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MOVIES / ON DVD / BRIGHT LEAVES
Bright Leaves

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Bright Leaves (2004)

86%
83%
100%
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86 %
Reviews Counted: 57 Fresh: 49  Rotten:8 Average Rating: 7.4/10
 
Consensus: A rich, eccentric documentary about both filmmaking and the tobacco industry.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Synopsis: Ross McElwee directs this autobiographical documentary about his family's roots in the tobacco business in North Carolina. Taking a sabbatical from his home in Boston, he offers a culturally interesting history of the South as viewed through the biggest, wealthiest tobacco enterprises.... Ross McElwee directs this autobiographical documentary about his family's roots in the tobacco business in North Carolina. Taking a sabbatical from his home in Boston, he offers a culturally interesting history of the South as viewed through the biggest, wealthiest tobacco enterprises. Meanwhile, he examines a Hollywood movie that was based on the same topic, BRIGHT LEAF, the 1950 film set in 1894's tobacco-ruled South, which stars Gary Cooper and Lauren Bacall and was directed by Michael Curtiz (CASABLANCA). Though McElwee doesn't have firm proof, he speculates that the film is actually based on his great grandfather's rise and fall in the tobacco industry, and he splices in segments of that film to illustrate some of his historical points. It goes without saying that BRIGHT LEAVES' dominant purpose, and strongest message, is anti-smoking, and in its grimmer moments the film shows hospitalized victims of smoking-related illnesses, and conducts interviews with those who have lost dear ones to lung cancer. Packaged as an exploratory and educational dabble into McElwee's past, this documentary is enjoyable and enlightening. [More]

Genre: Education/General Interest

Director: Ross McElwee
Producer: Ross McElwee

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 6, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region (unknown)
  • Keep Case

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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4/5

The filmmaker's rich, husky-voiced narration manages to shape this collection of half-formed ideas and observations into a tightly packed little roll-up that's worth taking a puff on.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/04
Jamie Russell
BBC
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3/4

This is a highly personal journey, reminiscent of a smart, sardonic personal essay you might find in Harper's magazine or a quirky, savvy radio piece on NPR's 'This American Life.'

Full Review | comment Comment
09/08/06
Ron Reed
Christianity Today
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/07/06
Rumsey Taylor
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
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B+

Touches on serious matters with a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor that makes receiving its messages a pleasure rather than a chore.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/02/05
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
N/R

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04/30/05
Houston Chronicle
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2.5/5

Ross McElwee ambles through one tobacco-related subject after another... it's too scattered all over the place to be truly informative.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/29/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Ratings Image
B+

Bright Leaves is not the kind of film that thetruth.com would use in its anti-smoking campaign.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/28/05
Manuel Mendoza
Dallas Morning News
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3.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic
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N/A

A meandering riff on the dangerous allure of smoking, and more interestingly a meditation on the way motion pictures can preserve our life experiences-- but only to a point.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/05/05
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly
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3/4

A gently provocative film diary about tobacco and its mixed legacy.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/11/05
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
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3/4

The filmmaker narrates with droll, front-porch wit, and eases his way into the viewer's heart by sharing a hefty portion of his own.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/26/05
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
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3.5/4

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01/24/05
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire
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N/A

McElwee’s examination of tobacco culture shows concern but not condescension.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/14/05
Jesse Paddock
culturevulture.net
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3/4

McElwee's best film since Sherman's March.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/03/04
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
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3/4

Bright Leaves is a beguiling film. Watching it is like spending time with an old, somewhat chatty but endearing friend.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/03/04
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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N/A

Twin concerns of family and place collide perfectly in McElwee's first film in seven years.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/03/04
Marc Mohan
Oregonian
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3/4

It's a meandering visit by a curious man with a quiet sense of humor.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/03/04
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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3.5/4

McElwee's autobiographical films ... are leisurely jaunts with a gentle humor that never mocks his subjects.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/04
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
BRIGHT LEAVES is a bittersweet docu for those in need of a 'Southern' transfusion?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/20/05


REEL_REVIEWER
BRIGHT LEAVES is a bittersweet docu for those in need of a 'Southern' transfusion?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/20/05


REEL_REVIEWER
BRIGHT LEAVES is a bittersweet docu for those in need of a 'Southern' transfusion?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/20/05


REEL_REVIEWER
BRIGHT LEAVES is a bittersweet docu for those in need of a 'Southern' transfusion?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 11/20/05

Around the Network

• Bright Leaves at Rotten Tomatoes
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