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The Man from Elysian Fields (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:70
Fresh:36
Rotten:34
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: This story about a gigolo isn't plausible or compelling enough.
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is a daring and stylish morality tale featuring seductive star turns and brilliant, biting dialogue. Andy Garcia plays Byron Tiller, an impoverished writer who becomes...
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is a daring and stylish morality tale featuring seductive star turns and brilliant, biting dialogue. Andy Garcia plays Byron Tiller, an impoverished writer who becomes a reluctant gigolo to support his wife and son. He soon finds himself face to face with an extremely attractive woman whose aging husband is a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist grappling with a novel that may be his last. Before long, Byron finds himself immersed in a world that he finds almost impossible to believe and even harder to explain. The film is anchored by a series of elegant performances: Garcia as the bemused and befuddled writer whose life takes a surprising turn; James Coburn as the spirited white-haired author struggling with his mortality; Olivia Williams as his beautiful, devoted partner; Julianna Marguiles as Byron’s long-suffering wife; and Anjelica Huston as Luther’s longtime wealthy paramour. But it is Mick Jagger as the proprietor of an elite male escort service, who, with line after line of dry, straight-faced wit, adds an invigorating comedic edge to the film’s dramatic storyline.
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS was produced by Donald Zuckerman, Andrew Pfeffer and Andy Garcia. Gold Circle Films founder and owner Norm Waitt was the Executive Producer. George Hickenlooper directed the film from a screenplay by Philip Jayson Lasker. -- © Samuel Goldwyn Films/Fireworks Pictures
Starring: Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams
Starring: Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams, James Coburn, Anjelica Huston
Director: George Hickenlooper
Director: George Hickenlooper
Screenwriter: Philip Jayson Lasker
Producer: Donald Zuckerman, Andrew Pfeffer, Andy Garcia
Composer: Anthony Marinelli
Studio: IDP Distribution
Reviews for The Man from Elysian Fields
It's ultimately difficult to, er, get excited over this wobbly and obvious tale.
After an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly, sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be, you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be.
May not be perfect but must be given credit for all that it does right.
All of the elements are in place for a great film noir, but director George Hickenlooper's approach to the material is too upbeat.
It mixes banality with literature and comes up with a pap concoction.
From the get-go, the story remains bogged down in its rather limited morass.
It's a listless, predictable effort, occasionally redeemed by witty lines and charismatic performers.
The Man From Elysian Fields is a cold, bliss-less work that groans along thinking itself some important comment on how life throws us some beguiling curves.
This good-looking, well-acted but sloooow-moving film is a parable, and a rather obvious one at that.
Half of it is composed of snappy patter and pseudo-sophisticated cultural observations, while the remainder...would be more at home on a daytime television serial.
Nothing, not a single character, gesture or exchange, rings true. When you think about it, that's some accomplishment.
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