Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Moderns

Play trailer Poster for The Moderns R Released May 27, 1988 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
In the Roaring Twenties, aspiring painter Nick Hart (Keith Carradine), a U.S. expat who has decamped to Paris, tries to scrape together a living. He has a talent for reproductions but his own work is not selling well, so he takes a job forging famous paintings for rich art patron Nathalie de Ville (Geraldine Chaplin). However, things get awkward when Hart's ex-wife, Rachel (Linda Fiorentino), shows up with her new husband, Bertram Stone (John Lone), who attempts to buy the counterfeits.

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Richard Brody The New Yorker The movie's disparate elements are unified less by the plot than by Rudolph's distinctive, rhapsodic style, with its sinuous long takes and archly elusive performances. Apr 30, 2018 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times A movie that makes an afternoon with Gertrude and Alice more boring than a faculty tea. Rated: 1/5 Aug 4, 2003 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times It takes place at that enchanted moment in Paris when the Lost Generation created itself and then proceeded to create, promote, fabricate and publicize modern literature, art, music and attitudes. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) A kind of aberrant fascination. [Full review in Spanish] Jun 22, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Clearly flawed but definitely worthwhile, and it almost serves as a test run for Rudolph's other (and superior) film about intellectuals in the 1920s, 1994's Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 6, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com A high-minded, sometimes amusing attempt to examine the potent ex-pat community of 1920s Paris. Rated: 3/5 Oct 10, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (25) audience reviews
Audience Member One of my favorite movies. It’s not perfect, but it is very atmospheric and there is a lot of chemistry between the two leads. One of the best parts of this movie is the soundtrack. Really captures the feeling of Paris in the 20’s. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/29/24 Full Review Stefano B Impossible to find it on disc, too bad! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/03/24 Full Review Audience Member Great movie love the movie Beautiful movie My favorite Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/06/20 Full Review Audience Member Cliche-ridden, wooden, infinitely pretensious, like most of Rudolph's films Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member The film acts as a kind of beta for Midnight in Paris, minus the fun of time-travel and magical realism. What remains is a story about an art forger called Nick Hart, however I can't help but feel that the writers should have called him Joe Blow. He provides so little engagement that the audience is left pining after the lost potential of a story involving Gertrude Stein, Hemingway and the like. Ultimately it is a love letter addressed to the 20s that is more about the author than the subject. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Love, love, love this movie. Sly, sexy, smart, clever, and thrillingly creative. One of the ten best of the 80s. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Moderns

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Equinox 33% 42% Equinox Watchlist Bright Lights, Big City 57% 39% Bright Lights, Big City Watchlist TRAILER for Bright Lights, Big City The Unbearable Lightness of Being 87% 84% The Unbearable Lightness of Being Watchlist Monsignor 0% 17% Monsignor Watchlist Rain Man 88% 90% Rain Man Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In the Roaring Twenties, aspiring painter Nick Hart (Keith Carradine), a U.S. expat who has decamped to Paris, tries to scrape together a living. He has a talent for reproductions but his own work is not selling well, so he takes a job forging famous paintings for rich art patron Nathalie de Ville (Geraldine Chaplin). However, things get awkward when Hart's ex-wife, Rachel (Linda Fiorentino), shows up with her new husband, Bertram Stone (John Lone), who attempts to buy the counterfeits.
Director
Alan Rudolph
Producer
David Blocker, Shep Gordon, Carolyn Pfeiffer
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 27, 1988, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 17, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA)
$20.3K
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Surround