Customer Reviews

Mister Lonely

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Synopsis: If the famous 20th century existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre were to produce a film the '07 cinematic release `Mister Lonely' would be that film. This is a surreal tale of alienation and disconnectedness as played out by a group of impersonators living in a rural mansion estate in France. Michael Jackson (Diego Luna) is the newest arrival to the commune joining; Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Abe Lincoln, the Pope, the Queen of England, Sammy Davis Jr., Madonna, James Dean, the Three Stooges, Little Red Riding Hood and the diminutive Shirley Temple and Buckwheat. They all live out there celebrity delusions 24/7 and for all intents and purposes have become who they idolize thus losing the ability to re-connect with their true selves.

While living and relating to this community of would-be-celebrities Michael slowly begins to see the folly of it all and contemplates leaving the safe confines of the commune and face the harsh world outside without the guise and pretense of being someone else. The question is whether he is strong enough to put aside his celebrity persona and enter the mainstream unknown and alone.

There is also an intermittent secondary storyline concerning a Catholic Priest and a group of Nuns working in a remote area of Latin America. During a flight in a small plane piloted by the Priest one of the Sisters falls out the open cargo door and somehow survives without injury. She believes God has performed a miracle and convinces the other Sisters to test their faith by jumping out of the plane without a parachute, telling them if they truly believe "God will be your parachute". This aspect of the movie initially seems out of place with the main storyline but upon further examination the thoughtful viewer will come to see that it's examining the same existential angst which accompanies feelings of alienation and disconnectedness as the primary storyline. The only difference is here the subplot is dealing with the broken spiritual relationship between God and man instead of man and society.

Critique: The beginning and end are exceptional, the first part successfully drawing the audience into the films highly unorthodox landscape, the last part providing the viewer not so much with a clear cut conclusion but positing a number of existential musings that will stay with you long after viewing. The soundtrack is amazing, especially the music of Silver Mount Zion which accompanies the skydiving Nuns sequence. Be forewarned, the movie is excessively slow and the story is told through images, dialogue and music. If you're looking for action and adventure pass on this one. However if you're someone who enjoys something thoughtful and challenging, you know something you can discuss and decipher over a cup of coffee, this is your film.

My Rating: -3 1/2 Stars-.

Our scene opens with the crooning of Mister Lonely, the classic 1960's tune by Bobby Vinton whilst our young Michael Jackson impersonator glides slowly across the blue sky on a bike with a dangling plush monkey, darting about behind him. Trying to make a living as Michael Jackson(Diego Luna) on the streets of Paris seems to be uneasy, and we see our Michael frustrated although he's quite a ringer. A job booked for him at a senior citizens home gives him some enjoyment as he tells them not to die, and dances his way into meeting a new acquaintance, Marilyn Monroe(Samantha Morton).

Now that he's met Marilyn, there has been new life breathed into him, as she invites him to live along with her and around twenty other impersonators like themselves, in a beautiful castle far from the rest of the world. Though hesitant to leave the comfortability of his room with all the things that have served him well, Michael agrees to move to the commune.

Michael arrives to a warm welcome by his fellow celebrities Charlie Chaplin, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna, James Dean, Sammy Davis Jr., The Pope, The Queen of England, Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Stooges and Buckwheat, although many of them wonder 'why is he here?'


Mister Lonely is surreal, and beautiful with a soundtrack including gorgeous '13 angels standing guard 'round the side of your bed' by A Silver Mt. Zion, and the ethnic 'Mulima Hale' by Salome Nolega & Girls. With images that will re-enter your head for days and weeks after viewing, and a brilliant subplot to reconsider upon.

While watching this film, especially scenes toward the middle involving tense and off-the-wall scenes from the commune I found myself uncomfortable and my attention waning, but in retrospect that is exactly the way it should be. The mood is captured so well, and the personalities and flaws of these celebrities was dealt with a great deal of thought, respect and creativity.


