Putty Hill

Released Feb 18, 2011

1 hr. 27 min.

Drama

List

74%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Friends and family of Cory, a young man who has died of an overdose, gather at a Baltimore-area karaoke bar for his wake and compare stories about him. Gradually, as it becomes clear that there are many holes in their recollections about Cory, they fill in the blanks by talking about things that reveal aspects of their own lives. Among those mourning him and searching for meaning are his cousin Jenny (Sky Ferreira), his sister Zoe (Zoe Vance) and his brother James (James Siebor).

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Audience Member

A remarkable and powerful film, all the more effective for what it withholds as for what it shows. Perhaps the closest I've ever seen a traditional film come to cinema verite.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

simon d

I can't believe that this wasn't a documentary, at least if it were, then there would be an excuse for it being so boring. You wait the length of the whole film for something to happen and it doesn't. I don't see the point of this film at all.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is as remarkable as it is bleak. There are very few films which tell it like it is but this is one of them.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Strange documentary-style movie. Worth a rental...I guess.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A compelling film that blends narrative and documentary film-making to create a portrait of a community on the outskirts of Baltimore dealing with the death of one of their own. The film takes a very deep look into these various people's lives and gives a unique, genuine view point into the community. Speaking to the youth of the area, Putty Hill perfectly captures the disenfranchised youth of America through having these people open up about their feelings and attitudes, while showing how their lives lack any true focus and how this boy's death almost feels meaning less in these youth who lack serious focus on doing something with there lives. Its a lyrical, poetic film that is once again rather hard to really explain, but should definitely be experienced. In a time where mumble-core films define the true indie genre, this film puts almost all of them to absolute shame.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Complete and total crap. A beautifully realized portrait, my ass - my 12-year old kid has made better movies than this overblown drivel. This movie was so slow and boring, it still had no pacing, even though I played it at 2x speed. Bad acting, poor sound, useless dialog and no plot. 97 mins you'll wish you had back, you've been warned.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Matt Porterfield

Director

Dustin Ray

Dustin

Cody Ray

Cody

Zoe Vance

Zoe

Sky Ferreira

Jenny

James Siebor

James

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87%

72%

Rabbit Hole

19%

33%

Reunion

38%

48%

Restless

45%

61%

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

9%

36%

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Critics Consensus: Unknown‘s Plot Twists Too Much

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Ronnie Scheib

Variety

This curious blend of documentary and narrative, held together less by any plot device than by a rigorous aesthetic, proves all the more effective for being in service of casual naturalism.

Aug 8, 2011

Full Review

Peter Brunette

Hollywood Reporter

Points must be awarded for nerve, but virtually every aspect of this misbegotten film misfires.

Aug 8, 2011

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

The originality here lies in the fact that the unseen director, Matt Porterfield, armed with his camera, asks them about their feelings.

Jun 17, 2011

Full Review

CJ Sheu

Review Film Review

[D]etails grow fuzzy in the mind as the characters multiply, until what's left is what Porterfield wanted all along: a portrait of the community.

Jul 1, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

An abstract kind of putting on airs that immediately sets the audience against it.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Sarah Manvel

Critic's Notebook

It's a movie that never comes close to its real potential.

Aug 9, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Friends and family of Cory, a young man who has died of an overdose, gather at a Baltimore-area karaoke bar for his wake and compare stories about him. Gradually, as it becomes clear that there are many holes in their recollections about Cory, they fill in the blanks by talking about things that reveal aspects of their own lives. Among those mourning him and searching for meaning are his cousin Jenny (Sky Ferreira), his sister Zoe (Zoe Vance) and his brother James (James Siebor).

Director: Matt Porterfield
Executive Producer: Rob Schwartz
Screenwriter: Jordan Mintzer, Matt Porterfield
Distributor: Cinema Guild
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.1K