The Caveman's Valentine

R

Released Mar 2, 2001

1h 45m

Drama

List

45%

84 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Romulus (Samuel L. Jackson) is a homeless man who dwells in a cave in one of New York City's parks, but was once a promising composer. When a boy is discovered dead on Valentine's Day, everyone assumes he froze to death, but Romulus believes he was murdered by noted photographer David Leppenraub (Colm Feore). He struggles to convince everyone, including his police officer daughter -- but, inspired by hallucinations of his late wife, he eventually gets his chance to crack the case himself.

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Critics Consensus

The Caveman's Valentine has an intriguing premise, but the film falls flat under the weight of its ambition.

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Alec B

A thoroughly strange noir. The resolution is a bit muddled but before that point the protagonists' instability creates a hallucinogenic atmosphere. You're just never sure what is real.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I lost the count of the times I've fall asleep watching this movie. It is Simply boooring and slug.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

colin m

("The Caveman's Valentine", a.k.a "Sign of the Killer") An okay movie. A bit odd.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really appreciated some of the bigger themes alluded to and explored in this mystery thriller, while some of the dialogue and technical aspects come off cheesy and low budget over twenty years later. Samuel L. Jackson Binge: Similar to the movie as a whole, I really liked aspects of Jackson's character and really disliked others. It was great to see him in a solo lead, and especially as a mentally ill homeless person in the role of the hero. The way in which mental illness was portrayed however, was lazy and cliche, and probably a bigger indictment of the era than the individual writers and actor. *SLJ January #16

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Between 3 and 3.5 stars. The plot could have finished better, but the good starting point, the mix of the reality and the mind of the main character, and the very good performance of Samuel L. Jackson, create a for-all-the-publics excuse to talk about homeless people.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A thoroughly strange noir. The resolution is a bit muddled but before that point the protagonists' instability creates a hallucinogenic atmosphere. You're just never sure what is real.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Kasi Lemmons

Director

Samuel L. Jackson

Romulus Ledbetter

Colm Feore

Leppenraub

Ann Magnuson

Moira

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Lulu

Rodney Eastman

Matthew

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Nearly unwatchable ... but maybe next time.

Feb 5, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Complex and violent movie -- not for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

Robert Denerstein

Denver Rocky Mountain News

Lemmons creates mesmerizing passages, but she can't bring this one to a fulfilling crescendo.

Rated: C+

Aug 9, 2002

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

A sophomore jinx for Lemmons, an overstuffed drama that fails to satisfy as a murder mystery or as a spiritual redemption saga of a homeless man, disappointingly played by Samuel Jackson (who was misdirected).

Rated: 1/4

May 31, 2006

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 1/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Remember David Helfgott, the concert pianist who goes mad in Shine? Imagine him in dreadlocks and as the star of a detective thriller, and you have a better understanding of The Caveman's Valentine than the people who made it.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 11, 2003

Full Review

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Synopsis

Romulus (Samuel L. Jackson) is a homeless man who dwells in a cave in one of New York City's parks, but was once a promising composer. When a boy is discovered dead on Valentine's Day, everyone assumes he froze to death, but Romulus believes he was murdered by noted photographer David Leppenraub (Colm Feore). He struggles to convince everyone, including his police officer daughter -- but, inspired by hallucinations of his late wife, he eventually gets his chance to crack the case himself.

Director: Kasi Lemmons
Screenwriter: George Dawes Green, George Dawes Green
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Focus
Production Co: Homeless Film Productions, Universal Pictures, Jersey Shore, Franchise Pictures, Arroyo Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $687.1K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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