Hurlyburly

Play trailer

Hurlyburly

R

1998

2h 2m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

57%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Eddie (Sean Penn) is a confused and reckless man with a group of equally problematic friends. His roommate, caustic and sleazy Mickey (Kevin Spacey), is sleeping with Eddie's love, Darlene (Robin Wright Penn), because he can. His buddy Phil (Chazz Palminteri) is prone to violent rages that worry Eddie. All of them ruminate on their lives while consuming drugs and alcohol. Another friend, Artie (Garry Shandling), eventually arrives with a young date (Anna Paquin) who is ready for a fun night.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Though Hurly Burly offers a showcase of powerhouse performances from its leads, it's held back by a meandering narrative and verbose explorations of cynicism.

Read Critics Reviews

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Sean Penn gives another remarkable performance.

Apr 2, 2019

Full Review

Jonathan Lethem

Salon.com

Hurlyburly earns its keep, in the end, with writerly flash and dramatic virtuosity.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Eddie, the Sean Penn character, is a bruised romantic with a good mind, who is as unhappy as a person can be, and in a riveting scene uses cocaine to take him to a place free of raw emotional pain. It is a remarkable performance.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Marc S. Malkin

Out Magazine

Here's a stage play that should never have been given the big-screen treatment.

May 25, 2022

Full Review

Antonia Quirke

Independent on Sunday

All the time, you hear the wooden clunk of a theatre which still thinks that Eugene O'Neill is a great writer of natural dialogue.

Nov 28, 2017

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Rabe has streamlined the dialogue, sacrificing a lot of funny throwaway lines without lessening the script's burden on our patience.

Rated: C-

Sep 24, 2007

Full Review

Read all reviews

Scott E

It didn't make sense in a way that makes sense.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

Full Review

Mikael H

Sean Penn is so fun to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/09/25

Full Review

Bahad j

This idea of the filmmaker made the movie more accessible to more people.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/24

Full Review

Bulgantamir B

It is a valuable film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/24

Full Review

macattack1717

So amazing, top knotch 👏

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Let's go on an existential druggie trip with Sean Penn - said no one ever. Talented cast. Boggy script that's just a bunch of drug talk.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Anthony Drazan

Director

Sean Penn

Eddie

Kevin Spacey

Mickey

Chazz Palminteri

Phil

Robin Wright

Darlene

Garry Shandling

Artie

Ringmaster

21%

19%

Ringmaster

Watchlist

Trees Lounge

81%

79%

Trees Lounge

Watchlist

Free Money

29%

30%

Free Money

Watchlist

Outside Providence

53%

65%

Outside Providence

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Eddie (Sean Penn) is a confused and reckless man with a group of equally problematic friends. His roommate, caustic and sleazy Mickey (Kevin Spacey), is sleeping with Eddie's love, Darlene (Robin Wright Penn), because he can. His buddy Phil (Chazz Palminteri) is prone to violent rages that worry Eddie. All of them ruminate on their lives while consuming drugs and alcohol. Another friend, Artie (Garry Shandling), eventually arrives with a young date (Anna Paquin) who is ready for a fun night.

Director: Anthony Drazan
Producer: Anthony Drazan, Richard N. Gladstein, David Hamburger
Screenwriter: David Rabe, David Rabe
Distributor: Fine Line Features
Production Co: Film Colony, Storm Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now