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Routine Pleasures

Play trailer Poster for Routine Pleasures 1986 1h 20m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin -- best known for his collaborations with Jean-Luc Godard during the director's politically radical phase of the early 1970s -- investigates a group of model-train hobbyists who gather weekly at a Southern California fairground. Interweaving the hobbyists' obsession with miniaturization with reflections on art and representation by the painter and film critic Manny Farber, Gorin explores a uniquely American perspective on identity and culture.

Critics Reviews

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Angelos Koutsourakis PopMatters Gorin seems to imply that these detailed recreations in the model landscapes signified a willingness to freeze time and history and provide those involved with a sense of historical closure and safety from the workings of history. Feb 22, 2024 Full Review Christopher Long Movie Metropolis It's all a wonderful mess that Gorin has the sense not to tidy up at the editing table. Rated: 9/10 Feb 2, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Tocqueville + Borat = Jean-Pierre Gorin? A "post-Marxist" movie? A cure for insomnia? Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review walter m "Routine Pleasures" is an offbeat cinematic essay wherein filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin, having lived in the United States for a few years, is interested in what it means to be American but is worried about the constant change in the landscape. To that end, he latches onto and becomes enamored of a model railroad club in Southern California, interviewing and following the members in their preparations for their Tuesday night meetings. While becoming immersed in those details, he receives advice from noted film critic Manny Farber. The lesson here is never lose sight of the small things in life that make it worth living. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member At turns both embracing and rejecting nostalgia, Gorin attempts to draw a line between the paintings of Manny Farber with that of a model train enthusiasts club in 80s southern California. An engaging mess of a movie and enrapturing the whole time. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Routine Pleasures

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Routine Pleasures

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Movie Info

Synopsis French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin -- best known for his collaborations with Jean-Luc Godard during the director's politically radical phase of the early 1970s -- investigates a group of model-train hobbyists who gather weekly at a Southern California fairground. Interweaving the hobbyists' obsession with miniaturization with reflections on art and representation by the painter and film critic Manny Farber, Gorin explores a uniquely American perspective on identity and culture.
Director
Jean-Pierre Gorin
Screenwriter
Patrick Amos, Jean-Pierre Gorin
Production Co
Channel Four Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m