Although Chinatown writer Towne lovingly depicts the Depression-era LA setting (actually shot in South Africa), the film misfires.
Comment
06/24/06
Ask the Dust (2005)
37
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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 CriticA curiously resistable drama, despite several strong elements -- the most notable being newcomer Idina Menzel.
06/02/06
Top CriticIt 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.
06/03/06
Top CriticThis film is too dull to really spring to life.
05/06/06
Like the desert beyond, the film is arid and airless.
05/23/06
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/25/06
Click to read the article
04/23/09
In "Ask the Dust" you get to see Farrell and Hayek cavorting naked in the waves of the Pacific.
03/28/06
Ask the Dust is one of the most eagerly awaited cinematic projects of 2006, which may be why it lands with such a curious thud.
03/23/06
Despite acute period detail and gorgeous desert cinematography by Caleb Deschanel from a South African locale, real life doesn't always shape up into a tightly structured script.
03/10/06
Donald Sutherland saunters onscreen, momentarily raising the level of the film, before he ambles back out the door and things sink back down to the listless and pointless pace that typifies this jumbled mess of a movie.
04/19/07
It isn't until the very end that somebody finally does ask the dust a question, and there's so much talking in this movie that it's a miracle the dust doesn't reply.
03/16/06
It takes more than just having a beautiful couple to make a great movie (or even a good movie).
03/10/06
With its sunset colors and haunting music, Ask the Dust is very beautiful. And very empty.
03/16/06
While the movie evokes the period well, thanks mostly to the stellar cinematography of Caleb Deschanel, it is a flawed and leaden adaptation of John Fante's seminal novel.
03/09/06
No one gets away unscathed in Robert Towne's overblown attempt at transfiguring John Fante's novel to film.
04/09/06
Robert Towne has some terrific films to his credit, including the classic "Chinatown" and later "The Firm"---- "Ask the Dust" is not one of them.
03/20/06
Whereas good noir dialogue has a biting, sardonic edge, here the self-conscious literary-ness falls flat and foolish.
03/09/06
The details add up to a story, but it's not cohesive and fluid enough to be engaging. How are we supposed to love the characters when we never understand their behavior?
03/23/06
The acting is good, and Ferril and Menzel give really good performances, while the rest, especially Cruz, seem to be mostly sleepwalking through the film.
03/11/06
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