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Frownland

Play trailer Poster for Frownland 2007 1h 46m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A salesman has a different kind of life, eating eggs and popcorn off the door of his portable oven.

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker 02/27/2017
This amazingly accomplished first feature by Ronald Bronstein, made with a crew of four for seemingly little more than the cost of film stock, throbs with energy and vision. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 07/08/2010
1/5
It looks like a Cassavetes or Allen film from which malign aliens, in the course of a sinister experiment in brain-depredation, have somehow sucked out every scintilla of mojo, fun or energy. Go to Full Review
Patrick Peters Empire Magazine 07/08/2010
3/5
Uncomfortable but awkwardly compelling, it's a film that mirrors the qualities of its central character - alienating and oddly appealing in equal measure. Go to Full Review
Martin Tsai New York Sun 04/21/2023
“Frownland” gradually induces a queasy feeling as we realize that Keith’s personality quirks may actually be manifestations of a chemical imbalance, or perhaps even mental disability. Go to Full Review
Brian Susbielles InSession Film 02/15/2023
It is a film that pushes what a viewer expects and wonders what the hell is happening; it’s very much like a homemade film with its weirdness. Go to Full Review
Betsy Sherman Arts Fuse 10/27/2022
With its title taken from a Captain Beefheart song, and an undertow it shares with fiction by Kafka and Dostoyevsky, Frownland is a character study like few seen in American cinema. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mason M Jan 9 Many say that they respect this film more than they enjoy it, and I agree that it's not for the faint of heart, but this is just a phenomenal film. Possibly one of the saddest and hardest to watch films I've ever seen, but also the most invested I've gotten into the world of a film in a long time. Frownland is a phenomenal character study that pinpoints the feeling of social anxiety, and with amazing dialogue and one of the best performances of all time from Dore Mann, this is an all around ingenious film that is essential to see for those who can stomach it. See more Dennui S 11/05/2024 "Not for most people" is accurate. If you're familiar with anxiety and depression, and not afraid of their depictions, this is an excellent watch. Frownland is in the category of films like Naked and Happiness for depressing and weird films. Bronstein has also worked with the Safdie brothers, on similar great, dark movies like Good Time and Uncut Gems. See more Elvin T 11/30/2022 This film harkens back to the prime era of 90's independent filmmaking. It's amazing what this film managed to do on micro budget. Be warned that this is not easy film to watch. You will be immersed in 1hr and 46 minutes of pure anxiety and mania. This filmed to test your empathy and humanity towards an almost impossible to love protagonist. By the end of this film you will learn more about yourself than our protagonist. See more 11/04/2022 A torturously unabashed affront to every sense. Don’t watch it if you have anxiety, or just generally like yourself and enjoy things. Sitting through it is an achievement that is wholly unrewarding. I would rather jump into an active volcano than watch this again. See more 07/20/2020 The Criterion Collection description for this movie said audiences either loved it or hated it. Count me among the haters. The main character's odious traits are established in the first ten minutes and the rest of the film are just more of the same. Johnny C sez ... nah. See more 05/14/2016 I liked this way more than I thought I would. For some reason I thought it'd be irritating and poorly made and stupid, but it's really well done and kinda feels like a live-action underground comic or something. Definitely worth seeing. See more Read all reviews
Frownland

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A salesman has a different kind of life, eating eggs and popcorn off the door of his portable oven.
Director
Ronald Bronstein
Screenwriter
Ronald Bronstein
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Dec 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 46m