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Mister Foe

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Mister Foe (2008)

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Reviews Counted:60

Fresh:43

Rotten:17

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Carefully balanced between the dark and the dreamy, Mister Foe is a charged coming-of-age story with whimsy and bite.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 5, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY... MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY ELLIOT). A troubled young man beset with voyeuristic tendencies and a strong Oedipal longing for his dead mother, Hallam is a sensitive and volatile teenager who has taken to spying on his stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), who he suspects is responsible for his mother's death by drowning two years earlier. When a charged psychosexual confrontation with Verity stokes the fires of his unresolved grief, Hallam flees his father's country estate for the picturesque Scottish capital of Edinburgh. There, he sets his sights on Kate (Sophia Myles), an attractive hotel manager who happens to bear a striking resemblance to his late mother. Soon, through a bit of charm and more than a little stalking, Hallam scores a menial job under Kate's employ; romantically--or creepily, depending on your viewpoint--Hallam pines for Kate from a distance, observing her daily activities (kickboxing, grooming, sex), through binoculars. Hallam's adolescent fantasies soon blossom into an unlikely romance when, during an after-work function, Kate revealingly declares, "I like creepy guys." While MISTER FOE tackles some rather unsettling psychological territory, David MacKenzie infuses the film with enough light, comic touches and a playful atmosphere of magic realism to prevent it from edging toward dolorous melodrama. Rounding out this very likeable indie feature are a delightful animated title sequence by artist David Shirgley, and a spirited soundtrack from Domino Records, featuring a bevy of Scottish rockers such as Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice. [More]

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roeves, Ewen Bremner, Claire Forlani

Director: David Mackenzie

Director: David Mackenzie
Screenwriter: David Mackenzie, Ed Whitmore
Producer: Gillian Berrie

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Release:

Nov 11, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Jamie Bell is Hallam Foe, a troubled young man whose knack for voyeurism paradoxically reveals his darkest fears, and his most peculiar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother's death, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh for love.
  • Source: Magnolia Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for Mister Foe

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    1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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    Although it's nice to see Mackenzie find uplift in the erotic, what helps drive Mister Foe is how deftly he turns chasm into intimacy between Bell and Myles, both of whom give sharply observed, charismatic portrayals.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    09/05/08
    Robert Abele
    Robert Abele
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    In his attempt to make the audience sympathize with Hallam, [director] Mackenzie uses the cheapest trick in the book: attempting to give the audience a link into his head with a manic soundtrack.

    Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
    09/03/08
    Simon Abrams
    Simon Abrams
    New York Press

    Didn't I review this coming-of-age picture back in the spring when it was called Charlie Bartlett?

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    09/11/08
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    Equal parts sweet and perverse, this Scottish film is unpredictable in places where it might be twee, and subversively fanciful in others where it might be punishing.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    08/22/08
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    There's a chance that Bell's strong work could turn this into a cult item.

    Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
    09/05/08
    Geoff Berkshire
    Geoff Berkshire
    Metromix.com

    The story itself is self-regarding, and the ending, with its muddled vengefulness, strains both sympathy and credibility.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    08/31/07
    Peter Bradshaw
    Peter Bradshaw
    Guardian [UK]

    Director David Mackenzie's complex story is never sure exactly what tone to strike.

    Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
    09/05/08
    Grant Butler
    Grant Butler
    Oregonian

    Grumpy Glaswegians going at it are once again the focus of David ("Young Adam") Mackenzie's bleak and dreary -- but not wholly uninteresting -- drama.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    10/23/08
    David N. Butterworth
    David N. Butterworth
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    As a study of grief, this is silly and nonsensical. Taken less seriously, Mackenzie delivers a light dance over heavy issues, and the romance works – but how flippantly can we take death, grief and suicide?

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    07/21/07
    Dave Calhoun
    Dave Calhoun
    Time Out

    The Hitchcockian elements are actually much subtler than recognized, partly because the film is generally more a comedy than some Peeping Tom-esque thriller.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    04/09/08
    Erik Childress
    Erik Childress
    eFilmCritic.com

    Affirms the raw talents of both David Mackenzie (Young Adam) and Jamie Bell (who's come a long way since Billy Elliot).

    Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
    05/17/07
    Rich Cline
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall

    A worthy addition to Holden Caulfield's coming-of-age subgenre of off-kilter teenage boys let loose in big cities. Bell and Myles give terrific performances.

    Full Review Source: The Cinema Source | comment Comment
    09/05/08
    Michael Dance
    Michael Dance
    The Cinema Source

    Hallam Foe cannot be accused of concealing its investment in the dramatic heightening of sensation, the privileging of psychic logic and hormonal pulls over safer and more quotidian forms of "realistic" storytelling.

    Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment 1 Comment
    10/10/07
    Nick Davis
    Nick Davis
    Nick's Flick Picks

    A striking film but certainly more of one that grows on you rather than one that's immediately compelling.

    Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
    09/02/08
    Edward Douglas
    Edward Douglas
    ComingSoon.net

    Tip-top performances, led by young British thesp Jamie Bell, and a deftly handled tone reflecting all the title teen's confused emotions make Hallam Foe a viewing delight.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/31/07
    Derek Elley
    Derek Elley
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A stylish, original romance whose dark leanings are leavened by a current of optimism running through its darting narrative.

    Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
    08/31/07
    Tim Evans
    Tim Evans
    Sky Movies

    Another successful and intriguing entry in Mackenzie's growing oeuvre.

    Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Bonnie Fazio
    Bonnie Fazio
    Reel.com

    Truly unsettling and uniquely twisted.

    Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
    09/04/08
    David Fear
    David Fear
    Time Out New York

    Perched on a razor's edge between the sinister and the whimsical, it's erotic, well acted, beautifully photographed.

    Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
    09/08/07
    Philip French
    Philip French
    Observer [UK]

    By the end of "Hallam Foe," you've nearly forgotten his all-too-regular boy development. Now you're wondering, what's Kate doing when he's not looking?

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    09/12/08
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    PopMatters
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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    Latest News for Mister Foe

    January 08, 2009: RT Interview: Jamie Bell talks Defiance and Dance
    Jamie Bell tap-danced his way into the national consciousness with his breakthrough performance in Billy Elliot nine years ago. Since then he has worked with heavyweight screen... More...

    November 02, 2008: Baret DVD News: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. Opens in new window
    More...

    September 08, 2008: Teen Peeping Tom acts upon oedipal urges in dysfunctional family drama from Scotland. Opens in new window
    More...

    September 03, 2008: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. Opens in new window
    More...

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