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Room 237

Released Mar 29, 2013 1h 42m Documentary List
94% Tomatometer 132 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Filmmaker Rodney Ascher analyzes Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel "The Shining."

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Room 237

Room 237

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Critics Consensus

Mysterious and provocative, Room 237 is a fascinating journey into the world of obsessive cinephilles.

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Critics Reviews

View All (132) Critics Reviews
J. Hoberman Tablet Do the Kabbalist readings or wild free associations that Room 237 celebrates improve The Shining? Let's say that they create a parallel text: Lost in the Overlook, in search of the overlooked. Dec 31, 2015 Full Review Wendy Ide Times (UK) Don't watch this film and expect an authoritative critical analysis of the film; watch it and explore the distorting, drug-like pull that some art can exert on its audience. Rated: 3/5 Jun 24, 2015 Full Review David Thomson The New Republic A curious and entertaining documentary. Jun 12, 2013 Full Review Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine I found Rodney Ascher’s doc an enjoyable excuse to look at a lot of great Kubrick shots in quick succession while having a familiar film shaken up, however unconvincingly... Jan 24, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review It's a compellingly made documentary in visual terms. Rated: 3/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Kyle Anderson Battleship Pretension I doubt any two people will have the exact same Shining experience and nor will two people have the same Room 237 experience. It's a mystery, but one that will keep you thinking for weeks longer than you ever thought you would. Mar 17, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Simon T This film is ridiculous, trying to link far fetched connections that just aren’t there and making statements that are pure ignorance. So much that I couldn’t make it past the first 20 minutes. A few gleaming examples stood out. First is the comments that the Torrance family brought too much luggage…they were moving there with all of their belongings, did they even read the book on which the film was loosely based? Second is the fact that the creators of this atrocity didn’t even do minimal research on where Timberline Lodge is located…hint it’s not Fort Hood, it’s on Mt. Hood just outside of Government Camp, OR. The third and final straw was the utter lack of any professionalism by having one whackos kid in the background. What a horrible bag of ridiculous conspiracy theories. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/31/24 Full Review Evan T I was really invested in this doc until they went on a 15 mine rambling rant about the moon landing being fake. Disgusting conspiracy theorists. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Jeff M REVIEW: I was not a fan of THE SHINING, but there was enough interest there for me to check out this documentary which came out 32 years after Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel. There were many changes made from book to silver screen, which is probably why King has been vocally critical of the movie. Based on this documentary, there are some out there who believe Kubrick made these changes for myriad reasons - from the genocide of the American Indian to the Holocaust to the 1969 moon landing. And these theorists have painstakingly watched frame by frame of this movie to prove their points. It's often fascinating to hear what they've come up with, but it also gets a bit tiring. I admit to rolling my eyes on more than one occasion. The Kubrick fan boys insist errors in continuity are actually symbolic of the decay of human existence. It gets to be a bit much, even when I admire their passion. Fans of the film will probably find even more here to appreciate than I did. Truth be told, I had more enjoyment with this documentary than the film itself. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review Gin & Pentatonic I'm hoping to give the souls reading this an hour and thirty minutes of their lives back. I can't think of a more ridiculous documentary. Poorly conceived, poorly constructed and almost nothing about The Shining that is even interesting or intriguing. Basically a bunch of people ruminating with embarrassingly little evidence, about the hidden (most so hidden you never actually see them) clues inside the movie. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/23 Full Review D D What a bunch of clowns. Spending all that time looking for something that isn't there. They should go outside and stare at the clouds and see what they find; which by the way one of them actually kinda did LOL. Give me a break. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/04/23 Full Review Ashley K Would have been much more interesting without the input of the lunkhead who repeatedly insisted that this movie was about Native Americans. It wasn't. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Room 237

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Rodney Ascher analyzes Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel "The Shining."
Director
Rodney Ascher
Producer
Tim Kirk
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Highland Park Classics
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 29, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$259.8K
Runtime
1h 42m
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