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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

R Released Nov 10, 2006 2h 2m Drama Biography List
33% Tomatometer 110 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In 1958 New York Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman) is a housewife and mother who works as an assistant to her husband (Ty Burrell), a photographer employed by her wealthy parents. Respectable though her life is, she cannot help but feel uncomfortable in her privileged world. One night, a new neighbor (Robert Downey Jr.) catches Diane's eye, and the enigmatic man inspires her to set forth on the path to discovering her own artistry.
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Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

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Critics Consensus

This portrait of a groundbreaking photographer lacks the daring of its subject.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian An interestingly designed but inescapably pointless film. Mar 16, 2007 Full Review James Christopher Times (UK) Kidman delivers another standout performance, transparent and magnetic. Burrell is no match for Downey's hypnotic beast. The hairy romantic chemistry with Kidman is electric, the context inspired. Rated: 4/5 Mar 16, 2007 Full Review Stella Papamichael BBC.com Certainly the film isn't without its flaws. Then again, perfection is in the eye of beholder. Rated: 3/5 Mar 16, 2007 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Surprising. Spellbinding. Sensual. Mesmerizing. I am totally and completely impressed and intrigued. A beautiful love story. A wonderful fantasy. Love and life come from the most unexpected places. Nov 7, 2019 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Director Steven Shainberg's follow-up to his groundbreaking film "Secretary" (2002) is an anti-biopic that dares to read between the lines of its subject's artistic vision rather than replay the common knowledge events of photographer Diane Arbus' life. Rated: B Apr 24, 2009 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Rated: 4/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Shioka O Good watch for Nicole Kidman. Yes it's "imaginary", but went too far, I thought. Less about Arbus' art and insight. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/10/24 Full Review andrei d Kidman needs to be weirder Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review tony h This was a reprehensible production! -Do not watch it. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Biopics are not my favorite genre. For me to be interested the person that is the focus of the story needs to be unique, perhaps someone I’m already familiar with, and ideally they’ve done some fascinating things in their life. Strike one against Fur is that it focuses on Diane Arbus a photographer whose name I’ve never heard in my entire life. Strike two is the fact that it’s “An Imaginary Portrait” which means her life was so boring that they had to invent a false history for her in order to make it into a movie. Strike three came when I realized that the made up history was still mind-numbingly boring. I could not have cared less about this movie. I was distracted, doing other things, and still felt like I didn’t miss anything in the story. It is a typical bored housewife movie, where she finds a new and interesting man who she develops feelings for because her husband is too nice and normal. I found Diane Arbus unpleasant and frustrating throughout most of the film. The connection she forms with Lionel Sweeney comes out of nowhere and is treated like some twisted fairy tale. His behavior makes no sense unless he is somehow psychic, and his insane level of confidence doesn’t seem to fit someone who has lived life in that way. The acting was melodramatic to the point that it kept making me laugh when they were trying to be serious. There is nothing I liked in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. If I were to search for a positive it would be that I won a few levels of Candy Crush while I waited for it to end, and it was boring enough that it didn’t distract me from my game. I also got a good laugh out of the idea of what it would really look like if you shaved someone’s entire body for the first time in their life (all the nicks, cuts, and razor burn would be a site.) I wish I could have watched this movie at double speed so it would have ended an hour sooner, because it was a waste of my time. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/06/18 Full Review Audience Member Two stellar leads and some terrifically ambiant direction are undercut by a thematically indecisive screenplay that juggles marital life, perception, awakenings and prejudice without settling. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Very strange film, but somehow I couldn't look away. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

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Cast & Crew

Factory Girl 20% 60% Factory Girl The Notorious Bettie Page 58% 51% The Notorious Bettie Page Modigliani 4% 78% Modigliani Nowhere Boy 80% 74% Nowhere Boy The Singer 25% 63% The Singer Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1958 New York Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman) is a housewife and mother who works as an assistant to her husband (Ty Burrell), a photographer employed by her wealthy parents. Respectable though her life is, she cannot help but feel uncomfortable in her privileged world. One night, a new neighbor (Robert Downey Jr.) catches Diane's eye, and the enigmatic man inspires her to set forth on the path to discovering her own artistry.
Director
Steven Shainberg
Producer
Bonnie Timmermann, Laura Bickford, Patricia Bosworth, Andrew Fierberg, Bill Pohlad
Screenwriter
Erin Cressida Wilson
Distributor
Picturehouse
Production Co
Edward R. Pressman Film Corp., Iron Films
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Some Sexuality)
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 2006, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 30, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$220.9K
Runtime
2h 2m
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