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Insignificance

Play trailer Poster for Insignificance R Released Aug 2, 1985 1h 50m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
One summer night in New York in 1953, a senator (Tony Curtis), a starlet (Theresa Russell) and her baseball-star husband (Michael Emil) end up in the hotel room of a physics professor (Gary Busey). They discuss sex, power, politics, physics, the atom bomb and their troubled childhoods. The characters are clearly based on Joseph McCarthy, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Albert Einstein, and these icons are used to explore the history of postwar America, as well as its uncertain future.

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Insignificance

Critics Reviews

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Tom Milne Sight & Sound [Insignificance] rolls along gathering momentum like some enigmatic ball, seemingly going nowhere yet arriving everywhere as it explodes in a shower of illumination. Mar 24, 2020 Full Review Adam Nayman The Ringer A true oddity even by the filmmaker's standards, it's a minor masterpiece of American counter-mythology, with the most comically apocalyptic finale since Dr. Strangelove. Nov 26, 2018 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times It's more of an acting and writing tour de force than a statement on sports, politics, sex symbols or relativity. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Richard Ashford Starburst Although the film is an enjoyable journey, it is over terrain that has become too familiar. Jul 8, 2022 Full Review José Teodoro Cinema Scope ... it's calculated misdirection with little in the way of greater purpose. Oct 13, 2017 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk an intriguing, but ultimately slight "what if" fantasy Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 13, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member I could not sit through this movie. A very unfunny comedy. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review ashley h Insignificance is a funny film. It is about four 1950s icons who meet in the same hotel room. Gary Busey and Tony Curtis give fantastic performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. Nicolas Roeg did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor. Insignificance is a must see. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Curiosa premisa a mayor gloria de Theresa Rusell. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Insignificance is an interesting and talky film: part comical, part intellectual, just a bit tragic. It has some upfront symbolism, which may add value if you get it or may irritate you. While it does not really feel much at all like Bunuel films in terms of vibe, it is reminiscent in that it digests human culture through a comical dream play. The performance of Theresa Russell as "The Actress" stands out, she plays her character with a combination of winking intrigue and stoicism. How much of life is an act? How much is play? How much and what should be taken seriously? The character interactions feel at times authentic (or at least sincere), at times spontaneous, but then falling into stereotype. Anyhow, this is the type of film where your enjoyment of it will be largely based on how much you get it (there is not enough else in the film to be appreciated by itself). For myself, I understood it somewhat and enjoyed it somewhat. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member about on par with every other Roeg movie I've seen Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Loved the opening sequence and music, but it fell into uninteresting caricature and annoying blandness. Blah. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Insignificance

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Cast & Crew

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Nicolas Roeg

Director

Michael Emil

The Professor

Theresa Russell

The Actress

Tony Curtis

The Senator

Gary Busey

The Ballplayer

Will Sampson

Elevator Attendant

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Insignificance

Insignificance (1985) Insignificance (1985) Insignificance (1985) Insignificance (1985) Insignificance (1985) Insignificance (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis One summer night in New York in 1953, a senator (Tony Curtis), a starlet (Theresa Russell) and her baseball-star husband (Michael Emil) end up in the hotel room of a physics professor (Gary Busey). They discuss sex, power, politics, physics, the atom bomb and their troubled childhoods. The characters are clearly based on Joseph McCarthy, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Albert Einstein, and these icons are used to explore the history of postwar America, as well as its uncertain future.
Director
Nicolas Roeg
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter
Terry Johnson
Distributor
Island Alive
Production Co
Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Zenith Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 2, 1985, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Jun 14, 2011
Runtime
1h 50m
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