Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Drama, Thriller 145 min R
Rotten Tomatoes65%Metacritic60IMDb
New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.
Sign in to log this.
Nostalgic, contemplative, bleak and demanding.
No profiled raters yet.
No reviews yet. Yours would be the first word on it.
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
Motherless Brooklyn’s lead performance recalls two previous Ed Norton outings: Primal Fear and The Score. In the latter two, Norton plays, respectively, a cold-blooded killer posing as a stuttering altar boy, and a thief posing as a mentally-challenged janitor; in the former, he plays Lionel Essrog, a private investigator with Tourette’s syndrome. The key difference is that Lionel really does have Tourette’s and isn’t just pretending. In Primal Fear and The Score there is a performance-within-a-performance, with the character pulling a Sun Tzu and appearing weak when he’s strong in order to achieve an ulterior goal. Conversely, there is no means-to-an-end scenario in Motherless Brooklyn; the protagonist’s handicap is genuine, and while Norton does this medical condition justice like only he can, it sadly turns out to be a hindrance not only for the character, but also the actor, the movie, and even the audience. There is enough material here for two films, and Norton, who writes, produces, and directs, neglects to edit; perhaps he should have been as involved in his own movie’s cutting process as he was in American History X’s, instead of leaving the responsibility to the undisting
Read the whole review on TMDBMotherless Brooklyn’s lead performance recalls two previous Ed Norton outings: Primal Fear and The Score. In the latter two, Norton plays, respectively, a cold-blooded killer posing as a stuttering altar boy, and a thief posing as a mentally-challenged janitor; in the former, he plays Lionel Essrog, a private investigator with Tourette’s syndrome. The key difference is that Lionel really does have Tourette’s and isn’t just pretending. In Primal Fear and The Score there is a performance-within-a-performance, with the character pulling a Sun Tzu and appearing weak when he’s strong in order to achieve an ulterior goal. Conversely, there is no means-to-an-end scenario in Motherless Brooklyn; the protagonist’s handicap is genuine, and while Norton does this medical condition justice like only he can, it sadly turns out to be a hindrance not only for the character, but also the actor, the movie, and even the audience. There is enough material here for two films, and Norton, who writes, produces, and directs, neglects to edit; perhaps he should have been as involved in his own movie’s cutting process as he was in American History X’s, instead of leaving the responsibility to the undisting
Read the whole review on TMDBIt's a difficult task to pace a noir for a modern audience, and you can feel the two and a half hour runtime. The story is interesting and the parallels to America in the present day are welcomed, but there isn't enough tonal balance to contrast all the shadowy moodiness. The plot is on the more convoluted side, and you'd imagine that with it being a story about following a trail of clues, 'Motherless Brooklyn' would reward repeat viewings - but I'm not sure I would optionally sit through all of it again. There is nothing inherently wrong with this film, bar some odd edits and framing choices, and Norton tackles the material fairly well, creating a great tribute to the noir era of filmmaking. It sometimes treads the line of parody rather than homage, but for anyone in the mood for crime mystery in the vein of 'Chinatown' or 'L.A. Confidential', this will absolutely hit the spot. - Joel Kalkopf Read Joel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-motherless-brooklyn-a-neo-noir-set-in-1950s-new-york
Read the whole review on TMDBChecking availability…
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Taste Buds
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the slow pace a feature rather than a flaw?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Would a little humor have helped?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
| Rent | |
|---|---|
| Buy |
US availability, powered by JustWatch via TMDB. Each chip opens that service’s search for the title. Other regions on JustWatch
