Puffball

R

2007

2 hr. 0 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

0%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

14%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Architect Liffey (Kelly Reilly) moves to the Irish countryside with her American fiancé, Richard (Oscar Pearce), to refurbish a long-abandoned cottage. Their neighbors are elderly Molly (Rita Tushingham) and her adult daughter, Mabs (Miranda Richardson), who has three daughters but wants a son. After Richard returns to New York City, Liffey learns she's pregnant, which angers Molly and Mabs. Convinced Liffey has the baby her daughter deserves, Molly tries to use black magic to kill the fetus.

Read More

Read Less

kevin w

Nicolas Roeg wants to touch some deep forgotten chords of the old days here, when the feel of things that go bump in the night was more than simply a yearly holiday for kids but he never latches onto the vibe and so neither do we. The shadows are there, but not fully realized, and so the things a waste by the end, before the end. Don Sutherland coasts through the film with a smile on his face that seems to imply: "I can't believe they're paying me for this shit." You'll quickly come to see his point unfortunately.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

im a huge weldon fan but this was a bit messy! Shame as Reilly is a great actress

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm trying to think of words to describe this movie without being disrespectful... maybe "Shitball: The Devil's Shit" Just god awful, how could you Nicholas Roeg? I trusted you. Though to be fair, I should have realized after the 6th sex scene that it wasn't going to get any better.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A verey Strange Little Movie This is ...A Coven of witches Obssessed With Having A Baby boy that died in a fire A young couple are revovating a little cottage And She gets preggo Then Has What Looks To Be LiKe A Misscarage I Guess you have to see what Im talking about ???The sex in the barn was steamy I dont think allot of people will like this Movie It Is an ODD one I would watch it again maby ...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Started off interesting but overall was bland. But I give credit to Kelly Reilly and actor who played Tucker's sex scene.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

All the talent that director Nicolas Roeg had back in 70's and 80's is completely gone and Puffball is the best possible evidence of that sad fact. At times it even seems that Roeg is desperately trying to imitate his own Don't look Now, which is one of the creepiest and stylsih horror-films ever made. He tries his best but the end result feels like a bad parody with witches running in forests and Donald Sutherland appearing as a mysterious man who likes to hug stones. Audience is destined to scratch their heads while they try to figure out that what the hell was it all about when the film ends. I am quite sure that even Roeg himself cannot answer that question. This is just awful.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Nicolas Roeg

Director

Kelly Reilly

Liffey

Miranda Richardson

Mabs Tucker

Rita Tushingham

Molly

Donald Sutherland

Lars

William Houston

Tucker

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Jul 18, 2008

Full Review

Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Everyone in this soggy tale of maternal reproductive instincts gone berserk is wisely attired in Wellingtons at one time or another, but it can't save them from sinking in the spreading sludge.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 28, 2007

Full Review

Pamela Jahn

Electric Sheep

A lacklustre mishmash of voodoo humbug, pregnancy and domestic frustrations, set in a grey, desolate community in the Irish countryside, Puffball is carelessly plotted, haphazardly stringing together obscure scenes and all-too-obvious hints.

Sep 26, 2017

Full Review

Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

Rated: 2/5

Jul 18, 2008

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Eye for Film

It is part drama, part supernatural mystery, part nativity play and part horror - but somehow always less than the sum of its parts, as though Roeg cannot quite bring his generic hybrid to full term.

Jul 16, 2008

Full Review

Liz Braun

Jam! Movies

Puffball is a surprisingly terrible movie.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 28, 2007

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Architect Liffey (Kelly Reilly) moves to the Irish countryside with her American fiancé, Richard (Oscar Pearce), to refurbish a long-abandoned cottage. Their neighbors are elderly Molly (Rita Tushingham) and her adult daughter, Mabs (Miranda Richardson), who has three daughters but wants a son. After Richard returns to New York City, Liffey learns she's pregnant, which angers Molly and Mabs. Convinced Liffey has the baby her daughter deserves, Molly tries to use black magic to kill the fetus.

Director: Nicolas Roeg
Executive Producer: Paul Trijbits
Screenwriter: Dan Weldon
Rating: R (Some Violent Images|Some Bloody Images|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English