Product Details

• Actors: Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, Mike Bradecich, Debbi Burns
• Directors: Michael Keaton
• Writers: Ron Lazzeretti
• Producers: Tom Bastounes, Christina Varotsis, Paul J. Duggan, Steven A. Jones
• Format: Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Genius Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002KGVB7S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,042 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Merry Gentleman" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 11/10/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Low key hitman melodrama, a little holiday thrown in, November 12, 2009

By 

Steve Kuehl "SLV Video" (Boulder Creek, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Merry Gentleman (DVD)

Michael Keaton has one of the best hit man faces out there, and I enjoyed watching this slow paced tale unfold and in the end, embrace a certain ambiguity.

The story follows the unlikely crossing of paths between a professional hitter and a Scottish secretary who inadvertently sees Keaton after he has sniped someone. We never get too much background on him, nor why he does anything that he does, but we do get a relationship development theme. What made this stand out was the writing regarding the police, they were shown as actually figuring out the mysteries surrounding the story (instead of them being oblivious and looking dumb). Not the most conclusive ending for the characters, but I liked it.

The DVD clarity is good and the sound is adequate; the supplement is a 16 minute making-of that had some good behind the scenes about Keaton's thought process on both sides of the camera. 3.5 for the film and DVD quality, .5 for the supplement.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Keaton, the Sleeping Giant, January 29, 2011

By 

Snozberry - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Merry Gentleman (DVD)

Those who know and admire Keaton's work will long have considered him both underappreciated and diverse. From madcap comedies like Night Shift and Mr. Mom to harrowing dramas like Clean & Sober and Game 6, Keaton is one of our most valued cinematic resources all but ignored in modern Hollywood. And yet, he was somehow able to secure financing and helm this touching character study about loneliness. It's a quiet film, the kind you have to lean into and meet on its own terms. While it may involve a hit man, an abused woman and a meddlesome policeman, The Merry Gentleman is independent to the bone. The pacing is very deliberate and static. And while it may not be for everyone, if you favor stillness over bombast, character over action, you should be pleasantly surprised by it.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A confused yet moderately entertaining Christmas noir., October 16, 2009

By 

Russell Fanelli (Longmeadow, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Merry Gentleman (DVD)

The title of The Merry Gentleman, Michael Keaton's directorial debut, comes from the beginning of the film when hitman Keaton helps secretary Kelly MacDonald, who has fallen under a Christmas Tree she is trying to bring into her apartment. Earlier, MacDonald saw Keaton standing on the ledge of a building across from her office. Keaton had just made a "hit" and was contemplating suicide. It turns out that Keaton is a tailor who kills people on the side and hates himself for it. Does he show up at MacDonald's door to kill her because she might be able to identify him? After helping her bring her tree into her apartment, he walks away, only to return the next day to visit her. Unfortunately, he has pneumonia and falls senseless the ground outside her apartment. MacDonald finds him, gets him to the hospital, and a beautiful friendship is born -- on Christmas Day, no less.

All this described action takes place in the first few minutes of the movie. The rest of the film explores the relationship of Keaton and MacDonald, and it is well done. If the film doesn't make much sense, we don't care because we are genuinely interested in what is going to happen to this odd couple. The police are after Keaton and MacDonald's abusive husband is after her. Will the police catch Keaton and will MacDonald's husband find her? We care about the answers to these questions and watch with some interest as the plot plays out.

As mentioned in the beginning of this review, this film is Michael Keaton's directorial debut. He directs his cast, particularly MacDonald, reasonably well, but the story is confusing, particularly his own role as hitman. All the characters related to the hitman part of the story are given marginal status in the film. They appear, disappear, and are forgotten. We have no idea what motivates Keaton and this is a problem. How are we to understand his behavior towards MacDonald? He kills people mercilessly, yet he is kind and caring toward MacDonald.

I have been careful to avoid mentioning any spoilers in this review. I recommend the film because the Keaton/MacDonald story is genuinely interesting and well done. At the very end the viewer can decide what sense it all makes. I must admit confusion and some slight disappointment.