Grief, voyeurism and latent necrophilia make a beguiling brew in Hallam Foe, a smart coming-of-age tale from the director of Young Adam.
Comment
07/10/07
Mister Foe (2008)
72
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:60
Fresh:43
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Carefully balanced between the dark and the dreamy, Mister Foe is a charged coming-of-age story with whimsy and bite.
Theatrical Release:31-08-2007
Synopsis: MISTER FOE is director David MacKenzie's offbeat film adaptation of Peter Jinks's coming-of-age story centered on the unlikely protagonist of Hallam Foe, excellently portrayed by Jamie Bell (BILLY... [More]
Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives
Director: David Mackenzie
Reviews for Mister Foe
Top CriticDavid Mackenzie's fourth feature is an immensely enjoyable and incredibly well-judged film, which confirms Jamie Bell as one of Britain's brightest young actors.
08/31/07
Top CriticBell shines as the baleful yet sympathetic Hallam, but there’s little else to get excited about, with the eventual love affair between him and Kate deeply improbable.
08/31/07
Top CriticDecidedly dark material handled with a pleasing lightness of touch.
08/31/07
Top CriticAn intriguing rites-of-passage story with a delirious, skewed perspective and an almost palpable sexual pulse.
08/31/07
Top CriticThe story itself is self-regarding, and the ending, with its muddled vengefulness, strains both sympathy and credibility.
08/31/07
Top CriticAccomplished as it is, the film has trouble marrying the separate halves of the story, the mystery of the mother's death and the weird courtship Hallam is pursuing.
08/31/07
Perched on a razor's edge between the sinister and the whimsical, it's erotic, well acted, beautifully photographed.
09/08/07
Affirms the raw talents of both David Mackenzie (Young Adam) and Jamie Bell (who's come a long way since Billy Elliot).
05/17/07
A stylish, original romance whose dark leanings are leavened by a current of optimism running through its darting narrative.
08/31/07
It is Jamie’s acting skills, which are even more well honed than his chest, that make Hallam Foe one of the best British movies of the year.
08/31/07
Top CriticThanks to bold performances, evocative cinematography and a trippy pop soundtrack, this richly entertaining tale of adolescent angst ends up being one of the most striking Brit flicks of 2007.
08/31/07
Top CriticSomehow the whole works surprisingly well, whether or not you end up thinking that it might have been still better left on the page.
08/31/07
As a study of grief, this is silly and nonsensical. Taken less seriously, Mackenzie delivers a light dance over heavy issues, and the romance works – but how flippantly can we take death, grief and suicide?
07/21/07
Top CriticEven in the earthiest moments of the film, there’s a sense of magic that reflects the filter of Hallam’s innocence, eccentricity and otherness.
08/31/07
Top CriticGet past the goofy animated titles and you’ll be captivated by a coming-of-age tale with a subversive edge. The hero may be have a few hang-ups, but Jamie Bell’s an ideal star for such defiantly off-kilter fare.
08/31/07
Top CriticImpressively directed drama from the director of Young Adam, featuring a superb performance from Jamie Bell and a terrific soundtrack.
08/30/07
Rarely have I seen a film end so satisfactorily and without feeling cheated by a conclusion ready made for first dates.
09/08/07
Equal parts sweet and perverse, this Scottish film is unpredictable in places where it might be twee, and subversively fanciful in others where it might be punishing.
08/22/08
The acting is of the highest order, especially the tandem of Myles and Bell, who are touching and finely balanced in the detail of their characters.
08/30/07
Latest News for Mister Foe
January 08, 2009:
RT Interview: Jamie Bell talks Defiance and Dance
Jamie Bell tap-danced his way into the national consciousness with his breakthrough performance in Billy Elliot nine years ago. Since then he has worked with heavyweight screen... More...
November 02, 2008:
Baret DVD News: A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love. 
More...
September 08, 2008:
Teen Peeping Tom acts upon oedipal urges in dysfunctional family drama from Scotland.
More...
September 03, 2008:
A movie about a Scottish Peeping Tom who is sufficiently demented to give even Peeping Toms a bad name, it seems to be a lot less about fetish and voyeurism, than warped emotional espionage as pathological mommy love.
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds