Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Name: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Genre: Biography, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Released: November 10, 2006
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr.

2006

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Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Ratings

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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus

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Movie Details & Credits

Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: November 10, 2006 | R

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr.

Summary: Fur creates a ravishing imaginary portrait of the visionary artist Diane Arbus. Much as an actual Arbus photo transports us into strange and unfamiliar worlds, Fur travels through the looking glass to explore the transformation of a shy woman into a powerfully original artist. (Picturehouse)

Director: Steven Shainberg

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Mystery, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 122 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Scott Foundas

Much of the film is as strange and oddly beautiful as one of Arbus' own photographs, bold in its attempt to find new ways of cracking the biopic chestnut and sensitive in its portrayal of a 1950s woman who, like so many of her contemporaries, finds herself imprisoned in a "Good Housekeeping" nightmare. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Yet whenever you get too irritated at Fur's pretensions, the remarkable acting of its two stars pulls you back in and keeps you watching. Read full review

James Berardinelli

This is a Beauty & the Beast romance between Nicole Kidman and Chewbacca. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh

In the end, the sheer obviousness of Shainberg and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson's take on Diane Arbus' perverse determination to examine and document the forbidden overshadows even Kidman's beautifully modulated performance, which takes Diane from brittle neurosis to a vaguely predatory ingenuousness. Read full review

David Denby

Wilson and the director, Steven Shainberg, draw on Arbus's family and on many elements from her life and her art, only to turn the material into feeble nonsense. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Fur is a folly, though not a dishonorable one. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Shainberg reduces this most disturbing of all photographers to a portraitist of Halloween. Read full review

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User Reviews

karlk.

Nov 9, 2006

A wonderfoul movie..a sweet love story.. nicole kidman and robert downey jr are great.. unfortnuely i don't understand all these bad reviews..that's a pity, because the movie is very very good.

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toddb.

Nov 12, 2006

Sublime. At the moment, film makers are ahead of film criticism.

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BronW

Mar 29, 2010

Sublime in every way and constantly enthralling. Brilliant, beautiful acting from the leads and wonderful direction. I admit, having no prior knowledge of Diane Arbus and not expecting to learn about her from this movie may be a helpful way to approach it, but I found it nothing but Sublime in every way and constantly enthralling. Brilliant, beautiful acting from the leads and wonderful direction. I admit, having no prior knowledge of Diane Arbus and not expecting to learn about her from this movie may be a helpful way to approach it, but I found it nothing but evocative, moving and sensual.… Expand

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MayaB.

Apr 14, 2009

If nobody had been so adamant about making this film "about" Diane Arbus, it would be a perfect story about how an uncommon woman, living in the lap of luxury and perfection, discovers her own capability to see beyond the shape of things and boredom that privilege means. Unfortunately, If nobody had been so adamant about making this film "about" Diane Arbus, it would be a perfect story about how an uncommon woman, living in the lap of luxury and perfection, discovers her own capability to see beyond the shape of things and boredom that privilege means. Unfortunately, Trying to impose a good fairy tale on the personality of a real, talented woman who obviously never believed in such fairy tales, judging from the raw unsentimentality of her work is a huge mistake. Take out all the allusions to Arbus' photography (and the snail pacing at the beginning) and the movie works like a charm.… Expand

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BillyS.

Dec 4, 2006

Don't get me wrong, Fur is a good love story. Nicole Kidman is, as always, wonderful. Robert Downey Jr. is well on his way back to the higher echelons of actors working today, and in Fur he gives his bravest performance to date. The music by Carter Burwell and Bill Pope's Don't get me wrong, Fur is a good love story. Nicole Kidman is, as always, wonderful. Robert Downey Jr. is well on his way back to the higher echelons of actors working today, and in Fur he gives his bravest performance to date. The music by Carter Burwell and Bill Pope's cinematography mesh together perfectly. The story is, like the title says- imaginative, so much in fact, that they should cut all the "arty" pretense and just call it - "Fur- An Imaginary Take on Beauty and the Beast".… Expand

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smijatov

Jun 10, 2012

I had high expectations of "Fur" and of Nicole Kidman, and at least one of them didn't disappoint. This seems to be Kidman's 'star vehicle film' where she showcases how great she is in biopics. And, she does show it. She is great in this. However, that is not enough to save theI had high expectations of "Fur" and of Nicole Kidman, and at least one of them didn't disappoint. This seems to be Kidman's 'star vehicle film' where she showcases how great she is in biopics. And, she does show it. She is great in this. However, that is not enough to save the poorly-conceived film. If the director and producers didn't decide to screw around with the screenplay and make it an "imaginary portrait" of the great photographer, this might have looked much differently. Be it as it may, the film feels rather directionless and pointless. It never arrives to a larger point. It just feels like it's a random snipped of Arbus' life, without much giving us an explanation to understand Airbus' story. Sadly misguided film that could have been much better, but it at least gave us a standardly good performance by Kidman.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PnArdyPnArdy

May 13, 2007

It's an awful freaky drama romance that features Nicole Kidman. A love story of the beauty and the beast that takes place in the beginning of a century and is based on exploration and exploitation of a fetish sexuality of a young shy woman. There's nothing sexy about it.

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