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Brief Interviews With Hideous Men Review

Release Date: Sep 25, 2009
Rated:
Runtime: 1 hr. 12 min.
Genres: Drama
Director:John Krasinski
Cast:Julianne Nicholson, John Krasinski, Bobby Cannavale, Timothy Hutton, Dominic Cooper. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

1.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

Not brief enough. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

3.0

44

out of 100

Metascore^®
Mixed or average reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
63

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
An insightful, sharply written and unsettlingly amusing exploration of the darker elements of masculinity.

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67

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
At times, the movie could have been called "Me and You and Every One of the Bastards We Know," but Krasinski preserves Wallace's whooshing roller coasters of words, powered by the fuel of confession.

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70

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter James Greenberg
One hell of a date movie. A surgical examination of the male psyche based on David Foster Wallace's book and written and directed by John Krasinski, there is plenty of food for thought and argument.

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 16+

Intense look at gender and relationships is best for adults.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this indie relationship drama directed by The Office star John Krasinski based on the story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace is aimed at adults. The subject matter can feel very heavy, and the characters who deliver the movie's intense monologues/conversations about the coolly detached -- and sometimes destructive -- ways that men interact with women are are deeply flawed. Expect some swearing (including words like "f--k"), sexual references, social drinking, and smoking.

Families can talk about how the movie depicts relationships. How are men portrayed? What about women? Does this seem realistic to you?
Do the men seem like a certain "type"? Are they clichéd or multi-faceted? Are the filmmakers reinforcing stereotypes or confronting them?

The good stuff

Messages: The movie presents a multifaceted, complex portrait of modern relationships -- there's no simple take-away here. Women don’t have it easy, but neither do men.
Role models: Most, but not all, of the men in the film come across as deeply flawed -- to the point of near caricature. They're depicted as chauvinistic, opportunistic, or just plain messed up. The female protagonist, though equally flawed, appears to be very strong.

What to watch for

Violence: Though no one is physically hurt, some of the stories the men tell are demeaning of women. And in some, there's an undercurrent of hostility.
Sex: Men and women aren’t shown actually hooking up, but some scenes depict men ogling women or picking them up. A couple is shown cuddling.
Language: Fairly raw. Everything from “damn” to “f--k.”
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some social drinking and smoking by adult characters.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.