Van Damme is so good, and El Mechri's storytelling so entertaining, that JCVD takes its place alongside The Wrestler as one of the unlikeliest but most welcome comeback vehicles in ages.
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01/29/09
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JCVD (2008)
83
%
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Reviews Counted:23
Fresh:19
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: JCVD is a touching, fascinating piece, with Jean-Claude Van Damme confounding all with his heartfelt performance.
Theatrical Release:Nov 7, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $382,923
Synopsis: In JCVD, a French- and English-language film from savvily tenebrous director Mabrouk El Mechri, Jean-Claude Van Damme is Jean-Claude Van Damme. Losing his roles to Steven Seagal and a custody... [More]
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
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Reviews for JCVD
Top CriticThis is not only a Van Damme movie that will make you laugh -- on purpose -- it could very well make you cry.
12/12/08
Top CriticIt's hard to resist: Here's a battered superstar who has occupied so many fantasies, but in his fantasies he's just like us.
11/21/08
Top CriticA clever art-imitates-life-imitates-art send-up of celebrityhood and the state of the action-hero genre, JCVD juggles humor with whomping martial-arts moves and a kind of melancholy star turn from the melancholy, muscular star.
11/20/08
Top CriticRreally inventive.
11/17/08
Top CriticWhat if I told you that one of the coolest and most creative films of the fall starred.... Jean Claude Van Damme?
11/17/08
Top CriticJCVD is what you might get if a French deconstructionist decided to make a drive-in flick: It reverse engineers the mayhem until it locates the humor, the sadness, and the insecure void at the heart of the genre.
11/14/08
Top CriticPut JCVD into the category of films that no one saw coming.
11/14/08
Top CriticIt might be the most impressive stunt of his career.
11/14/08
Top CriticJCVD is not an action movie but a shrewd satire about stardom and the cult of celebrity.
11/14/08
Top CriticThe film's odd conceit is its primary strength, with Van Damme in a nakedly honest, bravely candid turn that for the first time in his career can be commended as 'acting'.
11/14/08
Top CriticWritten and directed by Mabrouk El Mechri, this functions perfectly well as a Van Damme vehicle, but it's also a funny and poignant look at a man trapped by his own ridiculous reputation.
11/14/08
Top CriticI sorta enjoyed myself. I could have done without the scene where he floats in anguished reverie, making Hamlet sound like an extrovert.
11/14/08
Top CriticThe film sags in the middle section, and it's more a novelty item than a fully formed work. But it's very entertaining. And Van Damme proves himself a brave, possibly foolhardy actor.
11/13/08
Top CriticInstead of being a spiffy spoof, the movie gives its star little to do.
11/07/08
Top CriticThis may well be the most memorable Jean-Claude Van Damme movie ever, but I'm afraid that's not saying much.
11/07/08
Top CriticWith JCVD, Van Damme proves he could make a viable career shift into humorous or dramatic character roles that hinge more on brains than brawn.
11/06/08
Top CriticSelf-referential projects are tricky territory, but Van Damme handles himself with such likable humor, this could be a career-changer.
11/06/08
Top CriticSeagal, it's your turn.
11/06/08
Top CriticThe clever, stylish perception-teaser of a comic drama JCVD -- a reality-twisting cousin to Being John Malkovich -- showcases a Van Damme who's sly like a fox about his own image.
11/05/08
Top CriticLatest News for JCVD
April 27, 2009:
RT on DVD: JCVD, Animated X-Men, and Star Trek on Blu-ray
This week, home video enthusiasts have all kinds of new flicks -- fresh and rotten -- to peruse, starting with a surprising comeback by former action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme... More...
February 01, 2009:
Van Damme Is Hungry for More Bloodsport 
How does Jean-Claude Van Damme intend to use the goodwill he earned with "JCVD"? According to a new interview with Total Film, the Muscles is working on a "very mature" sequel... More...
November 07, 2008:
Switching it up from dumb and dumber action thrillers to smart alek moviemaking, JCVD is Van Damme's girlie man unplugged, and literally his own worst enemy. It's no Dog Day Afternoon, but still a sensitive tough guy mock reality show with balls.
More...
November 05, 2008:
Total Recall: Kickin' It With Jean-Claude Van Damme
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- for this week's Total Recall, we're taking a look at the best-reviewed works of a career whose cumulative output has been the target of... More...
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