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Illuminata

Play trailer Poster for Illuminata R 1998 2h 0m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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48% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Tuccio (John Turturro) is having problems staging his latest play, "Illuminata." In fact, the production is a melodrama in its own right. The lead actress, Rachel (Katherine Borowitz), is his lover. His cast members are ready to mutiny. And a preview of the piece didn't exactly thrill renowned theater critic Umberto Bevalaqua (Christopher Walken). So it's no wonder Tuccio finds himself susceptible to the seductions of Celimene (Susan Sarandon), a professed admirer.
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Illuminata

Critics Reviews

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Lisa Kennedy Out Magazine 05/25/2022
llluminata is as luminous, haunting, and intelligent as its leading lady. Go to Full Review
Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal 04/04/2018
Those who share the movie's love of acting will find much to enjoy, though mainly in discrete tableaux. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy Variety 12/12/2006
C
Clearly a labor of love, this sophomore effort from Turturro (a better actor than helmer), about fables and foibles of a tightly knit acting troup at turn of the century New York, is structurally messy and unevenly acted; a step fown from his debut Mac Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 03/17/2024
3/5
…an intensely theatrical experience…a painstaking evocation of the theatre in days gone by…far better than it’s lack of recognition suggests… Go to Full Review
Jeremy Kinser The Advocate 04/19/2022
Walken's showy turn as a vitriolic theater critic is a good reason to catch Turturro's visually sumptuous but otherwise plodding valentine to the creative process. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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helder f 11/15/2024 This movie has great scenes and dialogue but it’s a bit tortuous. In great part, the movie is about a play, and in fact the movie and the actual play overlap in various ways. While the overlap generates great moments in the movie, it is distracting. The relationships among the characters are tenuous and not very well defined; the premise of an imperfect love ( perhaps the main premise of the movie) is somewhat lost when their love is not very well defined to begin with. Having said that, it does have great writing. Perhaps there’s a bit more of telling than showing … See more David W 10/12/2024 With many characters and plots nested within plots, Illuminata is not suited for halfhearted, casual viewing. The film seems to be loved by the theater kids of the world, however, so perhaps the rest of us are missing something. Still, I would only watch this again if there were nothing better on or to give it another try. See more William S 02/17/2024 This is a genius film. The characters seem to be unable to bare the thrill of life, so they imitate life to the comic and tragic conclusions that attend lives well lived. Hilarious, tragic, seductive....I loved it. I'm a mental health professional, maybe that explains my love for this film.......Regardless, this is in my top 20 of all times along with: The Usual Suspects, To Kill a Mockingbird, Dark City, Dangerous Beauty, Blade Runner, Spirited Away, Cannery Row, The Shipping News, Moonrise Kingdom, Best in Show, Hero, Kubo and the Two Strings, Isle of Dogs, and Lady in the Water. (to name a few). See more Ari V 12/02/2023 Doesn't come together particularly well, but plenty of wonderful one-liners. See more 10/19/2019 This is on my top 15 list (along with To Kill a Mockingbird, The Usual Suspects, The Shipping News, Spirited Away, Avatar, Dangerous Beauty, Dark City, Blade Runner, Magnolia, The Green Mile, The Matrix, Lady in the Water, GroundHog Day, etc) The only way I can effectively describe this movie is: Felini's 81/2 meets A Mid-Summer Night's Dream. There are absolutely stunning moments in this movie that are hilarious and heart-breaking. This film is a champion of the heart, soul, and funny bone, and I really do NOT understand the reviews of the critics. It is truly a film for people who love theater, that is for sure. Comedic genius. See more Frances H 05/06/2018 This is a film that anyone who has ever been in a play will just lov, as I did! The play is certainly the thing in this film, a tribute to the stage and acting as a craft. The cast is excellent and the screenplay outstanding, with deft direction from Turturro. This film is witty, funny, and a serious statement about unidealized love as it is in reality. Don't miss this one! See more Read all reviews
Illuminata

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tuccio (John Turturro) is having problems staging his latest play, "Illuminata." In fact, the production is a melodrama in its own right. The lead actress, Rachel (Katherine Borowitz), is his lover. His cast members are ready to mutiny. And a preview of the piece didn't exactly thrill renowned theater critic Umberto Bevalaqua (Christopher Walken). So it's no wonder Tuccio finds himself susceptible to the seductions of Celimene (Susan Sarandon), a professed admirer.
Director
John Turturro
Producer
John Turturro, John Penotti
Screenwriter
Brandon Cole, Brandon Cole
Production Co
Overseas Film Group, CDI, JVC Entertainment, Sogepaq, GreeneStreet Films Inc.
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$836.6K
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
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