Slipstream

Slipstream Photos

View all photos

Cast & Crew

Anthony Hopkins

Felix Bonhoeffer

Stella Hopkins

Gina

Christian Slater

Ray

Lisa Pepper

Tracy

Lana Antonova

Lily

Fionnula Flanagan

Bette Lustig

Monica Garcia

Monica

Christopher Lawford

Lars

Camryn Manheim

Barbara

Anthony Hopkins

Director

Anthony Hopkins

Writer

Stella Hopkins

Producer

Robert Katz

Producer

Anthony Hopkins

Original Music

Dante Spinotti

Cinematographer

Michael R. Miller

Film Editing

Mary Jo Slater

Casting

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Slipstream

Audience Reviews for Slipstream

• Oct 06, 2011

  "A scriptwriter sees the line between his characters and real people begin to blur"... sounds good on paper, doesn't it? I'm sure the studio thought so when they green lighted this bit of excessive hubris, especially when it was pitched by Anthony Hopkins, who was chief cook and bottle washer for the project - being writer, director, actor and what the heck, even wrote and performed most of the background music. Wow, what could possibly go wrong? Well nothing unless Hopkins spent many a day imbibing mind altering chemicals while discussing states of alternate realities with David Lynch. Sadly, all these ruminations concerning what is "real" only ends up being a cheap cop out where the threadbare seams of a script apparently written on the fly are readily apparent. As one of the characters bemoans "we've lost the plot". Indeed! While this film doesn't have 7 foot tall rabbits or dancing dwarves, it is very Lynchian in its approach and tone - but instead of giving you the feeling that you are watching something profound that you just aren't seeing quite right, Slipstream is like a high school play with bad acting - too obvious and a one trick pony, with little wink, wink asides meant to cover up the fact that the film is short on vision and all too proud of its, I will confess, nifty concept. Perhaps Hopkins had a clear vision for this film, but regardless it comes off as uneven and you suspect that Hopkins may have been having a jab at the industry and fans that enabled him the opportunity to stroke his vanity. As the film fades to black you hear laughter and a bit of a looney tunes melody - some big inside joke or an attempt to say "yeah, this is all a mess so I might as well admit it". Personally I think the film could certainly used a bit of collaboration - by allowing Hopkins free reign, he could indulge his whimsy with no-one to tell him that you can't mess with the audience by using slight of hand; passing off lazy continuity and a lack of clarity by claiming that Slipstream is time moving backwards and forwards at the same time - ok, even if you buy into the alternate reality stuff, there's still no excuse for having no character development whatsoever. In the end, one could support the supposition that the entire film was all in Hopkins' head - a dream within a dream, so to speak - and art imitating life (or vice versa). In surer hands I think that there could be relevance here, but as it stands you end up with a bit of overindulgence that, for me, had only one redeeming moment: when the owner of Dolly's Diner makes an appearance, looking like Dolly Parton and when asked her name she winks at the audience and says "I'm the character playing the Dolly Parton look a like".
  

  Super Reviewer
• Apr 15, 2010

  a odd tale but quite compelling, comfusing at times especially beginning, but once it moves along, especially when anthony hopkins comes in fully, things try explaining themselves, its still odd, and maybe you get lost, but theres good moments to be hard, with a good cast, also directed by hopkins himself, and he does pull some neat tricks here
  

  Super Reviewer
• Mar 14, 2010

  I just have one question...what was Anthony Hopkins thinking?? I'm all for a weird, you-might-have-to-watch-this-several-times to understand type of movie, but this was just dumb...
  

  Super Reviewer
• Mar 02, 2009

  As I write this segment at 59mins in, I can't decide if this film is brilliant or pretentious. Certainly the first third (and pretty much all) of the camera work that isn't a jump cut is pretentious (esp the color changes are not earned). And this second third I've just finished is plain brilliant, a new sendup of movie production on par with The Player, Swimming with Sharks, and Day of the Locust. I do know that however I turn out feeling about this movie in the end, I will probably rent the DVD and do tons of research on how/why Hopkins put this project together. Okay, resuming screening. 1:hr10mins: this movie is tripping me out, but also annoying me too(again with the unearned color and cutting "style"). Okay, the SAVE creen is awesome! I'm totally geeking out on the writer aspects too, cuz it's like very much in the vein of a William S. Burroughs or Philip K. Dick confrontation b/w the self and reality. Perhaps other writers oft wonder if their lives will turn into that blur of story and objectivity; the multiple layers of reality that stack themselves before us cannot be ignored and must be grandly experienced, like a fever dream spanning a few decades. This film captures that very well. It is all really hinging on the last 10-15mins though. Alright, I thought it was awesome with the horror detour to the framed beginning/ending tragic device. Awesome as Schizopolis or Adaptation or Naked Lunch? Hellz NO. But I enjoyed; others will rate 3 to 3.5. I give it that extra bump just because the stylistic blend confused and angered me in a kinda fun way.
  

  Super Reviewer