Tideland (2005) - Rotten Tomatoes

critics consensus

Tideland is a disturbing, and mostly unwatchable effort from Terry Gilliam. Read critic reviews

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Tideland Photos

Tideland (2005)

Tideland (2005)

Tideland (2005)

Tideland (2005)

Tideland (2005)

Tideland (2005)

A scene from the film "Tideland."

Tideland (2005)

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Movie Info

Little Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) has a very warped childhood. Her parents (Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly) are both drug addicts, and one of her daily chores is to prepare their syringes. After her mother dies of an overdose, her father, Noah, takes her away to his childhood home, but his own mother has passed away and the house is decaying. Then Noah overdoses, and while his body rots in his chair, Jeliza-Rose meets a taxidermist and her unstable brother.

Rating:

R (Bizarre and Disturbing Content|All Involving a Child|Some Language|Drug Use|Gruesome Situations|Sexuality)
Genre:

fantasy, drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Terry Gilliam
Producer:

Gabriella Martinelli, Jeremy Thomas
Writer:

Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni
Release Date (Theaters):

Oct 13, 2006 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Aug 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA):

$61.2K
Runtime:

2h 2m
Production Co:

Recorded Pictures Company, Capri Films, HanWay Films

Cast & Crew

Jodelle Ferland
Jeliza-Rose

Janet McTeer
Dell

Brendan Fletcher
Dickens

Jeff Bridges
Noah

Jennifer Tilly
Queen Gunhilda

Alden Adair
Luke

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Tideland

Total Recall: Fairy Tales for Grownups

RTIndie: David Lynch, Terry Gilliam Living on the Edge of Hollywood

Critical Consensus: "Man of the Year" A Weak Candidate, But At Least It Was Screened For Critics

Critic Reviews for Tideland

All Critics (77) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (54)

Quote not available.

May 13, 2009 | Rating: 1/5

Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
This two-disc set is sure to keep Gilliam's few Tideland fans buzzing for some time.

February 27, 2007 | Full Review…

Jeremiah Kipp
Slant Magazine
Honest, unflinching and worthy of reappraisal.

November 3, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
Ugly, disturbing, and misguided mess.

October 30, 2006 | Rating: 0.5/5 | Full Review…

Josh Rosenblatt
Austin Chronicle
Pointless and an excruciating bore.

October 27, 2006 | Rating: 0/4 | Full Review…

Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
The movie itself feels like an overstuffed burrito: Nicola Pecorini's cinematography has verve but no visual sense, and the film's self-important pace turns deadening over the long haul.

October 27, 2006 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Gilliam's plan to make a small budget film of limited scope that would leave him free to display his unfettered creative genius sounds good on paper. However, his melodramatic, Alice In Wonderland variety fairy tale is sadly near-incomprehensible.

November 3, 2018 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Kaleem Aftab
The List
It works best when Gilliam allows Jeliza-Rose to disappear inside her own mind, revelling in unrestricted solitude.

October 30, 2018 | Full Review…

Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
It is true that Gilliam makes his movies through fire and brimstone just by examining his extraordinary filmography, and there is no denying that Tideland is a film that was borne out of that.

August 9, 2018 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Ryan Pollard
Starburst
...in the midst of all the perverse chaos, a story emerges that is easily the most tender and even sentimental in all of Gilliam's work.

June 9, 2010 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…

Ian Buckwalter
DCist
It seems, from the flat-out filmic disaster of "Tideland," that director Terry Gilliam is intent on ensuring a decisive end to his checkered filmmaking career.

April 24, 2009 | Rating: F | Full Review…

Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Now, I like pushing boundaries as much as the next guy. When it's done well, as in say Todd Solondz' wonderfully dark Happiness, it can be searingly challenging. But in the case of Tideland it's just uncomfortable to watch.

July 14, 2007 | Rating: 0/4 | Full Review…

Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

View All Critic Reviews (77)

Audience Reviews for Tideland

Apr 04, 2015

a bit of a different approach from Gilliam who here creates a visceral & intently visual, uncompromising & intense experience without his usual props and more with what the camera can take in and what the actors can exude. Enjoyed janet mcteers witch like thespianism

Sanity Assassin ! Super Reviewer
Jul 25, 2013

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]

Directors C Super Reviewer
Jan 05, 2011

A much better film than most reviewers would have you believe. There is horror and unpleasantness in abundance - yes - but focus on Terry Gilliam's own comment that this is a world viewed through a child's eyes - allow yourself to see through those eyes and all will become much clearer.

The S Super Reviewer
Jul 01, 2010

Such an odd and when deeply looked into, a very demented children's story. I don't think there's every going to be a movie again that uses a corpse like it was in this. Terry Gilliam's love for Alice in Wonderland type scenarios really comes through in this, probably the easiest to pick up on. It also reminded me of something by Steinbeck or Twain, mainly the setting and characters. Overall, if you're a fan of Terry Gilliam you'll probably love it. If not, you'll probably just watch it in awe of such madness.

Conner R Super Reviewer

See all Audience reviews

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