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The Thorn in the Heart Review

  • Release Date: Apr 02, 2010
  • Rated:
  • Runtime: 1 hr. 26 min.
  • Genres: Documentary
  • Director:Michel Gondry

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

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

  • 3.0
    49

    out of 100

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

  • 40

    out of 100

    Variety Justin Chang

    This moving but far from revelatory portrait of a beloved family figure registers as too slight and personal for significant theatrical play.

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  • 40

    out of 100

    Village Voice

    It's a shock, then, that The Thorn in the Heart, Gondry's documentary about his own family, is so unimaginative and inaccessible.

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  • 40

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter

    Should be intriguing to all who know the family, as well as to cineastes yonder at the arty film schools who will lap up its elliptical/self-reflexive style. Normal people will simply walk out on it.

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  • 42

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

    But overall, this lazy, sweet trifle seems to express the banality of well-being.

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  • 50

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times

    Gondry captures the leafy radiance of the countryside, and he makes judicious use of special-effects whimsies. But this memory piece will have far more resonance for the Gondry family than for anyone else.

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  • 50

    out of 100

    The New York Times

    You might think that the small-scale, straightforward style and intimate connections of The Thorn in the Heart would result in something more emotionally resonant than we're accustomed to from Mr. Gondry, but you'd be disappointed.

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  • See all The Thorn in the Heart reviews at Metacritic.com

Fan Reviews provided by

4

The Thorn in the Heart by tenderghost
Michel Gondry is so adept at expressing the human condition and is successful in that endeavor again with this touching homage to his aunt who obviously influenced his life and art. I loved the 8mm footage from the 60s and 70s, reminded me of the home movies my grandfather shot during my childhood.

5

life of Suzette Gondry by razmatazern
I was able to see this movie at SXSW this year, and I'm grateful that I had that privilege. I really enjoy being able to look into a stranger's life and just learn random tidbits that would otherwise remain unknown. Being able to see the life of Suzette Gondry was very interesting. The film seemed like a personal movie that Michel made just for him and his family, but it was neat being able to watch this film and feel as if you're being welcomed into their lives--if even just a small part. After learning about all the ups and downs of her life and watching the impact she has had on many people, I felt as if Suzette had been a part of my life.

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