Product Details

• Actors: Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson, Christine Taylor, Bob Balaban
• Directors: Justin Theroux
• Writers: David Bromberg
• Producers: Carina Alves, Celine Rattray, Chip Seelig, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Galt Niederhoffer
• Format: Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Weinstein Company
• DVD Release Date: February 12, 2008
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00104AYFQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,984 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Dedication" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At first glance, Justin Theroux's directorial debut looks like a romantic comedy, but it's really a character study. And misanthropic children's book author Henry (Billy Crudup, who worked with Theroux in Broadway's Three Sisters) is one heck of a character. For inspiration, he turns to the Japanese cult classic Gamera. When feeling stressed, he piles books on his prone chest. Henry has worked with illustrator Rudy (Tom Wilkinson, Crudup's Stage Beauty co-star) for 15 years when the unthinkable happens. Contractually obligated to produce another Marty the Beaver adventure, his agent (Bob Balaban) partners him with doctoral-candidate-turned-artist Lucy (Mandy Moore). While Henry mourns his only friend, Lucy nurses a broken heart--her mother/landlord (Dianne Wiest) has just evicted her and her boyfriend/thesis advisor (Martin Freeman) has just dumped her. It's discomfort at first sight, but feelings soften as these wounded personalities learn to work--and heal--together. You can see the conclusion coming from a mile away, and Moore's character is underwritten (David Bromberg penned the script), but Crudup makes what could be an indie film cliché--the New York neurotic--almost seem fresh. As for Theroux, a busy actor best known for his movies with David Lynch, like Mulholland Drive, the first-timer has a sharp eye for the arresting image and a discriminating ear for the evocative tune--the soundtrack includes music by alternative rock favorites Deerhoof, Cat Power, and Joanna Newsom. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Dedication is a modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex children’s book author named Henry is forced to team up with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Film, February 10, 2008

By	sec127 (Getzville, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This is not your standard romantic comedy. The DVD box wants you to believe it is, but anyone looking for something like "How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days" is sorely mistaken. "Dedication", is a beautiful and heartfelt film tho, Justin Theroux makes a sensational directing debut. Fine performances from the always great Billy Crudup and the sweetheart only known as Mandy Moore. This is a film about redemption, loss and healing. Two lost souls who manage to find each other. Great music, great visuals and good work from all supporting players (Tom Wilkinson, Dianne Wiest, Christine Taylor, Martin Freeman, Peter Bogdanovich) make this a neat little indie film to see.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like jagged glass, February 15, 2008

By	Liberty Slater "Notthestatue" (London and New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

a bit dark, a big uncooth and broken, but beautiful, shining nevertheless.
I'm hesitant to compare this film to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind. Still, it's very much that kind of genre. So if that's your thing, this movie will deliver in every possible way and throw you through an entire spectrum of emotion and then some. It's believable, original; and yet still, very magical. Don't be fooled by the bland cover art, it's fantastic.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dedication to Love and Life, June 12, 2008

By	A. Jorgensen "Celmos" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Henry Roth (Billy Crudup) writes books for children all the while
suffering from the ramifications of a childhood with a missing father
and an abusive, probably violent, mother. He has a bit of an OCD
problem as well.

His mentor, best friend, and parent replacement, is Rudy Holt (Tom
Wilkinson), who illustrates Henry's books. When Rudy dies, Henry is
devastated. He keeps imagining seeing Rudy, thus continuing to let
'Rudy' tell him how to handle Life. Something Henry is not very good at
at his own.

He is teamed up by his publisher Planck (Bob Balaban) with a new
illustrator, Lucy (Mandy Moore). In the beginning, he treats her like
he would anybody else, which means mean, but it becomes very clear that
she is a nice person and quickly he begins to like her. But he doesn't
know how to break the habit of being strange and sarcastic. (Anybody
who's been shy and hurt knows that being rude or weird is a perfect way
to stay safe; to keep people away from the core).

Here is what he tells her in one long hilarious monologue which
conveyed by the brilliant Billy Crudup comes out exasperated,
hesitantly and too fast all at the same time and with a voice that is
nearly broken , due to the fact that he has realized that he's told her
far too much:

"I hate my mother I hate my goddamn dead father more, Rudy was the only
friend I ever had, I had a girlfriend once who I used to like to
masturbate to more than have sex with, carrots and snakes frighten me
um I'm superstitious about the numbers (3. 5. 7) I can only stir things
counter-clockwise and I know that if I don't something bad will happen,
I take a size 11 and a half shoe I don't have a favorite book, I don't
drive or ride in cars, statistically speaking you have a 100% chance of
being in an accident in your lifetime, they're death boxes, I give to
Amnesty International on the off chance that I'm ever imprisoned and
tortured for my political beliefs, paradoxically I have no political
beliefs, um Life is pain, black kids are cuter than white ones, I
didn't mean it when I compared you to our waitress I was only trying to
hurt you, I could've been meaner about your looks and what I would have
said would've made you cry, I have a towel I can't throw out because it
may have feelings, when I ejaculate I go into deep depressions, though
by any standard you're a nice person I deeply resent having to work
with you, I love Japanese monster movies, Gamera specifically.."

Ultimately, it's a love story told in a funny, quirky way and with
great performances by Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, not to mention Bob
Balaban. Mandy Moore does a good job as well.