A film that is still entertaining me days later, if you're willing to sit through something a little different, that may result in you asking yourself some of the same questions.

"Who am I? Am I willing to let others see who I really am? Is there a God? What am I doing here?"

This film is one of my favorites in many years. I won't elaborate on the plot, as others have adequately covered this. It delves straight into the myriad issues of identity, and does so masterfully. I especially enjoyed the nun narrative that parallels the impersonator sequences. They artfully address the fragility of people's beliefs about themselves both existentially and spiritually; even if that understanding is a denial of sorts. This is one of the most playful interpretations on these themes that I have ever found. While it understandably takes on a sad undertone, as any reflection on identity inevitably does, the film chooses oddly endearing subjects to capture this universal inquiry. I cannot think of a more enjoyable experience while pondering the vagaries of life than I had while viewing Mister Lonely.

There is a certain idiosyncratic appeal to this small 2008 piece of strange whimsy thanks to Harmony Korine's (Gummo) wholly individualistic filmmaking style. Co-written with his brother Avi, he has created an admittedly weird if visually arresting film that opens with a slow-motion shot of a man in a Michael Jackson outfit, complete with white mask, riding a bicycle with a stuffed monkey attached by a wire flying in the tailwind. This is all accompanied by Bobby Vinton's 1964 falsetto-tinged pop hit, which shares the film's title. However, the movie itself is hamstrung by a disjointed narrative, thinly developed characters, and lethargic pacing that makes the film seem much longer than its 112-minute running time. That's too bad because Korine explores the fallacies of identity with a surprising dexterity. It's just that he can't consistently maintain the uniqueness of his story concept beyond the original set-up.

The protagonist is indeed a Michael Jackson impersonator who performs for change on the streets of Paris. Actually a reticent Mexican expatriate who paints faces on eggs to pass the time in his room, he gets excited when asked to entertain at a rest home. There he meets a kindred spirit in a curvaceous Marilyn Monroe impersonator, who promptly invites him to a castle and farm commune in the Scottish Highlands inhabited by a motley crew of fellow celebrity impersonators. We meet Marilyn's husband, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator, and their moppet daughter, who pretends to be Shirley Temple. Surprisingly, just when you expect Korine to take us on a flight of random fancy, the story takes a more predictable turn into a love triangle of sorts and moves slowly toward a downbeat resolution. In a completely separate storyline, a group of nuns in a Latin American village are given a sense of eternal purpose when one accidentally falls out of a plane and miraculously survives. Korine doesn't bother to show us how one storyline relates to the other, nor does he explain why the diverse array of impersonators would congregate in such an isolated spot. Priority is placed on presenting these strange tableaux rather than building narrative coherence.

The resulting emotional disconnect from the characters makes the cast work that much harder to maintain our interest. At minimum, the principals give sympathetic portrayals despite the challenges. Diego Luna (Tenoch in Y Tu Mama Tambien) does a dynamite impression of Jackson's 80's-era dance moves and even more, captures the innate diffidence of the eccentric superstar's offstage behavior. But it's the chameleonic Samantha Morton (In America), sporting a convincing American accent, who brings heart and vulnerability to her breathy faux-Marilyn. In the other story, renowned German director Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo) seems to be improvising as he plays the priest who wrangles the nuns into their higher calling. Except for Denis Lavant's desultory turn as Chaplin, the rest of the cast fails to make much of an impression beyond their various guises. I just wish the audacity of Korine's venture could have been matched by a gift for storytelling.

This movie was a like looking through a peep hole in a wall at the lives of some off beat, sad, out of the ordinary people. It shows us that there is value in everyones life, no matter how strange they seem to us. It was worth a look!

MISTER LONELY is that sort of film that pleads to be loved. It has an original concept for a plot, it takes many visual and surreal chances, and it is populated with a lovable cast who seem to be having fun with the process. Harmony Korine both wrote (with Avi Korine) and directed this pastiche about people who, frustrated with reality, live their lives as impersonators of famous people. When it works it is delightful: when it gets bogged down with a self-conscious script it falls flat.

