Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Léolo

      Released Sep 16, 1992 1h 47m Comedy Drama List
      90% 10 Reviews Tomatometer 89% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Young Léo Lauzon (Maxime Collin) lives in a Montreal apartment building with his troubled and highly eccentric family, but he spends much of his time in his own imagination. Devising a strange fantasy world where his mother (Ginette Reno) conceived him with an Italian tomato, Léo attempts to cope with his unsettling reality by retreating into his mind, with his meandering thoughts often drifting to his gorgeous neighbor, Bianca (Giuditta Del Vecchio). Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (10) Critics Reviews
      Hollis Chacona Austin Chronicle Rated: 3/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Hal Hinson Washington Post A disturbing, imaginative, beautifully realized film. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review James Berardinelli ReelViews A strangely-captivating motion picture. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Every degrading sight in Lauzon's film is balanced with the filmmaker's tenderness and honesty, resulting in a strangely affecting and personal work of grotesque art.  Rated: 4/4 May 2, 2022 Full Review Quentin Curtis Independent on Sunday It tries too hard, and Leolo's Gauloisey voice-over tells us too much. Dec 8, 2017 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Caught the big picture in a strikingly fresh way. Rated: B+ Feb 25, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (309) audience reviews
      Alejandro E One of several examples of films about children for adults. It is incredible that, despite its aroma of rotten eggs, the story continues to captivate the viewer with a hook that does not require much science or explanation: its bitter closeness to reality. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/23 Full Review Audience Member I was under extreme duress watching this film . The bribe I received was not worth it even if the item I received was worth over 100$ in exchange for having seen this revolting Garbage. I draw the line with a story about a Sociopath who has a history of mental illnesses. Anyone who has no problems torturing Animals or killing his elders is on the bottom of my list! May God have mercy on the meat we have to eat after watching this trash. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member If one were to take the joyous nostalgia of Fellini's "Amarcord" and invert it into a kind of solemn,disturbing, and introspective poem filtered through the vulnerable lens of childhood, one would be nearing an approximation of Lauzon's "Leolo." The film issues forth like a half-remembered dream, drawing us into a whirlpool of childhood recollections which ever bear the hallmark of an impressionable prepubescent boy's imagination. We feel the film more keenly than we understand it, and we relish its sense of magic and wonder, all beautifully underscored by a dichotomous soundtrack which exists in equal parts Gregorian chant and gritty, alcohol-besotted squall. The film so deftly navigates the boundary between the real and the imagined that the two convincingly bleed together, and we are content to abandon ourselves to its unique sense of vision. It must be noted that "Leolo" is ever poised to transgress our sense of propriety, but we sense a somber honesty inherent in the material that fully justifies its controversy. The end result is an experience which stuns us with its creative vision while moving us with its somber and tragic honesty. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw a trailer for this movie back in 1993 and was able to get a copy of it on VHS. I watched that film countless times in my early 20s. Nearly 25 years later I found it online and watched it again. I couldn't believe how much differently it affected me at this age. It was definitely part of the disturbing edgy indie trend in filmmaking in the 90s and I wasn't sure if it would hold up today. It absolutely does and I cried my eyes out at the end of the movie. At times the voiceover is a bit too precocious and contrived, but it is a minor offense in a movie that is a visual treat and a literary masterpiece. Do whatever you can to get a copy of it somehow. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Writer and director Jean-Claude Lauzon offers a rather gruesome and explicit drama, but with the benefit of an intriguing plot, a unique visual style and a beautiful script, this Canadian-French take on childhood could be a delight for the lovers of romanticism, and whether or not you're into its particular harsh point of view, the sole film's bizarre approach into reality and imagination should be enough to keep the viewer hooked in its premise. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Si Téléfilm Canada et le système de subventions au pays ne passaient pas la majorité de nos scénarios dans le tordeur d'originalité et le moule canadien, on aurait droit plus souvent à des films audacieux et captivants comme Léolo! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      85% 92% Toto le Héros 76% 91% Night on Earth 87% 86% Arizona Dream 90% 89% What's Eating Gilbert Grape TRAILER for What's Eating Gilbert Grape 100% 91% Raining Stones Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Spider-Man: Homecoming Director Jon Watts’ Five Favorite Films

      Photos

      View All Léolo photos

      Léolo

      Léolo (1992) Léolo (1992) Léolo (1992) Léolo (1992) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Young Léo Lauzon (Maxime Collin) lives in a Montreal apartment building with his troubled and highly eccentric family, but he spends much of his time in his own imagination. Devising a strange fantasy world where his mother (Ginette Reno) conceived him with an Italian tomato, Léo attempts to cope with his unsettling reality by retreating into his mind, with his meandering thoughts often drifting to his gorgeous neighbor, Bianca (Giuditta Del Vecchio).
      Director
      Jean-Claude Lauzon
      Producer
      Robert Lantos, Claudette Viau
      Screenwriter
      Jean-Claude Lauzon
      Distributor
      Fine Line Features
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 16, 1992, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Oct 25, 2005
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $547.3K
      Runtime
      1h 47m
      Sound Mix
      Surround, Dolby
      Aspect Ratio
      35mm, 1.66:1