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People I Know

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People I Know

R

Released Apr 25, 2003

1h 40m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

45%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

31%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Burnt-out publicist Eli Wurman (Al Pacino) hopes to restore his reputation with a big benefit event. His client, Cary Launer (Ryan O'Neal), who's planning to enter politics, asks Eli to get his former lover, Jilli Hopper (Tea Leoni), out of town before she can ruin his reputation. While looking after Jilli, a drunken Eli witnesses her murder and is unable to decide how to handle it. Wrestling with his conscience, Eli is further unnerved by the arrival of an old flame, Victoria (Kim Basinger).

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Critics Consensus

The derivative plot fails to cohere or draw the viewer in.

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

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Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

The movie is weighted down with an excess of plot points that fail to coalesce.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 11, 2004

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Antonia Quirke

London Evening Standard

Pacino with crazy hair and a gravepale face... inside clothes that seem too big and heavy for him. He is so concentrated, so compact. He sucks all the light out of the frame. He is the reason to see the film.

Mar 17, 2004

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Brandon Judell

Bay Area Reporter

Plot is the weakest part here. What you'll enjoy in spades is its rampant wit, uncontrolled luridness, and corrosive sexual come-ons. Kisses here are as tender-hearted as toxic dumps. In fact, Pacino's Eli is sort of a one-man Valley of the Dolls.

Sep 26, 2021

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Joel Siegel

Good Morning America

[Pacino] proves one more time he's one of film's finest actors.

Rated: B

Feb 7, 2020

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

Despite its marginally intriguing plot and some surprising insight into the New York political scene, this is frightfully dull.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 17, 2019

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Shioka O

This was depressing. Sad to see Pacino is in this film.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/10/22

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Audience Member

Pacino excellent! A long interesting movie, took me awhile to get hooked, Pacino made this film!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

She look like a vacuum cleaner? Eli Wurman cleans up messes for the stars. Sometimes it can be done with money, smooth talk, or muscle, but other times it is a bit more taxing. He is addicted to sleeping bills that helps his conscious sleep at night. When one of his brightest stars asks him to clean up a mess with an opium smoking hooker, his night turns out awful when she ends up dead. Eli begins a little investigation to determine what happened to the girl. "That don't feel so great." Daniel Algrant, director of Naked in New York, Greetings from Tim Buckley, and episodes from the television series Sex in the City, delivers People I Know. The storyline for this picture is interesting and contains fascinating characters. The plot is fairly well written and the cast delivers solid performances and includes Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Ryan O'Neal, Tea Leoni, Bill Nunn, and Robert Klien. "Where is my fucking toy?" I found this Pacino picture on Netflix and added it to the queue. This isn't a classic or particularly great thriller, but it is worth a view and fun to watch unfold. This is worth watching once if there isn't anything on but I wouldn't go too out of my way to see it. "I don't think I can slip away from this rat fuck, honey." Grade: C

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

Al Pacino is a former publicist who ends up getting embroiled in some bad things with a client of his. Could have been an interesting movie, but I just couldn't care about anything that was happening throughout the film. Pretty much sums up late Pacino movies well.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Possibly would have been better if Pacino had not been forced to used his ridiculous southern accent. People I Know is not even close to one of Pacino's best and the plot as absurd as it is makes a simple concept into a muddled attempt at a thriller. I wouldn't recommend this film to people I know.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

I think Pacino really nailed his character so much so, that the other ones around him seem unimportant.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Daniel Algrant

Director

Al Pacino

Eli Wurrman

Kim Basinger

Victoria Gray

Ryan O'Neal

Cary Launer

Téa Leoni

Jilli Hopper

Richard Schiff

Elliot Sharansky

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Synopsis

Burnt-out publicist Eli Wurman (Al Pacino) hopes to restore his reputation with a big benefit event. His client, Cary Launer (Ryan O'Neal), who's planning to enter politics, asks Eli to get his former lover, Jilli Hopper (Tea Leoni), out of town before she can ruin his reputation. While looking after Jilli, a drunken Eli witnesses her murder and is unable to decide how to handle it. Wrestling with his conscience, Eli is further unnerved by the arrival of an old flame, Victoria (Kim Basinger).

Director: Daniel Algrant
Producer: Michael Nozik, Leslie Urdang, Karen Tenkhoff
Screenwriter: Jon Robin Baitz
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Myriad Pictures, South Fork Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Brief Sexual Images)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $122.0K
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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