It is a odd-sounding, odd-looking piece of work, not uninteresting by any means, but there is something a little forced in both lead performances.
Comment
06/03/06
Ask the Dust (2005)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:101
Fresh:37
Rotten:64
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: Though Hayek is luminous, Farrell seems miscast, and the film fails to capture the gritty, lively edginess of the book upon which it's based.
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: From the director of CHINATOWN comes a tale of small-town dreams and big-city challenges. Colin Farrell plays a down-and-out writer in 1930s L.A. who dreams of making it big, and Salma Hayek plays... [More]
Starring: Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins
Director: Robert Towne
Reviews for Ask the Dust
Top CriticThis film is too dull to really spring to life.
05/06/06
Although Chinatown writer Towne lovingly depicts the Depression-era LA setting (actually shot in South Africa), the film misfires.
06/24/06
Top CriticA curiously resistable drama, despite several strong elements -- the most notable being newcomer Idina Menzel.
06/02/06
Top CriticLike the desert beyond, the film is arid and airless.
05/23/06
Top CriticThe film outstays its welcome and winds up with an unsatisfying thunk.
03/16/06
gravely calls into question Towne's current abilities as both a screenwriter and director.
03/09/06
Towne's script somehow can never put us in his hero's mind, his actions are always incomprehensible and we never get close enough to the man to give a hoot what happens to him.
03/25/06
A minimalist melodrama that's badly frayed at the seams and threatening to unravel.
03/13/06
In "Ask the Dust" you get to see Farrell and Hayek cavorting naked in the waves of the Pacific.
03/28/06
Fante's novel comes to the screen as if dipped in butterscotch: Its abrasive surface has been coated with a golden, sticky glow.
03/24/06
Towne has not given us the great American love story, but he has presented us with a captivating view of 1933 Los Angeles and a tale of romance that involves us in the plight of the characters.
03/10/06
Atmospheric but awkward drama.
03/10/06
Difficult to swallow are the heavy-handed narrative developments that dominate the film's second half.
03/22/06
An excessively melodrama story filled with cliches about writing.
03/29/06
Eventually, I was on the edge of my seat... wondering what kind of wrong choice Towne could possibly make next.
03/21/06
Utterly forgettable.
03/24/06
Despite its flaws, this story of love and self-discovery is still more smart, stylish, and sexy than the usual fare.
03/10/06
As stale, deluded, and sad as the cot in an old man's flophouse cubicle.
03/07/06
[Director Robert Towne] may have been passionate about the project but that passion does not materialize on the screen.
03/26/06
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