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Tape

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Tape (2001)

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Reviews Counted:89

Fresh:68

Rotten:21

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Taking place in a hotel room, Tape has the feel of a play, but its engrossing psychodrama allows its stars to shine.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and drug content

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 2, 2001 Limited

Synopsis: Richard Linklater, known for directing films that take place over a one-day period (SLACKER, DAZED AND CONFUSED, BEFORE SUNRISE), magnifies that concept even further with TAPE. Adapted from the... Richard Linklater, known for directing films that take place over a one-day period (SLACKER, DAZED AND CONFUSED, BEFORE SUNRISE), magnifies that concept even further with TAPE. Adapted from the Stephen Belber play, TAPE takes place in a Lansing, Michigan hotel room, where two old friends reunite ten years after graduation. Vince (Ethan Hawke), a lackadaisical fire fighter who pays the rent by selling pot, and John (Robert Sean Leonard), a self-assured filmmaker whose debut feature is set to screen at the Lansing Film Festival, greet each other with smiles and hugs. But as their conversation becomes more personal, Vince brings up an old grudge from the past, which confounds John. Vince is convinced that on the night before graduation, John date-raped his ex-girlfriend, Amy (Uma Thurman), and he won't rest until John tells him what really happened. Eventually, John admits the truth, evoking a shocking response from Vince. John must finally confront the demons from his past. When Amy arrives at the hotel room and joins the old friends, she detonates the explosive situation, accusing both Vince and John of being selfish, heartless cowards, which they actually are. Shot on digital video all in one location, TAPE is a character study that features strong performances by all three leads. [More]

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard

Director: Richard Linklater

Director: Richard Linklater
Producer: Anne Walker-McBay, John Sloss, Gary Winick, Alexis Alexanian
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Apr 16, 2002

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Reviews for Tape

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A quick-paced, visceral and smartly acted psychodrama.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
12/07/01
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

The cast ... uses this room with a view to get the best out of the spontaneous epiphanies and strangely affecting and witty dialogue.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
11/02/01
E! Online

Has Grade A moments stuck within a B- movie.

Full Review Source: Trades | comment Comment
10/29/01
Alex Keen
Alex Keen
Trades

A refreshing acting exercise for both the actors and the audience that works because of the freedom digital video extends.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
10/24/01
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

As the film progresses and voices are raised the audience is dealt a very interesting and compelling film.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Anthony Miele
Anthony Miele
Film Threat

It's for anyone who appreciates the bitter erosion of friendship and the one-upmanship and mind games bred by festering antagonism.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
11/16/01
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tape look simpler than it is. Linklater is well-known for making pictures where characters talk a lot, and this one's claustrophobic setting and small cast provide a tighter narrative and formal focus than usual.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/21/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

"Tape" may take place entirely in a small motel room, but it packs an emotional wallop the size of an entire city.

Full Review Source: Lawrence Journal-World | comment Comment
12/05/01
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Lawrence Journal-World

A filmed play -- and feels like one -- but the performances are good, and the single ugly setting ... makes for an even more compellingly unpleasant confessional.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
11/08/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

Nothing is quite deep, but the actors are utterly at home in their outbreaks and ambushes.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
11/30/01
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Talky and terrific!

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
12/04/01
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

Unlike some other filmed plays, this one contains dialogue that sounds realistic.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Takes shape as an entertaining psychological armwrestle between rank belligerence and blustery condescension.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/30/01
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The actors do justice to this potent and insightful script, filling the screen with explosive energy.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/21/02
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Linklater is testing the boundaries of what can be done with digital video, thematically as well as visually.

Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | comment Comment
04/23/05
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Cinematic Reflections

For a movie set completely inside a dingy motel room, Tape is a thrilling piece of experimental cinema.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
03/22/02
Derek Tse
Derek Tse
Jam! Movies

By film's end, the only rape that remains is that of words and memories.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
10/19/01
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Perhaps because they are working out emotional conflicts from high school, and Vince seems stuck at a childish emotional level, what takes place in the room seems juvenile, despite the powerful subject matter.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/16/01
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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