Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Dummy

Play trailer Poster for Dummy R 2003 1h 30m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Unhappy with his overall life, Steven Schoichet (Adrien Brody) decides to pursue his dream to be a professional ventriloquist. His family is neither supportive nor particularly critical. Luckily, Steven finds work through an attractive unemployment counselor (Vera Farmiga). While any potential romance is complicated by Steven's personal baggage -- and friends like Fangora (Milla Jovovich), who can't help giving bad relationship advice -- things start to change, thanks to his devotion to his art.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Dummy

Dummy

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Dummy is a sweet family comedy that succeeds due to charming performances, even if the final product feels slightly undercooked.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Rick Groen Globe and Mail 09/26/2003
2/4
Definitely lives down to its name -- you can see the lips moving on this wooden thing. Go to Full Review
Richard Roeper Ebert & Roeper 09/15/2003
[T]he best ventriloquist -stalker -family-drama -romantic -comedy I've seen in, well maybe forever. Go to Full Review
V.A. Musetto New York Post 09/12/2003
2/4
What could have been a biting dark comedy is, instead, uninspired and generic. Go to Full Review
Matthew Turner ViewLondon 06/25/2009
3/5
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 03/13/2006
2/5
Jordan Hiller Bangitout.com 12/09/2004
3.5
Pritikin may be asking his audience to pay attention and embrace small successes, but with Dummy, he has pulled off a great one. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Gabrielle M Nov 28 Honestly, I think this is a sleeper hit. It's quirky in a way that not everyone loves but I sure do. From Mila Jovovich's obsession with John Philip Sousa marches and Yiddish, to the depressive Adrien Brody who is just not a good ventriloquist, with stops along the way in utter contempt from cartoonishly funny Ileana Douglas, this movie is a gem. The mood is sort of along the lines of Little Miss Sunshine, maybe mixed with some Napoleon Dynamite and Welcome to the Dollhouse. See more 01/26/2021 Thought this would be darker, funnier or more entertaining 2.2 See more 06/01/2017 Odd story that just did not resinate with me. See more 05/29/2016 cinegeek.de Our Daily Free Stream: Dummy. Greg Pritikins Dummy gehört zum Sub-Genre amerikanischer Indie Komödien über den Typus des liebenswerten Losers. Der zweideutige Titel bezieht sich auf Adrien Brody, der einen schmerzhaft schüchternen Mann namens Steven spielt. Steven lebt mit Mitte zwanzig noch bei seinen ewig streitenden Eltern und der tragisch unverheirateten grossen Schwester Heidi (Illeana Douglas). ''You look like a child molester", bemerkt Heidi zu Steven mit seinem Dummy auf dem Schoss. Dummy aber ist kein Kind, sondern eine Bauchredner Puppe. Dummy ist viel selbstbewusster und energischer als Steven (und wird von Adrien Brody selbst als Bauchredner gesprochen!). Im Grunde verkörpert Dummy das, was Steven nie werden konnte: Ein unverblümt auftretender unabhängiger Erwachsener. Und wie läuft es mit Steven und den Frauen? Wir edürfen das erleben, wenn er ungeschickt die Mitarbeiterin des Arbeitslosenamtes Lorena (Vera Farmiga) umwirbt... Der ganze Film scheint mir vollgestopft mit unfertigen Erwachsenen; nicht nur Steven und Heidi. Ferner treten auf: Michael (Jared Harris), Heidis voriger Verlobter, der Drogenprobleme hat und die Aussenseiterin aus Stevens alter Schule (Milla Jovovich), die sich jetzt Fangora nennt, um Karriere als Punk Rocker zu machen. Die Beziehung von Steven und Fangora könnte man als das Gegenteil von Sex bezeichnen. Fangora rät ihm, einen Liebesbeweis an Lorenas Tür zu sprayen - was im Desaster endet... So lieb und kindlich sind die Figuren in Dummy, dass der Film eine ganz besondere, freundliche Note bekommt. Fangora schliesslich akzeptiert sogar, mit ihrer Punkband einen Klezmer Gig auf einer Hochzeit zu spielen - ohne auch nur annährend zu wissen, was das überhaupt ist. Solche Momente machen Dummy zu einem ganz eigenständigen Film. Er erfindet das Genre der Indie-Komödie zwar nicht neu, findet aber seinen ganz eigenen Tonfall. Die Klezmer Szene jedenfalls ist unvergesslich komisch! Adrien Brody, dessen Augen fortwährend zu starren scheinen, füllt die Rolle des Steven spielend. Milla Jovovich habe ich nie besser erlebt als in Dummy. Hier beweist sie das Talent zur Komödiantin! Du suchst einen kleinen (grossen) Film zum entdecken? Bitte schön. See more brandon w 06/06/2015 Dummy is a really great movie that I underestimate Milla Jovovich. Adrien Brody is really good in it, and does a good job of playing a ventriloquist. It has some good jokes in it, although there are some that I don't even know if I was suppose to laugh or not at it. The script is really good and makes sense in situations that happened. One of the most unexpected highlights of the film that absolutely stole the show, is Milla Jovovich. I only saw her in The Fifth Element which she's good in, and some of the Resident Evil movies which I didn't care about her performance, but in this, she gives a different performance from any of those movies that I seen, and I find her acting to be really great, and she's hilarious which I've never expected her to be funny in this. Dummy is a very funny quirky movie that has the charm and heart from the cast. See more 06/06/2015 Funny at times, yet mostly strange and incoherent in its story. See more Read all reviews
Dummy

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Testosterone 6% 35% Testosterone Watchlist Roger Dodger 88% 76% Roger Dodger Watchlist Raising Victor Vargas 96% 83% Raising Victor Vargas Watchlist Lonesome Jim 61% 57% Lonesome Jim Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Unhappy with his overall life, Steven Schoichet (Adrien Brody) decides to pursue his dream to be a professional ventriloquist. His family is neither supportive nor particularly critical. Luckily, Steven finds work through an attractive unemployment counselor (Vera Farmiga). While any potential romance is complicated by Steven's personal baggage -- and friends like Fangora (Milla Jovovich), who can't help giving bad relationship advice -- things start to change, thanks to his devotion to his art.
Director
Greg Pritikin
Producer
Richard Temtchine, Bob Fagan
Screenwriter
Greg Pritikin
Distributor
Artisan Entertainment
Production Co
Quadrant Entertainment
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 12, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 16, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$71.3K
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
Most Popular at Home Now