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Tape

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Tape (2001)

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Reviews Counted:89

Fresh:68

Rotten:21

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Taking place in a hotel room, Tape has the feel of a play, but its engrossing psychodrama allows its stars to shine.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Richard Linklater, known for directing films that take place over a one-day period (SLACKER, DAZED AND CONFUSED, BEFORE SUNRISE), magnifies that concept even further with TAPE. Adapted from the... Richard Linklater, known for directing films that take place over a one-day period (SLACKER, DAZED AND CONFUSED, BEFORE SUNRISE), magnifies that concept even further with TAPE. Adapted from the Stephen Belber play, TAPE takes place in a Lansing, Michigan hotel room, where two old friends reunite ten years after graduation. Vince (Ethan Hawke), a lackadaisical fire fighter who pays the rent by selling pot, and John (Robert Sean Leonard), a self-assured filmmaker whose debut feature is set to screen at the Lansing Film Festival, greet each other with smiles and hugs. But as their conversation becomes more personal, Vince brings up an old grudge from the past, which confounds John. Vince is convinced that on the night before graduation, John date-raped his ex-girlfriend, Amy (Uma Thurman), and he won't rest until John tells him what really happened. Eventually, John admits the truth, evoking a shocking response from Vince. John must finally confront the demons from his past. When Amy arrives at the hotel room and joins the old friends, she detonates the explosive situation, accusing both Vince and John of being selfish, heartless cowards, which they actually are. Shot on digital video all in one location, TAPE is a character study that features strong performances by all three leads. [More]

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard

Director: Richard Linklater

Director: Richard Linklater
Producer: Anne Walker-McBay, John Sloss, Gary Winick, Alexis Alexanian
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Reviews for Tape

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The performances are amazingly charged and fluid.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
01/22/02
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine

There's a place in the world of the cinema for filmed theater, especially when it's done as well as it is here.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/17/02
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

When the director's showboating isn't getting in the way, Belber's script lands some salient points about situational ethics and the pliable nature of guilt.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
01/17/02
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

May not go down as more than an acting and DV exercise, but at least it's an engrossing one.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/03/02
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

It's the cast's film to sink or swim, and for the most part, it's the latter.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
12/28/01
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
12/15/01
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic

Implodes under the weight of its own 'excessive linguistic pressure.'

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/14/01
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

Linklater continues to prove the importance of substance over style with Tape.

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
12/09/01
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

With hardly any artistry in sight, the film's appeal cannot hold up, not even with a solid performance from Uma Thurman and a fine one from Ethan Hawke.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
12/09/01
Peter Henne
Peter Henne
Film Journal International

All three players masterfully delve beneath their characters' outer faces to examine the inner personality.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
12/07/01
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

A failed experiment with arresting moments.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
12/07/01
Steven Rosen
Steven Rosen
Denver Post

A quick-paced, visceral and smartly acted psychodrama.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
12/07/01
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

"Tape" may take place entirely in a small motel room, but it packs an emotional wallop the size of an entire city.

Full Review Source: Lawrence Journal-World | comment Comment
12/05/01
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Lawrence Journal-World

Picture a typical student film with its arty angles, bad lighting and pretentious observations.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/05/01
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

Talky and terrific!

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
12/04/01
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

Nothing is quite deep, but the actors are utterly at home in their outbreaks and ambushes.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
11/30/01
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Linklater's direction -- all fidgety angles and superfluous motion -- tries vainly to goose and energize a situation that far too often is flat, unengaging and even repellent.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
11/30/01
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

Tape plays in real time in a cramped space, but there are a lot of surprises lurking in the corners of that room.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
11/27/01
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

"Would you guys just figure out what the fuck you're talking about?" Actual line from the film. Actual way you might feel by the time that line is uttered.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
11/26/01
Elias Savada
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online

Tape look simpler than it is. Linklater is well-known for making pictures where characters talk a lot, and this one's claustrophobic setting and small cast provide a tighter narrative and formal focus than usual.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/21/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

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