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Synecdoche, New York

R Released Oct 24, 2008 2h 4m Comedy Drama List
69% Tomatometer 195 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Life is looking pretty bleak for theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman). His wife and daughter have left him, his therapist is more interested in plugging her new book than helping him with his problems, and a strange disease is causing his body to shut down. Caden leaves his home in Schenectady, N.Y., and heads to New York City, where he gathers a cast of actors and tells them to live their lives within the constructs of a mock-up of the city.
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Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York

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Critics Consensus

Charlie Kaufman's ambitious directorial debut occasionally strains to connect, but ultimately provides fascinating insight into a writer's mind.

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Critics Reviews

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Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) Kaufman, who once dazzled us with his japester's invention, uses those same tools to do something else here. He leaves us reeling. Rated: 5/5 May 17, 2009 Full Review Cosmo Landesman Times (UK) This is a classic Kaufmanesque work: bold, bizarre and utterly baffling. Rated: 3/5 May 17, 2009 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Synecdoche, New York aches with sentiments on a life (and indeed all life) not fully lived and overly focused on analysis and reflection, offering rich commentary on remorse and alienation. Rated: 4/4 Sep 5, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy This takes the notion of life as merely one sprawling play and literalizes it. Rated: 3/4 Feb 15, 2023 Full Review Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies Episode 43: The New World / Synecdoche, New York / L'Avventura Rated: 96/100 Oct 4, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Isa B Though this film is incredibly well acted, I am personally not a big fan of it. I love Charlie Kaufman's writing. Adaptation is one of my all-time favorite films. As his career progressed, his films seemed to get more and more abstract. This one in particular had such a melancholy nature, it just did not appeal to me. I just couldn't connect with it. I love films that are abstract, so long as I have some kind of connection to the material or if I can somehow make sense of it. It seems to me that Charlie Kaufman has taken his abstractions too far, almost for the sake of it. Like, the intention is more so to be weird and different than to tell a real story. That's just my opinion. I don't find this film to be some brilliant allegory. I do find meaning to the film, I just find it to be unnecessarily abstract for effect. Again, I am just not a fan nor do I consider this picture to be great. Personally, I hate this film. There is just nothing for me to like about it. I do, on the other hand, appreciate the film. I would still recommend it to others. 72/100 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review erdene c The struggle for life of a director abandoned by his wife and children is interesting Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Uynga U excellent peace of art Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Bahad j I am very happy that the movie shows us the steps and choices that are necessary in the life of a great person. I like the movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/24 Full Review Kyle M Tediously, melancholically torturous, but that’s always been Charlie Kauffman’s aim, focusing on bloomy realism in his directorial debut after writing previous existential crises that manifested into a complex, heavy-handed discourse. Whilst deepens as poetically depressing and agreeably well-performed, the thematic confrontation genuinely struggles to connect, which therefore dissuades little enjoyment down to none besides artistic admiration. (C+) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/17/24 Full Review Pantera O "I'm just concerned by dying in the fire" La vida de un hombre frustrado al pasar de los años. Surreal. Madura. Romántica. Planos en su mayoría estáticos, con largos diálogos y situaciones provocativas e irracionales. Suave y sutil diseño de sonido. Una puesta de escena con gran estetica visual, combinando bien los colores en pro del argumento. La monotonía de la vida y las dificultades de resistir la tentación. La desilusión y frustración ante la expectativa. Una reflexión profunda sobre el sentido de la vida. Pensé que la disfrutaría grifo pero no entendí un cacahuate. La volví a poner para entenderla mejor y me quede igual. ¿A donde voy? Saber que no sabes, es el primer paso para saber. Técnica: 6.9 Expresión: 8.6 Efecto: 7.4 Experiencia: 5.2 Calificación: 7.0/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Synecdoche, New York

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Movie Info

Synopsis Life is looking pretty bleak for theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman). His wife and daughter have left him, his therapist is more interested in plugging her new book than helping him with his problems, and a strange disease is causing his body to shut down. Caden leaves his home in Schenectady, N.Y., and heads to New York City, where he gathers a cast of actors and tells them to live their lives within the constructs of a mock-up of the city.
Director
Charlie Kaufman
Producer
Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
Screenwriter
Charlie Kaufman
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Projective Testing Service, Likely Story
Rating
R (Some Sexual Content/Nudity|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 24, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 24, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.1M
Runtime
2h 4m
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