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Schizopolis (1996)
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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:10
Rotten:7
Average Rating:6.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Marking a return to the low-budget territory that launched his career in 1989 (with SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE), Steven Soderbergh pulls together this freewheeling comedy that is stuffed with an... Marking a return to the low-budget territory that launched his career in 1989 (with SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE), Steven Soderbergh pulls together this freewheeling comedy that is stuffed with an onslaught of visual and verbal puns. Soderbergh plays dual roles as Fletcher Munson and Dr. Jeffrey Korchek. Munson is a nerdy copywriter who finds himself under an extreme amount of pressure when his boss dies, leaving him to write the upcoming speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters, a revered spiritual leader. Korchek is a dentist who begins to have an affair with Munson's wife but finds himself in trouble when he falls for a new patient. Also thrown into the mix is Elmo Oxygen (David Jensen), an orange-jumpsuit-wearing exterminator who spends more time sleeping with his clients than doing actual work. By the time the moment comes for Schwitters to give his speech, the life of each character has been turned completely upside down. Soderbergh mocks, satirizes, and criticizes the late 20th century's hurried, soulless atmosphere, including religion, marriage, the media, the workplace, and male-female sexual relations. This fresh blend of lighthearted comedy and crackling dialogue makes SCHIZOPOLIS an exhilarating romp that recalls the early comedies of Richard Lester. [More]
Starring: Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen
Starring: Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Producer: John Hardy
Screenwriter: Steven Soderbergh
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Reviews for Schizopolis
Soderbergh's "smallest" film is also one of his most personal and original, a biting satire of modern life and marriage that he wrote, directed, lensed, and starred in; though fractured and uneven, it's an underestimated work.
Taken as a whole, the film fails to maintain the consistent absurd tone it is aiming for.
At once an astute study of the banality of modern life and a banal student film wrapped around a series of inside jokes.
Exasperating as it is, Schizopolis has a deliberateness almost interesting enough to offset its sophomoric streak.
Schizopolis is by no means an epochal event, but it's clever and offbeat, well worth appreciating on its own proper terms.
Schizopolis is Steven Soderbergh's berserk and uneven attempt to mimic Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou; he wants to provoke reaction but he's not quite sure how to go about it.
Schizopolis represents a minor act of self-indulgence on the part of the sometimes eccentric Steven Soderbergh but results in major tedium for the viewer.
No kidding, this is one weird movie. But if you're open to the wacky experience and you are patient, you will have a lot of laughs and gain surprising insight into contemporary society.
Who knew that deep inside the soul of Steven Soderbergh beat the heart of a great comic actor?
It's fresh, unexpected and goofy. It's not a smart career move, just a film that its director wanted to make for some crazy reason, and he made it.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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