the dialogue, sacrificing a lot of funny throwaway lines without lessening the script's burden on our patience.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/24/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

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Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
07/14/06
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
N/R

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Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

This black alleged comedy wouldn't be funny at all if it weren't for Kevin Spacey's droll wit and silly bleach do. Sean Penn's self-indulgent performance and the unfocused script make sitting through Hurlyburly a chore.

comment Comment
08/11/03
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly

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Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Richard Kelly
Richard Kelly
Sight and Sound

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Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine
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Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Depicts hedeonism as a grim exercise in cynicism, betrayal and emptiness.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/02/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

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Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
02/28/02
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

Desperately seeking Mamet.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/10/01
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
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