The Living End

Critics Consensus

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61%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,161

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Movie Info

It my be easy to describe The Living End as a gay Thelma and Louise, but that seems to be what director Gregg Araki was aiming for. Luke (Mike Dyti) is a hustler and Jon (Craig Gilmore) is a movie critic. They meet on the highway, or, as Araki puts it in the script, "the desolate, quasi-surrealistic American Wasteland." Both have recently learned that they are HIV-positive, so they do the only reasonable thing and go on a violent cross-country spree. Guided by the inspirational slogan "F*ck the world," our heroes kill gay bashers, insult lesbians, and do a lot of drinking, swearing, and urinating.

Rating:

R
Genre:

Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Comedy, Drama, Gay & Lesbian
Directed By:

Gregg Araki
Written By:

Gregg Araki
In Theaters:

Aug 21, 1992 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Apr 29, 2008
Runtime:

92 minutes
Studio:

Strand Releasing

Cast

Craig Gilmore
as Jon

Mike Dytri
as Luke

Mark Finch
as Doctor

Mary Woronov
as Daisy

Johanna Went
as Fern

Darcy Marta
as Darcy

Nicole Dillenberg
as Barbie

Scot Goetz
as Peter

Bretton Vail
as Ken

Paul Bartel
as Twister Master

Stephen Holman
as 7-11 Couple

Magie Song
as 7-11 Couple

Peter Lanigan
as Three Stooges Member

Jon Gerrans
as Three Stooges Member

Jack Kofman
as Three Stooges Member

Christopher Mabli
as NeoNazi

Michael Now
as Tarzan

Michael Haynes
as Jane

Peter Grame
as Gus

Craig Lee
as Arguing Couple at Ralphs

Torie Chickering
as Arguing Couple at Ralphs

Sidney J. Bestwick
as Buddhist

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Critic Reviews for The Living End

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (3)

It is visually vibrant (in a wonderful on-the- cheap kind of way). But its insightful fury is undercut by thrashes of immaturity. It's engaged with culture and angry at it.

Apr 4, 2008

Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Top Critic
Unfortunately, like so many Warhol films, The Living End ultimately becomes tedious and self-indulgent.

May 29, 2018 | Full Review…

Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
Probably more valuable as a cultural artifact than a movie.

Mar 14, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
Self described by its director as "my most desperate movie," this road movie about two HIV-positive runaways and imposible love in th face of death, put Gregg Araki at the forefront of indie directors.

Jan 23, 2007 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

View All Critic Reviews (7)

Audience Reviews for The Living End

Apr 06, 2013

I remember really liking this movie back in the 90's. Was excited to see it on DVD for rental. Well, I have to say I had forgotten most of the story apart from it being a road trip movie about two men living with AIDS, so I was interested to see if it was as good as I remembered. Though it's obviously dated now, I still found it quite compelling viewing with a unique style. Craig Gilmore in particular is great as Jon. Very sympathetic character. Won't be for all, is pretty bleak and confronting, but I found it worth the rewatch.

Nicki M Super Reviewer
Dec 13, 2010

Araki brings great ideas to the table, but his execution leaves a lot to be desired. The two lead actors are consistently unconvincing, so their love story has no emotional resonance. Since the film relies heavily on a connection with the doomed lovers, the low performance quality hurts it badly. Nevertheless, it's very much a product of its time, and that works in its favour somehow. This is a cult classic with lots of bright possibilities, but most of them are unfulfilled.

Mike T Super Reviewer
Nov 07, 2010

A gripping road trip with the unique angle of having two HIV positive men take to the road to come to grips with their unsure future. Very good.

John B Super Reviewer