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Lantana (2001)
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Reviews Counted:103
Fresh:93
Rotten:10
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Lantana is an intricately plotted character study that quietly shines with authenticity.
Theatrical Release:Dec 14, 2001 Limited
Box Office: $4,277,569
Synopsis: Ray Lawrence's LANTANA is an intelligent, well-written, well-acted film that is much more than just another cop thriller--it's more like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME with its realistic, complex... Ray Lawrence's LANTANA is an intelligent, well-written, well-acted film that is much more than just another cop thriller--it's more like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME with its realistic, complex relationships and believable characters. The film opens with a slow pan over a dead body, eerily reminiscent of BLUE VELVET. Anthony LaPaglia stars as Leon, a Sydney police detective who is cheating on his wife, Sonja (Kerry Armstrong), with a married woman from their dance class (Rachael Blake), even though he still loves his wife. There's something missing from his life, but he's not sure what. His relationship with his son is strained, and even his partner, Claudia (Leah Purcell), knows something is wrong. But as his affair heats up and a murder mystery that seems to involve all of the people in his life begins to consume his attentions, he is forced to reexamine his future both as a family man and a cop. LANTANA won seven Australian Film Institute Awards, including best picture, best director for Lawrence, best actor for LaPaglia, best actress for Armstrong, best supporting awards for both Blake and Colosimo, and best adapted screenplay by Andrew Bovell, who based the script on his play SPEAKING IN TONGUES. As the murder investigation gets more complicated and the tangled web leads to even more lying, cheating, and deception, the acting intensifies, and the sharp dialogue allows the characters to blossom as beautifully as the lantana bush referred to in the title. [More]
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong
Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Russell Dykstra, Daniela Farinacci, Vince Colosmo, Peter Phelps
Director: Ray Lawrence
Director: Ray Lawrence
Screenwriter: Andrew Bovell
Composer: Paul Kelly
Studio: Lions Gate Films
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Reviews for Lantana
Warmly received at its world premiere (Opening Film, Sydney Film Festival, June 8, 2001), Lantana is a film for film lovers, an engaging character study whose subjects are as varied as they are self-contradictory.
A meditation on fidelity in marriage where the suspense and surprises stem from who has -- or hasn't -- been betraying each other and how.
Where "Lantana" succeeds is by out smarting it's audience. It is masquerading as a predictable thriller, but it's far from that. It will keep you guessing til the very end
Lantana couldn't quite pull off being both a mystery story and a psychological drama.
A direct, affecting movie, one where every character hangs suspended between loneliness and the possibility of love.
Lantana meets its coincidences head-on, with a wink and a nudge that -- abetted by a compelling story and performances -- cajole us into playing along.
This is the sort of fiercely intelligent, emotionally gripping movie about people that almost never gets made any more.
Lawrence cast well and gets terrific performances all the way up and down the line.
Lantana is definitely a film that works better on a moment to moment basis than it does as a complete package.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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