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Candy Mountain

Play trailer 1:17 Poster for Candy Mountain R 1988 1h 31m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
New York City, 1980s. A struggling, deadbeat musician named Julius has fallen on hard times. With no guitar, band or paying gigs, he cooks up a get-rich-quick scheme – to find the legendary, yet elusive guitar-maker Elmore Silk. Considered one of the greatest luthiers in the business, Silk’s disappearance from the scene has only made his work more coveted by musicians and executives looking to make a buck off his name. Julius agrees to track the man down and sets out on the road. Meant to be a simple journey upstate, Julius stumbles down a long, winding road full of dead-ends and wrong turns towards an eventual revelatory conclusion in the Canadian wilderness.
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Candy Mountain

Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman Village Voice 11/05/2008
In a way, this shaggy-dog hipster road film is Frank's ultimate work -- evoking the end of the road and even the end of Endsville-but he has persevered. Go to Full Review
Hal Hinson Washington Post 01/01/2000
Watching Candy Mountain, we're lulled into a mood of uncertain but pleasurable anticipation. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
Ambling along like a wry, laid-back "Heart of Darkness," this likable and touching film makes good use of Frank's remarkable photographic eye and Wurlitzer's witty, acerbic, and quasi-mystical handling of myth that has served him well in his novels. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 12/20/2008
A-
Enjoyably weird quintessential road movie. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 09/26/2005
3/5
Andy Klein Los Angeles CityBeat 09/02/2004
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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09/01/2016 Robert Frank's delectably offbeat road movie is a treat thanks to its beautiful cinematography and a cast that's basically a who's-who of alt-music icons. Some may argue that the film's loose narrative results in a formless product, but it's just as logical to ascertain that those critics simply don't-get-it. See more 07/31/2016 Intriguing and unusual. See more 11/12/2013 Quirky and Nuanced road movie tells the story of looking for a reclusive guitar maker. Its wroth seeking out See more eric b 02/06/2012 "Candy Mountain" is a shaggy-dog story about an underachieving hipster (Kevin J. O'Connor, sort of a John Mellencamp type) taking a road trip to find a legendary, reclusive guitar-maker. The premise doesn't matter much -- his chance encounters do. Tom Waits, Dr. John, Bulle Ogier, Leon Redbone, Laurie Metcalf, David Johansen, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Rockets Redglare are among the cameos, and where else can you see Arto Lindsay jamming with Joe Strummer? Unfortunately, the climactic meeting with the guitar man is a letdown -- considering the guest stars who turn up earlier, one expects someone epic. Instead, it's just a familiar character actor. Perhaps director Robert Frank (Cocksucker Blues, Pull My Daisy) decided the part called for a trained pro with skills. The movie's low-budget production values aren't a problem, but it does have that passive, overcast blandness so often found in Canadian film. None of the scenes have any real bite. If the unusual cast doesn't attract you, you'll have no reason to sit through this. See more 11/12/2011 un film de portrait pour un portraitiste hors pair, le dernier film de R. Franck, un testament désabusé sur la quète de soi : la route n'est que la route, elle n'enseigne rien... fin d'un mythe! See more 09/16/2007 it became slow but become a good road movie after all See more Read all reviews
Candy Mountain

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Movie Info

Synopsis New York City, 1980s. A struggling, deadbeat musician named Julius has fallen on hard times. With no guitar, band or paying gigs, he cooks up a get-rich-quick scheme – to find the legendary, yet elusive guitar-maker Elmore Silk. Considered one of the greatest luthiers in the business, Silk’s disappearance from the scene has only made his work more coveted by musicians and executives looking to make a buck off his name. Julius agrees to track the man down and sets out on the road. Meant to be a simple journey upstate, Julius stumbles down a long, winding road full of dead-ends and wrong turns towards an eventual revelatory conclusion in the Canadian wilderness.
Director
Robert Frank, Rudy Wurlitzer
Producer
Philippe Diaz, Ruth Waldburger
Screenwriter
Rudy Wurlitzer
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 10, 1988, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Oct 25, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2024
Runtime
1h 31m
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