This is not only a Van Damme movie that will make you laugh -- on purpose -- it could very well make you cry.
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12/12/08
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JCVD (2008)
85
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:81
Rotten:14
Average Rating:6.9/10
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
In many ways, JCVD is not much different from Van Damme's cheesier movies except it's wittier and, this time, he's in on the joke.
12/12/08
I was very satisfied seeing Van Damme prove that he can do something besides action, and what better way to do that then playing yourself? Even non-fans will be surprised by this!
12/12/08
The shock of seeing the "Muscles From Brussels" emote may have blinded many to the fact that his big comeback vehicle is a pretty mediocre movie.
12/11/08
A witty self-parody/comeback vehicle for Van Damme would have been easy enough to make; El Mechri goes the extra mile to make it a good film, too.
12/10/08
The only story that matters (in the larger sense) is that JCVD is a phenomenal achievement, and not despite the work of Van Damme, but thoroughly because of it.
12/07/08
Giving the performance of his life, largely in French, Van Damme delivers a soulful self-analysis.
12/05/08
The gentler Van Damme may disappear after just two pictures. If he does, I'm happy at least to have made his acquaintance.
12/05/08
At its core JCVD is a classic heist film. But [director] El Mechri delivers more blows to the cerebellum than his star as viewers trace the ins and outs of the flick’s spiraling structure.
12/04/08
If you know Van Damme's work in the least, if you have any sympathy for the plight of the third-rate action screen hero whose days come to an end, JCVD will amuse and touch you.
12/04/08
If not for a third act that starts to fall asleep on itself, this would be in a walk the best-written satire of 2008.
11/21/08
A generally odd project: The balance of pathos and humor never seems quite right, and the end is as puzzling as any of the rest. But it's a remarkable Van Damme performance.
11/21/08
There's something seductively clever about the way French director and co-writer Mabrouk El Mechri has fractured chronology (à la Pulp Fiction) to examine JCVD's plight from various perspectives.
11/21/08
It'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 CriticJCVD has points of interest, but it may leave you feeling like you've just slowed down to look at a car wreck.
11/21/08
A 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
... an action film where the flamboyant heroics occur only in fantasy and Van Damme's most daring stunt is a self-pitying monologue dropped into the middle of the movie.
11/20/08
Van Damme is an actor, pure and simple, and proves that he is just as deft and accomplished as the movies in which he appears.
11/20/08
Rreally inventive.
11/17/08
What if I told you that one of the coolest and most creative films of the fall starred.... Jean Claude Van Damme?
11/17/08
Latest 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.
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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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