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The Moderns

R Released May 27, 1988 2h 6m Drama List
81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 63% Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Richard Brody 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 (24) audience reviews
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 Audience Member This is probably one of the most artful, compelling, satisfying films I've ever seen. I first saw it 24 years ago and again last night. If anything, it holds up more powerfully and proves that good filmmaking is not only timeless, its something to be cherished and held as an amulet for others to follow. Bravo to Alan Rudolph and the entire production crew and cast for making one of the most memorable films of two Centuries. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Moderns

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The Moderns

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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