This Must Be the Place

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: November 2, 2012

7.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 53 Ratings

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Terbo49Dec 29, 2012

Just a mess. This film feels like it was written by a class of stoned film students. Ideas are thrown together seemingly at random. The first part is set in Dublin, with Sean Penn playing Robert Smith. Penn delivers all his lines as thoughJust a mess. This film feels like it was written by a class of stoned film students. Ideas are thrown together seemingly at random. The first part is set in Dublin, with Sean Penn playing Robert Smith. Penn delivers all his lines as though he is watching a really good TV show and is very, very tired. That is ok for the first 10 minutes. France's McDormand doesn't even have to try to steal every scene, and the film gets worse when Penn and we leave her in Ireland and go to America. There's a road journey to Texas, which has no point, a quest which has something to do wight the holocaust (rather insultingly) and wasted cameos by David Byrne and Harry Dean Stanton. None of the characters are there for any reason other than to contribute to banal, disjointed scenes which become quite boring. One example - Penn drives through a puddle and drenches a uniformed marching band. He gets out and says he is sorry, although they should know he did it on purpose. This is the kind of scene that must seem like fun when you are high and desperate to come up with something, but when you string dozens of these scenes together, it's alienating, pointless, and a waste of the talent available.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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DTDunnApr 13, 2013

This film was created solely to test those who rate films. If you gave it more than a 5 (out of 10) then you are too dumb to rate movies. There is nothing going on here. It is a waste of talent and should never have been green-lighted.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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MarcDoyleNov 4, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I completely understand where Joe Morgenstern is coming from in his pan of this film - and when I truly think about it, it's not a film of immense substance, and it doesn't make sense in many ways. But there's something about the way that Penn plays the role that connects with me. The portrayal reminds me of a friend, and perhaps that colored my judgement a bit, but I really feel like I need to see this film again. His ultimate treatment of the Nazi war criminal seemed a bit out of left field to me, and I'm sure it was meant as food for thought. It's the most disturbing movie in an otherwise genial, benign flick.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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nutterjrMay 26, 2013

I think Sorrentino would not have pulled this one off without the involvement of Sean Penn who yet again diversifies his repertoire and like a chameleon he just blends in. Yes it is slow and long, but there is also a fine soundtrack andI think Sorrentino would not have pulled this one off without the involvement of Sean Penn who yet again diversifies his repertoire and like a chameleon he just blends in. Yes it is slow and long, but there is also a fine soundtrack and plenty of food of thought weaved into the storyline.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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dm_punksApr 6, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm glad I came along for the ride with Cheyenne. This is one of the best trips I've ever taken. I realize that maybe this film is not for everybody, but for me it hits a lot of the right spots, including most of all, how everyone misunderstands everybody else. As the movie ended, it felt, as Cheyenne said, that "something's not quite right here. I'm not sure what exactly. But something...."… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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teresitaMar 19, 2013

Never in a million years would I have thought to see Sean Penn dressed as Robert Smith. Which catched my attention making me curious to see this film being a big fan of David Byrne and Robert Smith. This film is a perfect definition on anNever in a million years would I have thought to see Sean Penn dressed as Robert Smith. Which catched my attention making me curious to see this film being a big fan of David Byrne and Robert Smith. This film is a perfect definition on an independent film since it's only for a specific audience who can appreciate misunderstood classic artist which Sean Penn does a perfect example of. The film had a great soundtrack and an unforgettable execution. This film isn't for everybody but I personally enjoyed it.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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dierregiMar 9, 2015

This is one of those movies that totally flat-lined for me. I watched it only because a friend liked and recommended it. However, I had serious doubts about it, after having read the synopsis and seen a photo of Sean Penn in drags. I am not aThis is one of those movies that totally flat-lined for me. I watched it only because a friend liked and recommended it. However, I had serious doubts about it, after having read the synopsis and seen a photo of Sean Penn in drags. I am not a Penn fan, although I would not rule out a movie just because he is in it.

In this particular movie, I really disliked him for lots of reasons: the exasperating monotone of his speech; the phoniness of all his “conversations”; the weird and yet dull interaction with the many bizarre characters populating the movie, etc…

The word “boring” is used quite often when we explain why we did not like a movie. Basically, we did not feel emotionally or intellectually engaged by the story unfolding onscreen. Nothing works against this type of disengagement. No rational explanation will convince you about the deep, inner meaning the director, scriptwriter, actors and other reviewers saw or tried to instill into the story.

Therefore, for me this is the ultimate boring movie. A plot so thin I lost track of it after 10 minutes, totally disengaging and disengaged characters, far too much artsy Penn. I gave up, 1 hour and 6 minutes into it and I am not even sure why I lasted that long. By then, I still had no clue about what was going on and I definitely stopped caring even earlier …..… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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JLuis_001Sep 6, 2017

This Must Be The Place, is a film that exudes warmth, is a peculiar, hilarious and touching film carried out by a transformative Sean Penn, which is how I like to see him the most.
It is true that the film can be disconcerting, but if youThis Must Be The Place, is a film that exudes warmth, is a peculiar, hilarious and touching film carried out by a transformative Sean Penn, which is how I like to see him the most.
It is true that the film can be disconcerting, but if you give it the opportunity you will enjoy it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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DawdlingPoetNov 22, 2021

This is a very quirky film, with an oddball as the main character (known as Cheyenne). He is very guarded and quiet, as unlikely as that may seem given his outwardly extrovert appearance but I liked how he seemed to open up, slowly, toThis is a very quirky film, with an oddball as the main character (known as Cheyenne). He is very guarded and quiet, as unlikely as that may seem given his outwardly extrovert appearance but I liked how he seemed to open up, slowly, to particular people. When he talks, he has an almost spooky or ghoulish muted tone to his voice, which of course is in contrast, as I say, to his goth rock look.

He is quite philosophical in the way he views situations he comes across, everyday or not. There is some very poignant dialogue and I loved the cinematography present, with some beautiful sunset shots. Music wise, there is quite nomadic/quiet (low tempo) folk type music played in the background at times. It'd be fair to say that Sean Penn has played some quite challenging characters in his career to date and this is very much one of them - most certainly not your overly represented average joe type persona. Of course thats no bad thing and I commend him for playing different roles. To start with, this seemed, if anything, too bizarre a film, with no obvious/clear plot direction and I couldn't help but wonder what the point was in what I was watching but as Cheyenne starts to uncover truths and embarks on his journey, it became more decidedly more meaningful. Its not the sort of film thats especially easy to understand/'get' entirely but I certainly enjoyed aspects of it and I feel it was a very quirky and arty film that is worth a watch. I admired it, even though its not at all perfect as such, its certainly a solid and different kind of a film - one I'd recommend.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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