Paranoid Park

Name: Paranoid Park
Genre: Drama, Sport, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: March 7, 2008
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 84
Cast: Daniel Liu, Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen

2008

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 95 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 95 Ratings

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Paranoid Park

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: March 7, 2008 | R

Starring: Daniel Liu, Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen

Summary: An unsolved murder at Portland's infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey in which he must not only deal with the pain and disconnect of adolescence but also the consequences of his own actions.[IFC First Take]

Director: Gus Van Sant

Genre(s): Drama, Sport, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 85 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

J. Hoberman

The pleasing circularity of Gus Van Sant's masterful Paranoid Park is not only a function of the film's narrative structure but reflects the arc of its maker's career. Few directors have revisited their earliest concerns with such vigor. Read full review

100

David Wiegand

Appropriately structured like a ride on skateboard: It swoops back and forth in time, hovers in midair, twists back on itself over and over again, then rolls into silence. Read full review

Keith Phipps

It's a film assembled from moments out of time, destined forever to weigh down the boy at their center. Read full review

Jason McBride

It might seem, from 2002's "Gerry" to his ersatz Kurt Cobain biopic, "Last Days," that Gus Van Sant has been making the same movie: an enigmatic and poetic paean to (teenaged) male beauty, disaffection and inscrutability. Read full review

Kirk Honeycutt

In Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant enters the world of high school kids just as he did in "Elephant," achieving this time a much sharper, more focused portrait of how these rapidly maturing young people act, think, speak and behave. Read full review

Wesley Morris

Slight but fascinating. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

There's some striking camerawork by Christopher Doyle (in 35-millimeter) and Rain Kathy Li (in Super-8), though this doesn't alter the overall feeling of random, nihilistic drift. Read full review

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User Reviews

Z.Wyatt

Apr 25, 2008

This was just spectacular film-making. Intimate, claustrophobic. Pure tone throughout.

2 of 2 users found this helpful

KenH.

Apr 18, 2008

Its a slow-moving, stylized and quiet film that will only reward viewers who are attentive and thoughtful. If you are looking for a standard narrative and standard "good versus evil" ethics, you will certainly be disappointed. What we do get is an impressive film that tries to create a few Its a slow-moving, stylized and quiet film that will only reward viewers who are attentive and thoughtful. If you are looking for a standard narrative and standard "good versus evil" ethics, you will certainly be disappointed. What we do get is an impressive film that tries to create a few days in the life of a typical teenager when something extraordinary happens to him. I suppose you could call it a coming of age flick, but you'd be missing the point if you labeled it simply as that. It has only one real fault -- a select few of the young actors fail as actors and it can wrench the viewer right out of the moment.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DanK

Jul 29, 2009

I haven't seen this many split reviews since There Will be Blood. Instead of saying, "this movie sucks," how about, "I didn't like this movie." Or, better yet, aren't people interested in why critics loved this movie when so many viewers did not? It seems a little indulgent I haven't seen this many split reviews since There Will be Blood. Instead of saying, "this movie sucks," how about, "I didn't like this movie." Or, better yet, aren't people interested in why critics loved this movie when so many viewers did not? It seems a little indulgent and egocentric to give the final word on a movie (film critics are paid to do this). This story was filmed in slow motion to reflect how the teen was feeling at the moment. His entire world was turned up side down (much like the skateboarders in mid-flight) after the traumatic incident, and he was trying to piece it all together. Has anyone ever had a traumatic moment in your life where everything seemed to move in slow motion? When you felt you couldn't think, and everything was floating in space? That was the effect Van Sant was going for. I personally appreciated this movie because it was daring enough to take its time. This film reminded me of foreign classics like L'avventura and I Vitelloni, where the journey of the character is most important, even more so than the plot. Modern audiences like a neatly wrapped up story, which is fine. It is just not as challenging nor does it make the audience think as much. This film leaves a lot to be discussed, such as what should the boy have done? What will happen to him? What should happen to him? The slow camera work allows us to feel the trauma that he is feeling, not just see it. The fact that the film takes its time allows the audience to get to know the characters more (if the audience member does not allow himself or herself to get annoyed by the slow-moving plot). This film is not for everyone. For those who like mainstream movies, stick to what you know you will like. Don't waste your time listening to critics because you don't like the same things. Ask your friends for advice instead. For those who watch films and cannot figure out why a critic liked the film so much, you don't have to like the film, but try thinking about it empathetically instead of simply bashing something that you just don't understand.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

JosephG.

Mar 29, 2008

I'm sorry to say that despite what is a very very fine movie, some of the acting (particularly by the protagonists buddy) is so bloody awful as to remove any possibility of immersion. And in such a beautiful film, and so quiet and so unique, immersion is offered up and laid out and I'm sorry to say that despite what is a very very fine movie, some of the acting (particularly by the protagonists buddy) is so bloody awful as to remove any possibility of immersion. And in such a beautiful film, and so quiet and so unique, immersion is offered up and laid out and then stunted by such poor acting. The aesthetic of amateurs that Van Sant likes so much means that some forgiveness is necessary while watching his movies because some skills slip through the cracks, particularly because bad acting for his actors just means we're seeing more of who the actor really is as an individual; and that works great. But in this movie, it was so opposed to both who the character could've possibly been meant to be, and whoever this person was off camera that it entered into some kind of world where at times there was no believing the movie and no comfort in the sudden recognition that you're sitting in a theater watching it. Sorry, long way of saying that some of the acting was unforgivably awful.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

JoshB.

Apr 2, 2008

I get why all the critics went ga-ga for this movie-- it's very atmospheric and arty. But it's hard to care about any of the characters, so at the end I was left with a big "So what?"

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RobertH.

Aug 5, 2008

Terrible. I mean the dialogue, for starters, has been praised for the realistic feel of "real teenagers" and how they "really speak" I would compare it to how a real teenager would speak during a crappy school production. Secondly, the artsy shots of skateboarders throughout the film with Terrible. I mean the dialogue, for starters, has been praised for the realistic feel of "real teenagers" and how they "really speak" I would compare it to how a real teenager would speak during a crappy school production. Secondly, the artsy shots of skateboarders throughout the film with low quality film stock. Very gritty indeed. More like filler if you ask me. I give the same treatment to those slow motion long shots of the main character and a couple others in slow motion while some crap O.C. rock music (or whatever you want to call it) playing in the background. I'm sure if you took out all these moments and left the actual meat of this snore-fest you would not be left with enough material to make an entire feature film. Which is why i think people call this movie too long. Just the whole film in general really. The protagonist reminds me of a young Edward Furlong, without the personality. The rest of the cast while they may be realistic in that, yes, they are teenagers, does not mean they will perform like a real teenager on screen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DavidC

Jan 2, 2009

If you like scenes in slow motion walking boy are you in for a treat because this movie has lots of it. Not to be typecast, it also has slow motion skateboarding and various other slow motion activities. Critics for some reason love Van Sant, you won

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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