Death of a Ladies' Man

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Death of a Ladies' Man

2020

1h 41m

Drama

Comedy

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Samuel O'Shea, a university professor of poetry, exuberant womanizer and enthusiastic drinker has seen better days. His second marriage is ending, and his wife and children are at their wits' end with him. More disturbingly, he has begun seeing things: Frankenstein sidles up to the bar and strangers sing and dance to Leonard Cohen tunes. His much missed father, who died when Samuel was just a boy, pops up for chats. At first Samuel thinks it could be the drink, or perhaps he's just crazy or over-imaginative, but then learns he has a brain tumor. Reflecting on the life he has lived, Samuel retreats to his family shack in remote Ireland, where he begins work on that great novel he always meant to write, and generally take stock. Surprisingly, or not, he meets and falls in love with a local woman, who is full of unexpected ideas. All this leads Samuel to an utterly unforeseeable happy ending.

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Critics Consensus

Death of a Ladies' Man greatly elevates its small-scale narrative with Gabriel Byrne's darkly magnetic turn, offbeat humor, and an absorbing musical backdrop of Leonard Cohen songs.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

It’s an insubstantial little film with slimly conceived characters, but Byrne adds at least 10 points to its IQ score and makes it twice as watchable.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 18, 2022

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David Stratton

The Australian

The screenplay, by director Matthew Bissonnette, is leavened with flashes of curious humour - like the assertion that the Canadian National Anthem is Cohen's Bird on a Wire.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 24, 2021

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Byrne's most remarkable achievement lies in the fact he never allows Samuel's incurable self-absorption to become boring.

Rated: 4/5

May 19, 2021

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Don Shanahan

Film Obsessive

What could have been a morose, listless slog about a bitter whiner is energized into something of a soul-stirring seance in many layers and moments.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 4, 2025

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Stefan Pape

Common Sense Media

This offbeat drama relies heavily on Byrne's central performance.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 30, 2025

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Aaron Guttenplan

MovieJawn

Death of a Ladies Man has a fun side; it’s a comedy drama that manages to be more effective emotionally than it would be as a straight drama. Like Cohen, it’s dark, but never dour.

Sep 28, 2025

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Matt Bissonnette

Director

Gabriel Byrne

Samuel O'Shea

Jessica Paré

Charlotte

Brian Gleeson

Ben O'Shea

Antoine Olivier Pilon

Layton Gagnon-O'Shea

Karelle Tremblay

Josée Gagnon-O'Shea

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Synopsis

Samuel O'Shea, a university professor of poetry, exuberant womanizer and enthusiastic drinker has seen better days. His second marriage is ending, and his wife and children are at their wits' end with him. More disturbingly, he has begun seeing things: Frankenstein sidles up to the bar and strangers sing and dance to Leonard Cohen tunes. His much missed father, who died when Samuel was just a boy, pops up for chats. At first Samuel thinks it could be the drink, or perhaps he's just crazy or over-imaginative, but then learns he has a brain tumor. Reflecting on the life he has lived, Samuel retreats to his family shack in remote Ireland, where he begins work on that great novel he always meant to write, and generally take stock. Surprisingly, or not, he meets and falls in love with a local woman, who is full of unexpected ideas. All this leads Samuel to an utterly unforeseeable happy ending.

Director: Matt Bissonnette
Producer: Don Carmody, Corey Marr, Martina Niland, Marie-Claude Poulin, Aleksandr Kushaev
Screenwriter: Matt Bissonnette
Distributor: Buffalo 8
Production Co: Don Carmody Productions, Corey Marr Productions Inc., Port Pictures
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 5, 2025
Runtime: 1h 41m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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