Ask the Dust

R

Released Mar 10, 2006

1 hr. 57 min.

Romance

Drama

List

35%

103 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) is a writer who moves from Colorado to Los Angeles with aspirations of completing a great novel. There he meets bold Mexican waitress Camilla (Salma Hayek). She wants to live a better life and thinks marrying for money may be her answer. Arturo, who tries to project a confidence that he is inwardly lacking, initially acts coldly toward Camilla. Despite not seeming like a viable match, a romance gradually develops between the two.

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Critics Consensus

Though Hayek is luminous, Farrell seems miscast, and the film fails to capture the gritty, lively edginess of the book upon which it's based.

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Audience Member

Directed by Robert Towne(Chinatown) Ask the dusk is an interesting noir film hoisted by some great atmosphere and cinematography. With Ask the Dust, Towne has not given us the great American love story, but he has presented us with a captivating view of 1933 Los Angeles and a tale of romance that involves us in the plight of the characters. Despite a "noir" feel to the proceedings, this picture is a love story as mentioned. There are other things going on, some of which get short shrift in the screenplay, but at the center of the narrative are a man and a woman who are destined for each other. Perhaps it's because of my familiarity with Chinatown, but there's an almost noir feel to Ask the Dust which is belied by its subject matter. The seeming contradiction between tone and content is not a detriment, however - it lends a layer of unpredictability to the story. If you are a fan of noir cinema Ask the dust won't disappoint.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The book is much better then the movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Slow and stupid. Didn’t finish

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/12/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Writing comes in many forms, some are prettier and harder to nail down than others.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

ok but not a documentary as flixter suggests good drama

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Frances H

Too depressing to finish watching.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/11/15

Full Review

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Robert Towne

Director

Colin Farrell

Arturo Bandini

Salma Hayek

Camilla

Donald Sutherland

Hellfrick

Idina Menzel

Vera

William Mapother

Bill

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Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Would You Say Please?

2:02

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Too Ashamed to Marry

1:49

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - The Hard Stuff

1:57

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Take Off Those Shoes

2:12

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - The Land of Somewhere Else

2:11

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Bad Coffee

2:00

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Some Forgotten Dream

2:12

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - Loud, Angry, and Poor

2:12

Ask the Dust: Official Clip - The Milk Heist

1:41

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Edward Lawrenson

Time Out

Although Chinatown writer Towne lovingly depicts the Depression-era LA setting (actually shot in South Africa), the film misfires.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It is a odd-sounding, odd-looking piece of work, not uninteresting by any means, but there is something a little forced in both lead performances.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 3, 2006

Full Review

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

The upshot is a careful, deliberately old-fashioned picture which has many admirable qualities.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 2, 2006

Full Review

Matthew Pejkovic

Matt's Movie Reviews

Director Robert Towne and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel have creatrd a pretty picture but forgot to inject some life into it.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 7, 2010

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Airless, joyless

Aug 30, 2009

Full Review

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Donald Sutherland saunters onscreen, momentarily raising the level of the film, before he ambles back out the door and things sink back down to the listless and pointless pace that typifies this jumbled mess of a movie.

Rated: 62/100

Apr 19, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) is a writer who moves from Colorado to Los Angeles with aspirations of completing a great novel. There he meets bold Mexican waitress Camilla (Salma Hayek). She wants to live a better life and thinks marrying for money may be her answer. Arturo, who tries to project a confidence that he is inwardly lacking, initially acts coldly toward Camilla. Despite not seeming like a viable match, a romance gradually develops between the two.

Director: Robert Towne
Executive Producer: Andreas Grosch, Redmond Morris, Chris Roberts, Mark Roemmich
Screenwriter: Robert Towne
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Cruise-Wagner Productions, Capitol Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2006, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $742.6K

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