Pacific Heights

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Pacific Heights

R

1990

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Unmarried yuppies Patty (Melanie Griffith) and Drake (Matthew Modine) move into an expensive dream home in a high-end neighborhood in San Francisco. As they renovate the house, they look for a tenant for the first floor of their house. Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) seems like a great fit at first, but it transpires that he is a con artist who plans to swindle them out of their real estate. As Hayes tries to drive them out of their own home, the couple must take drastic measures to fight back.

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Critics Consensus

Michael Keaton certainly proves himself as an effective villain, but Pacific Heights sticks too closely to well-worn thriller conventions.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 7, 2011

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

As a story idea, Pacific Heights has a certain appeal. The movie's problem is in its execution.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C

Sep 28, 1990

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...promising (and foolproof) subject matter that’s employed to mostly engaging effect by Schlesinger...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 22, 2025

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Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

Twenty years after his Oscar win for Midnight Cowboy, director John Schlesinger helmed this entertaining but generic psychological thriller.

Nov 4, 2024

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Pacific Heights is not particularly notable, but it is modestly entertaining. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 18, 2022

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I. S. W

The problem with this movie is motivation. What is the motivation behind stealing a sink, etc., or gaining title to a very heavily mortgaged property? Doesn't everyone know that the house will be worth less with a demolished apartment with no plumbing fixtures? How could a tenant live there, with no plumbing? Lots of holes in this plot. The pile of phone books is hilarious in this day and age.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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Luis Otavio F

Sophisticated, but more of the same.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

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KB B

This was such an engaging movie with good acting and storyline. It's one of my favorite thriller movies. Michael Keaton was excellent and sinister. It's definitely worth the watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/01/24

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Horror fan 4

Michael Keaton was very good along with rest of the cast. The story was great but the last fight scene could've been better.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/25/24

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Star Power & E

Just saw this movie for the first time & I don't understand how can it have such a low rating score. This movie brought back old memories about a similar situation that happened to me with one of my tenants. It is very realistic on the events that happened to the couple. Would definitely recommend watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

Justin T

It was nicely shot but there was negligible use of surround sound although it wasn't a deal breaker. Pacing was good as was acting. There have been a few similar films where someone excerpts control over the life of others for their own evil gain. The Hitcher (1986) springs to mind. These kinds of movies are scary but there isn't a lot of suspense. They are thrillers and they are clever but they are all basically the same. It's horrible to think that someone could take over your life and ruin your happiness. This movie effectively makes you scared of normal people and letting people into your life. It worked but I want a bit more excitement or humour or braindeadness or basically something more engaging. Effective thriller that makes you scared of everyday people.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

Full Review

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John Schlesinger

Director

Melanie Griffith

Patty Palmer

Matthew Modine

Drake Goodman

Michael Keaton

Carter Hayes

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Toshio Watanabe

Nobu McCarthy

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Synopsis

Unmarried yuppies Patty (Melanie Griffith) and Drake (Matthew Modine) move into an expensive dream home in a high-end neighborhood in San Francisco. As they renovate the house, they look for a tenant for the first floor of their house. Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) seems like a great fit at first, but it transpires that he is a con artist who plans to swindle them out of their real estate. As Hayes tries to drive them out of their own home, the couple must take drastic measures to fight back.

Director: John Schlesinger
Producer: Scott Rudin, William Sackheim
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 13, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $27.9M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround

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