Palo Alto

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Palo Alto

R

Released May 9, 2014

1h 37m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

70%

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129 Reviews

49%

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10,000+ Ratings

A lack of parental guidance encourages teens in an affluent California town to rebel with substance abuse and casual sex.

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Critics Consensus

A promising debut for director Gia Coppola, Palo Alto compensates for its drifting plot with solid performances and beautiful cinematography.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

While all the young actors are committed to their characters (though none of them particularly stand out), this film will likely drown in its own nothingness as far more thought-provoking teenage fare continues to prevail.

Rated: C

Sep 2, 2017

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Laurence Phelan

Independent (UK)

The drama is scaled to just the right size: kids get into trouble or inadvisable situations, but there are no major melodramatics. We see them in their natural habitat.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 24, 2014

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Another week, another glacial outing from the ever-expanding Coppola clan depicting the oh so beautiful emptiness of American teenage wildlife.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 19, 2014

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Justin Micallef

Vague Visages

There's a pulsating heartbeat of an autobiographical nature within Palo Alto.

Feb 6, 2024

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Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

I connected a lot more with Gia Coppola’s feature debut than I did with Boyhood. Palo Alto features a group of up-and-comers and captures the essence of youth without forcing it on the viewer.

Jun 23, 2023

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Robert Sims

Lights Camera Austin

Based on a collection of interconnected short stories that James Franco published in 2010, director Gia Coppola's high-school drama presents two portraits in teen angst that owe more to the worldview of Bret Easton Ellis than John Hughes.

Jan 22, 2022

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $750,100.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

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Audience Member

This movie was pretty terrible. Literlly nothing happened, there was 0 plot and the "plot" that was there never got resolved. We never even got a final resolution for the movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

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Audience Member

James Franco is a creep. Period.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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Audience Member

Good acting, but a movie full of morally corrupt, unlikeable characters— every single one with no conclusion to any of the story arcs. Really depressing too.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

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Audience Member

if you get the vibe you get the vibe if you dont get the vibe you dont get the vibe. it cant be taught.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/25

Full Review

Isa B

Great direction! Gia Coppola is a gifted young director, for sure. Obviously, she comes from good stock. I was impressed by many elements of the film. The acting was great, the story was very realistic, but what impressed me the most was the direction. You got the sense that Gia Coppola knew exactly what she wanted to do throughout the picture. She had a precise vision and she executed it perfectly. It was nothing flashy, she wasn't trying too hard, she just made every frame count and it all helped to tell a very interesting story. There are shades of The Virgin Suicides with Palo Alto in the sense that it's a serious teen film. I immediately got that wonderful feeling that we cinefiles get when watching real cinema. This is quite the debut for Gia Coppola. Palo Alto is a very good film. I do recommend. 90/100

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

A lack of parental guidance encourages teens in an affluent California town to rebel with substance abuse and casual sex.

Director: Gia Coppola
Producer: Sebastian Pardo, Adriana Rotaru, Miles Levy, Vince Jolivette
Screenwriter: Gia Coppola
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Production Co: American Zoetrope, RabbitBandini Productions
Rating: R (Drug and Alcohol Use|All Involving Teens|Pervasive Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 9, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $750.1K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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