Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Play

      2011 1 hr. 58 min. Crime Drama List
      81% 16 Reviews Tomatometer 75% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A group of teenage boys uses elaborate robbery schemes. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (14) audience reviews
      isla s This is quite a bleak watch - the way its filmed is as if we're watching the group of young boys through the lens of CCTV, in the distance at a shopping centre, showing one end of a bus and train etc. it has the look and feel of a documentary film, only without a narrator explaining (giving more context to) what your seeing on screen. There are some violent scenes which are a bit upsetting, in terms of the boys lashing out at one of their own. I suppose its about morality/social conscience and group dynamics in adolescents - it was somewhat thought provoking but I suppose if im to be totally honest, I felt it was lacking in plot direction to really hit home so to speak. I also suppose the irony is that (indeed maybe the main point was to make it clear that) such young people don't necessarily have a clear direction - being regarded as outsiders to an extent. I suppose if your into sociology, this would perhaps be a relevant watch but it was a bit too random and a bit too bleak to especially appeal to me as such. Not a bad film but not a great one either. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ari v Not as nearly strong as Force Majeure or The Square, but strong nevertheless. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Takes a really long time to make what feels like a very minor point. We're more likely to intervene in a situation with a white middle class, middle aged man than we are with a group of black youths. OK, anything else? Really,? Nothing? The drawn out bullying/mugging is depicted well but that's not a film in it's own right I'm afraid. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Provocative and provoking film that may have you infuriated at the timid inaction of the bullied but may also cause you to wonder whether you would have done any differently at that age and, perhaps more importantly, whether you would have intervened to help the children. A movie that could be many things, but may be a call for all of us bystanders to take off the kid gloves when it comes to adolescent behaviour in public. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A frustrating movie to watch, not least because of the child victims ignorance throughout, but there's a lot of powerful imagery throughout and a much needed cot to lighten the mood. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A very interesting story line, flips from one story or part story to another and culminates in a symphony of social judgments and views that encourage thought and debate about race and racism and seen from ultra left and ultra right political view points. A great one to watch, and intellectual challenge and debate starter. I recently watched it on film4 and would highly recommend it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      50% 24% Sket 70% 67% Four Corners 33% 83% Smaller and Smaller Circles 0% 63% Graduation 0% 54% Weapons Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All Play photos

      Play

      Play (2011) Play (2011) Play (2011) Play (2011) Play (2011) Play (2011) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (16) Critics Reviews
      Scott Tobias The Dissolve Play marks stlund's extraordinary growth as a stylist. Rated: 4/5 Jan 15, 2015 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg New York Times The ambient soundtrack enhances the sense of outsiders' indifference. Jan 13, 2015 Full Review Elise Nakhnikian Slant Magazine It concerns how our compulsion to construct and comply with an acceptable public face can make us act against our own instincts and self-interest. Jan 13, 2015 Full Review Barbara Majsa barbaramajsa.com Ruben Östlund holds a mirror, and depicts Gothenburg as it is, even if this is an image that not so many people want to see. Play is based on a true story, but the social, societal and moral issues discussed in it are universal and go beyond borders. Dec 14, 2019 Full Review Eddie Harrison The List Play isn't much fun, but it does skewer the way in which modern selfishness creates social division. Rated: 3/5 Jul 16, 2013 Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) There's something uneasy about the knife-edge stlund is working on, and his film is overlong and inadequately focused. Jul 14, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A group of teenage boys uses elaborate robbery schemes.
      Director
      Ruben Östlund
      Executive Producer
      Gunnar Carlsson, Peter Possne, Jessica Ask, Alexander Bohr
      Screenwriter
      Ruben Östlund, Erik Hemmendorff
      Production Co
      Sonet Film AB, Coproduction Office, Plattform Produktion, Film i Väst
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      Swedish