RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Mister Foe
Mister Foe

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Mister Foe (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
72 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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 ELLIOT). A troubled young man beset with voyeuristic tendencies and a strong Oedipal longing for his dead mother, Hallam is a sensitive and volatile teenager who has taken to spying on his stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), who he suspects is responsible for his mother's death by drowning two years earlier. When a charged psychosexual confrontation with Verity stokes the fires of his unresolved grief, Hallam flees his father's country estate for the picturesque Scottish capital of Edinburgh. There, he sets his sights on Kate (Sophia Myles), an attractive hotel manager who happens to bear a striking resemblance to his late mother. Soon, through a bit of charm and more than a little stalking, Hallam scores a menial job under Kate's employ; romantically--or creepily, depending on your viewpoint--Hallam pines for Kate from a distance, observing her daily activities (kickboxing, grooming, sex), through binoculars. Hallam's adolescent fantasies soon blossom into an unlikely romance when, during an after-work function, Kate revealingly declares, "I like creepy guys." While MISTER FOE tackles some rather unsettling psychological territory, David MacKenzie infuses the film with enough light, comic touches and a playful atmosphere of magic realism to prevent it from edging toward dolorous melodrama. Rounding out this very likeable indie feature are a delightful animated title sequence by artist David Shirgley, and a spirited soundtrack from Domino Records, featuring a bevy of Scottish rockers such as Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice. [More]

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives

Starring: Jamie Bell, Ciaran Hinds, Sophia Myles, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roeves, Ewen Bremner, Claire Forlani

Director: David Mackenzie

Director: David Mackenzie
Screenwriter: David Mackenzie, Ed Whitmore
Producer: Gillian Berrie

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Mister Foe

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

An engrossing, provocative drama, the feature sniffs out just the right level of lurid behavior to keep the viewer in concert with the mounting domestic woes. It's a feature of unpredicted, and quite thrilling, discomfort.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
09/04/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

Truly unsettling and uniquely twisted.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
09/04/08
David Fear
David Fear
Time Out New York

It's a showy part, but the movie ably supports it with splendid use of Edinburgh, Scotland's cityscapes, a basket full of startling surprises in the screenplay and characters without a fleck of sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/03/08
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What makes Mister Foe such unlikely fun is Bell's accomplished smart-ass routine and Mackenzie's blithe attitude toward taboos.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
09/03/08
Vadim Rizov
Vadim Rizov
Village Voice

In his attempt to make the audience sympathize with Hallam, [director] Mackenzie uses the cheapest trick in the book: attempting to give the audience a link into his head with a manic soundtrack.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
09/03/08
Simon Abrams
Simon Abrams
New York Press

A striking film but certainly more of one that grows on you rather than one that's immediately compelling.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
09/02/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

Mister Foe flirts too often with the unlikely and the foolish, yet there is something to admire in the nerve of its reckless characters, so uneasy in their skins.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
09/02/08
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker

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.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
08/30/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

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.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/22/08
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

An insightful, well-acted serio-comic look into the mind of a creepy 18-year-old Scot.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
07/30/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

An occasion for David Mackenzie to infuse his smutty purview of modern romantic relations with twee affectation.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/01/08
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

It's a modestly effective story, even a little moving in a weird way, and worth watching for Bell's intriguing and sympathetic performance.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
05/20/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Presented as a sort of romantic neo-fairy-tale, the movie rarely acknowledges the inherent creepiness of its premise.

Full Review Source: OC Weekly | comment Comment
04/28/08
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
OC Weekly

A dark, often funny Oedipal and erotic tale from Young Adam director David Mackenzie, Mister Foe benefits from the emotionally and physically agile performance of Bell.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/11/08
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

The Hitchcockian elements are actually much subtler than recognized, partly because the film is generally more a comedy than some Peeping Tom-esque thriller.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/09/08
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Hallam Foe cannot be accused of concealing its investment in the dramatic heightening of sensation, the privileging of psychic logic and hormonal pulls over safer and more quotidian forms of "realistic" storytelling.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment 1 Comment
10/10/07
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Rarely have I seen a film end so satisfactorily and without feeling cheated by a conclusion ready made for first dates.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
09/08/07
Jamie Gillies
Jamie Gillies
Apollo Guide

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.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/30/07
Richard Mowe
Richard Mowe
Boxoffice Magazine

Tip-top performances, led by young British thesp Jamie Bell, and a deftly handled tone reflecting all the title teen's confused emotions make Hallam Foe a viewing delight.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/31/07
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The adolescent peeping Tom Hallam Foe is a fascinating character, brought to thrilling life by Jamie Bell in yet another extraordinary performance.

Full Review Source: european-films.net | comment Comment
03/28/07
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3
all

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. Opens in new window
More...

September 08, 2008: Teen Peeping Tom acts upon oedipal urges in dysfunctional family drama from Scotland. Opens in new window
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. Opens in new window
More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
36% 36% Angels & Demons
95% 95% Star Trek
25% 25% Four Christmases

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Natalie Portman Will Battle Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Source: Variety
20
  • Marvel Begins Iron Man 2 Viral Campaign Source: Superhero Hype
10
  • Bryce Dallas Howard Talks Spider-Man 4, Terminator, and Twilight Source: ComingSoon.net
27
  • David Lynch Says He Turned Down Return of the Jedi Source: CinemaBlend.com
34
  • Thomas Dolby Starts a Star Wars Rumor Source: Ain't It Cool News
32
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
57
  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Headed for IMAX Source: Collider.com
48
  • James Cameron Developing Sci-Fi Film for Fox Source: ComingSoon.net
10
  • Peter Jackson Reveals Which LotR Characters Will Return for The Hobbit Source: MTV
26
  • Josh Brolin Rumored for Men in Black 3 Source: Los Angeles Times
26
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Keith David's Best Movies
69
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
51
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Avatar Live Up To The Hype?
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • The Gimmicks That Changed Cinema: Part 1
34
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
29
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
  • Help Us Choose the Community Golden Tomato Award
22
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
19
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
19
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
51
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
23
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Mister Foe at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Mister Foe at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.