'Mister Lonely' (beautifully depicted in the opening sequences under the credits as a child who cannot be what he is told to be) is a young man who takes on the persona of Michael Jackson (Diego Luna), performing dance movements on the streets of Paris as a busker. He encounters a like person who lives impersonating Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton) and before long the two are off to a Highlands commune in Scotland, populated with full time impersonators such as a foul-mouthed Abraham Lincoln (Richard Strange), Charlie Chaplin (Denis Lavant), The Pope (James Fox), Father Umbrillo (Werner Herzog), Sammy Davis, Jr. (Jason Pennycooke), the current Queen Elizabeth (Anita Palenberg), Little Red Riding Hood (Rachel Korine), James Dean (Joseph Morgan), Madonna (Melita Morgan), and flying nuns among others. The story is less a plot than a celebration touched with a bit a angst of how the unnoticed people in the world find a source of belonging by embracing imagination.

The film is choppy and loses some of its potential allure from the editing. The cinematography by Marcel Zyskind captures some truly beautiful moments and the musical score by Jason Spaceman with the Sun City Girls adds a lyrical air to this surreal romp. For lovers of Harmony Korine this movie will please. For viewers with limited attention spans (running time is 112 minutes) the film begs indulgence. Grady Harp, November 08

Micheal Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Abe Lincoln, and others star in this quirky film about a group of celebrity impersonators who just want to put on a show. The movie is filled with strange situations that are simply hilarious. highly recommended for anyone tired of the same old blockbuster stupid comedies that drunk frat boys seem to be making these days... This one is different. and in a good way!

just watch it. and enjoy

You're welcome :)

I saw this film when it played at the IFC Theater in NYC, and it's a wonderful, moving, touching, and beautiful. It's arguably Korine's best film, and it's remarkable that Korine hasn't made a film in 8 years, yet he doesn't miss a beat here.

This is the most surreal of Korine's work. It's about a commune of celebrity impersonators living in this far off chateau somewhere off the coast of Scotland. Many directors might treat these people like freaks and mock them, but Korine doesn't. He treats them with a dignity and a humanity that is sorely lacking in moviemaking today (in both "indie" cinema and mainstream moviemaking). It's the most visually accomplished of Korine's work (it's beautifully shot in widescreen, a vast improvement over the digital video of julien donkey-boy), and it's really sad and moving by the end of the film. Korine's choice of music is exemplary, mixing old time gospel songs with Bobby Vinton ballads. It all seems to work with him.

The performances are the best in any Korine film. The best performance here is the befuddled Pope impersonator, portrayed by the great British actor James Fox. Anita Pallenberg plays the Queen impersonator, and if one remembers classic British cinema, they both appeared in Donald Cammell and Nicholas Roeg's Performance. Werner Herzog is wonderful here as a priest overseeing a group of flying nuns (yes, you read that right, flying nuns). The sequences when they are in flight are beguiling and quite astounding. Samatha Morton is a gorgeous Marilyn Monroe. Diego Luna as Michael Jackson is a little weak here, but not enough to hurt the film or his character at all. The only complaint I can have is some of the dialogue is a little obvious at times. But that's it. It's a small complaint for a film that is really quite special. Many people were surprised at the genuine tenderness in this film, but I wasn't. There was tenderness in julien donkey-boy and even Gummo, but it's underneath the surface.

Korine is one of the best filmmakers America has right now. He is an "independent" director, but in the old fashioned sense of an auteur, like Herzog, Cassavettes, etc., etc.. His films are his own. I'm glad he's back. I missed him.

If you can just accept that you're in for some high pretension, this movie turns out to be sweet, moving, and great.

I swear, my husband likes some weird movies, but this time he went too far! This was TORTURE to sit through! Nothing made sense. You'd think as much money and time as movies take to make, they wouldn't waste their time making this crap! Just my 2 cents.