Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

2006

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Critics Consensus

This portrait of a groundbreaking photographer lacks the daring of its subject.

32%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 111

63%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 19,297

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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus Photos

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Movie Info

Photographer Diane Arbus was considered one of the most mysterious, enigmatic and frighteningly bold artists of the 20th century. Most known for her obsession with "freak" subject matter, her haunting work emerged from a deeply private place. Arbus' death was as mysteriously tragic as was the aura surrounding some of her most piercing portraits.
  • Rating:
    R (for graphic nudity, some sexuality and language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    Steven Shainberg
  • Written By:
    Erin Cressida Wilson
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $148,913
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Picturehouse

Cast

Nicole Kidman
as Diane Arbus
Robert Downey Jr.
as Lionel Sweeney
Ty Burrell
as Allan Arbus
Harris Yulin
as David Nemerov
Jane Alexander
as Gertrude Nemerov
Emmy Clarke
as Grace Arbus
Genevieve McCarthy
as Sophie Arbus
Boris McGiver
as Jack Henry
Marceline Hugot
as Tippa Henry
Mary Duffy
as Althea
Lynn Marie Stetson
as Fiona (naked girl)
Emily Bergl
as Alicia
Lynne Marie Stetson
as Fiona
Gwendolyn Bucci
as Dominatrix
David J. Steinberg
as Singing Little Person
Christina Rouner
as Lois
Matt Servitto
as Handsome Client
David Green
as Another Client
Sandriel Frank
as Fox Model
Krista Coyle
as Fashion Model
Joseph McKenna
as Bald Man
John C. Gallagher
as Carnival Talker
Courtney Taylor Burness
as Little Diane
Maureen Shannon
as Rose the Maid
David Spence Perkins
as Man with Dominatrix
Eric Gingold
as Giant
George McGrath
as Transvestite
David Joseph Steinberg
as Singing Little Person
Natalie Dix
as Abby
Teddy Tilkin
as Hank
Jess Osuna
as Elevator Man
Laura Andrew
as Siamese Twin
Leesa Andrew
as Siamese Twin
View All

Critic Reviews for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

All Critics (111) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (75)

  • An interestingly designed but inescapably pointless film.

    March 16, 2007 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • Kidman delivers another standout performance, transparent and magnetic. Burrell is no match for Downey's hypnotic beast. The hairy romantic chemistry with Kidman is electric, the context inspired.

    March 16, 2007 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    James Christopher

    Times (UK)
    Top Critic

  • Certainly the film isn't without its flaws. Then again, perfection is in the eye of beholder.

    March 16, 2007 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Stella Papamichael

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Stilted, stylized and art-directed within an inch of its life, Shainberg's movie (which was written by his Secretary collaborator, Erin Cressida Wilson) manages to be both oppressively literal and fatefully fuzzy at the same time.

    December 29, 2006 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

    Geoff Pevere

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • Don't be fooled for a second by that subtitle. Fur bills itself as An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, but this thing's got all the imagination of a career bureaucrat slumped in his cubicle awaiting a pension.

    December 29, 2006 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Rick Groen

    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic

  • Shainberg neither sugarcoats [Diane Arbus's] distance from her girls nor judges it. The filmmakers understand Arbus's story within the context of her time and upbringing.

    December 1, 2006 | Rating: 3/4

    Lisa Kennedy

    Denver Post
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (111)

Audience Reviews for Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

  • Sep 02, 2013
    Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman) is an artistically repressed housewife whose creativity is awakened when a circus freak (Robert Downey Jr.) moves upstairs. An interesting imaginary premise, but the movie gets trapped in unconvincing and disappointingly conventional romance, ending with a superficial, uninspiring message (sometimes abandoning your children is just the price you pay for great photography).
    Greg S Super Reviewer
  • Aug 26, 2010
    The title cards before the film warn that this is not an historical biography, but I don't think that disclaimer releases the filmmakers from somehow connecting the main plot points to Arbus's art or artistic mission. What specifically attracts Arbus to the "freaks" she photographs? And what is the connection between these subjects and her trip to the nudist colony, which frames the film? Additionally, the film offers a half-hearted criticism of how women were treated in the fifties, and of course, the criticism is warranted. But the "patriarchal" husband is certainly more supportive than William H. Macy's character in Pleasantville ("Where's my dinner?"). I might have missed something (because the DVD skipped in the middle of the film), but from the best that I could tell, Allan Arbus was not terribly oppressive. So, at the film's conclusion, Kidman's character doesn't earn our sympathy, and the tribute to her estranged husband at the end falls flat. Overall, the performances were good. Perhaps it's my ignorance of Arbus's work, but the film does nothing to connect a very basic story to an "extraordinary" artist.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Mar 03, 2010
    Just didn't get the point. I thought this film was going to be about her work and life, but the film takes place before she even got started.
    Marion R Super Reviewer
  • Dec 15, 2009
    Brilliant Movie that makes you think after watching it.
    Wahida K Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

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