Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

Name: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
Genre: Drama, Musical
Released: November 5, 2010
Duration: 82 min
Rating: 83

2010

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench

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Movie Details & Credits

Variance Films | Release Date: November 5, 2010

Summary: A full-fledged song-and-dance musical, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench tells the story of two separated lovers, a young jazz trumpeter and an introverted woman, who slowly wind their way back into each other's lives through a series of romances and near-romances punctuated by song. (Variance Films)

Director: Damien Chazelle

Genre(s): Drama, Musical

Runtime: 82 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Dec 12, 2010

Damien Chazelle's extraordinary black-and-white retro dream of a feature debut. Read full review

Ian Buckwalter

Dec 12, 2010

If John Cassavetes had directed a jazz musical by Jacques Demy, it might have looked something like this. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Dec 12, 2010

Visually distinctive and aurally delightful, "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" has style to burn. A soulful black-and-white commentary on love, art and their competing demands, this Boston-based musical from Damien Chazelle floats on a wave of spontaneity and charm. Read full review

Betsy Sharkey

Dec 9, 2010

You might want to tuck Damien Chazelle's name into your memory bank if his filmmaking debut, the terrific jazz improvisation that is Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, is any indication of what his future might hold. Read full review

John Anderson

Dec 12, 2010

A surprise, a delight and a whimsical experiment. Read full review

Josh Larsen

Oct 10, 2018

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench has more ambition than its talent can possibly live up to, but it’s an invigorating experience nonetheless. Read full review

Keith Uhlich

Dec 12, 2010

That the duo will work their way back to each other is never in doubt, although Chazelle doesn't succumb to easy sentiment. If anything, he moves too far in the other direction, aiming for a wizened ambiguity that doesn't entirely come off. Read full review

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User Reviews

gillespie

Jan 13, 2014

Really sweet and moving. The people in it felt like real people. The music is lovely. It's a different kind of movie, you need an open mind, but it's one of my fave indies of recent years

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

amheretojudge

Jun 20, 2019

Chazelle is an excellent director, even better than he is a writer, check this one, for example.

Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench Chazelle is a musician. That's a known fact but he is a true fanatic. Now the difference is, that he craves for the chills that he gets when he listens to hisChazelle is an excellent director, even better than he is a writer, check this one, for example.

Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench

Chazelle is a musician. That's a known fact but he is a true fanatic. Now the difference is, that he craves for the chills that he gets when he listens to his favorite records. Now, Damien Chazelle is also a writer and director. And this is where everything works out perfectly. His communication skills are off the charts. What he feels, is passed on to you like heritage, leaving you moved in the seat. Emotionally broken and sensitively tender, a coming of age genre is presented here and Chazelle's circle is so pure and passionate, that I don't remember listening to a bad word in this film. If you want to see an execution living up to the expectations of the script. There is a shot between just a boy and a girl gazing at each other in a train.

The camera work is intimate with close ups and sharp editing that builds up the affection or attraction step by step. It's quite a productive method, if you think about it, the way he writes. A smart move. He first and foremost, figures out the core reason of that scene's contribution in the narration and it being at that place on the trajectory line. And then deliberately blocks his characters from moving towards it but creating bizarrely genius scenarios, making them earn that piece of note.

For instance tale the shower scene. Both the lead characters wishes to be away from each other at that moment, but circumstances are pushing them against their will. They are not happy with the decisions. And to top it off, the metaphor too works in his favour. The musical sequences are meant to be more practical than cinematic, almost as if this was non La La Land. Chazelle's Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench is his first, it is dear to him, he shares it with us, and so it is to us.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

kimchi

Nov 10, 2010

This film does not display the level of thought, planning, and meaningful execution that it rather painfully reaches for. Having seen films that create very successful raw and realistic depictions of human relationships, this film's blatant, aching attemps render as weak , forced andThis film does not display the level of thought, planning, and meaningful execution that it rather painfully reaches for. Having seen films that create very successful raw and realistic depictions of human relationships, this film's blatant, aching attemps render as weak , forced and misguided. The whole film reads as a premature stride towards a 'genius' work, and in falling short the film seems wobbly and underthought. The 'artistic' elements are tacked onto to an unstable, meandering, and inconclusive plot. The seemingly unnecessary black-and-white filming, shots taken from behind blurry heads and laughably awkward song-and-dance numbers add to a cringe-factor that had the audience giggling anxiously rather than in enjoyment. Truly can't understand the high ratings, especially from sources I usually trust.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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