Paranoid Park

R

Released Mar 7, 2008

1 hr. 24 min.

Drama

List

77%

124 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As teenage skateboarder Alex (Gabe Nevins) hops freight trains with a stranger named Scratch (Daniel Liu), a security guard spots them and tries to forcibly remove them. In the scuffle, Alex strikes the guard with his skateboard, knocking him in the direction of another train, which kills him. Alex tosses his board into the river, but soon he and other skaters are called in for questioning by Detective Lu about a recovered skateboard that has been linked to the scene of the crime.

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Critics Consensus

Director Gus Van Sant once again superbly captures the ins and outs of teenage life in Paranoid Park, a quietly devastating portrait of a young man living with guilt and anxiety.

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James V

Really enjoyed this movie. The filmmaker makes you feel the emotions just with certain shots and frames.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Most unendjoyable movie i ever watched Long scence Bad Acting and Just boring

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Gus always has such a dope shooting style, it has to do with things that aren't conventional in normal cinema drama titles. Gabe Nevins absolutely makes you want to root for him, he almost seems like he is just living a regular life. I could watch this movies over and over again, but it was nice to have this moment.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/19

Full Review

Audience Member

One of gus van sants better films of the 2000s

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I had high hopes for this film, so I tolerated the boring scenes in the first third of the movie that had no point that went on way too long. It picked up and I was intrigued and thought I was in for a big payoff. And suddenly, the credits were rolling, and there had been absolutely no resolution. Horribly frustrating.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/18

Full Review

anthony b

We get it, Gus, you're an artist. Paranoid Park is a would be fascinating, mainstream short film stretched to a tedious 80 minutes thanks to tired arthouse tactics. Director Gus Van Sant lazily executes his pretentious afterschool special of a screenplay with his updated signature, post Good Will Hunting, quasi cinema verite style. I haven't seen Van Sant's 2003's Elephant because I'm not excited to, Paranoid Park on the other hand, I was genuinely intrigued by. Something about a teen murder thriller surrounding Portland's notorious Paranoid Park, an underground skate park/misfit paradise/cultural phenomenon more than deserving of its own film. Unfortunately, that film is Paranoid Park, a movie that explores very little with a structure that is cryptic for the sake of high art and a pace so slow it will have you bored of boards long before the end credits. Also, I know this is an indie and the budget only allows for so much, but Van Sant cheaply reuses his pal Elliot Smith (RIP)'s "Angeles" in the soundtrack when that song will always be synonymous with Good Will Hunting. I know it seems like a relatively minor gripe in the grand scheme of things but it really isn't. As someone who appreciates the importance of sound in cinema, I thought it was a careless decision that annoyed the hell out of me.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Gabe Nevins

Alex

Taylor Momsen

Jennifer

Jake Miller

Jared

Lauren McKinney

Macy

Daniel Liu

Detective Richard Lu

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Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

Full Review

Melissa Anderson

Time Out

Rated: 5/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Alissa Wilkinson

Paste Magazine

In the hands of cinematographic mastermind Christopher Doyle, teenage spats, telephone calls and coasting skateboarders are infused with lyricism and dreaminess.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Van Sant retains the lovely insider's perspective of floating on the surface of an alien if familiar-looking planet, courtesy of one-time Wong Kar Wai cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Jun 18, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Captures the essence of high school life better than most teen movies could ever dream.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 6, 2019

Full Review

Kaleem Aftab

The List

This is easily Van Sant's most satisfying film of his recent youth alienation pictures.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 3, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

As teenage skateboarder Alex (Gabe Nevins) hops freight trains with a stranger named Scratch (Daniel Liu), a security guard spots them and tries to forcibly remove them. In the scuffle, Alex strikes the guard with his skateboard, knocking him in the direction of another train, which kills him. Alex tosses his board into the river, but soon he and other skaters are called in for questioning by Detective Lu about a recovered skateboard that has been linked to the scene of the crime.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Gus Van Sant
Distributor: IFC Films
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Images|Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $486.0K
Sound Mix: Dolby