Candy Mountain

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1:17

Candy Mountain

R

Released Jun 10, 1988

1h 31m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

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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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J. Hoberman

Village Voice

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.

Nov 5, 2008

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Hal Hinson

Washington Post

Watching Candy Mountain, we're lulled into a mood of uncertain but pleasurable anticipation.

Jan 1, 2000

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

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.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Enjoyably weird quintessential road movie.

Rated: A-

Dec 20, 2008

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Sep 26, 2005

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Andy Klein

Los Angeles CityBeat

Rated: 3/5

Sep 2, 2004

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Audience Member

Intriguing and unusual.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Quirky and Nuanced road movie tells the story of looking for a reclusive guitar maker. Its wroth seeking out

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

eric b

"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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

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!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

it became slow but become a good road movie after all

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Robert Frank

Director

Rudy Wurlitzer

Director

Kevin J. O'Connor

Julius

Harris Yulin

Elmore Silk

Tom Waits

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Candy Mountain: Trailer 1

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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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