Scenes and characters are half-baked, merely a means to propel Maggie's character to her final flowering.
Comment
09/21/07
Irina Palm (2008)
70
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:31
Rotten:13
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: A strong performance from Faithfull anchors this perverse and lethargic -- but ultimately thought-provoking -- Garbarski drama.
Synopsis: Belgian director Sam Garbarski assembles an international cast for this thought-provoking drama. Iconic singer and actress Marianne Faithfull stars as Maggie, a middle-aged woman whose desire to... [More]
Starring: Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop, Siobhan Hewlett
Director: Sam Garbarski
Reviews for Irina Palm
Top CriticThere is a stillness to Marianne Faithful's performance that's usually the mark of great actors, an emotional magnet that pulls us toward the centre of their character, and it helps to make this a rewarding as well as unique film.
09/06/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/23/09
Un drama sensible y austero, no exento de cierto sentido del humor, que deja de lado cualquier aspecto sórdido del asunto para concentrarse en una historia de amor y sacrificio.
12/04/08
Click to read the article
10/18/08
A gobsmackingly awful British film -- awful in the way that somehow only British films can be: our TV drama, of whatever quality, is never as creaky, naive, badly written and flatulent as this.
10/18/08
Top CriticEngaging, enjoyable and quietly thought-provoking British drama with a refreshingly offbeat script and a great central performance from Marianne Faithfull.
10/18/08
Garbarski combines social satire, hand jobs, feminism, and romantic grace to create a tenderhearted tale of found love and female empowerment. And he actually pulls it off, give the guy a hand. On second thought...
07/30/08
A pleasingly sentimental British domestic drama.
06/13/08
The performances will keep you watching, and make Irina Palm well worth seeing.
06/13/08
There’s a heartwarming quality that softens the hardcore setting but this does lack an assured, er, hand.
06/13/08
Top Critictakes the notion of risqué empowerment a few preposterous steps further.
06/13/08
Irina Palm is a showcase for Faithfull but it never truly allows her to shine.
06/08/08
At first blush, it seems like another entry in the saucy-but-safe Brit genre, a la Calendar Girls, Saving Grace or The Full Monty, but it turns out to be both more ambitious and less successful than those diversions.
05/30/08
Although director and co-writer Sam Garbarski takes great care in tracing this difficult dramatic path (he has to balance the twin tracks of other people's morality and Maggie's personal course), he can't avoid the predictability.
05/16/08
Top CriticThis would never have worked with anyone else but Faithfull, who gives a touching performance even as she flaunts her 40-year metamorphosis from porcelain pop diva to elderly bad girl.
05/16/08
Irina Palm is saddled with an odd title, an outlandish plot and an unlikely star--notorious rock maven Marianne Faithfull cast as a suburban frump. But it turns out a success
05/15/08
An alleged story of determination and empowerment, about the lengths -- and girths -- a formerly timid dowager will go to in order to save someone's life.
05/14/08
Even if there aren't many other reasons to give this contrived and too often silly film a chance, Faithfull makes a captivating leading lady.
05/02/08
Gabarski's low-budget realism is nicely matched to a deceptively stolid performance by Faithfull, who combines infinitely subtle expressions with the smoky, still-sexy voice that made her famous as a '60s pop songbird.
04/11/08
Latest News for Irina Palm
August 11, 2008:
RT on DVD: New South Park, The Wire, and an Exclusive Look at Smart People,
This week we bring you an exclusive look from the DVD release of Smart People, starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Page as a father and daughter whose intellect outweighs their... More...
July 30, 2008:
Garbarski combines social satire, hand jobs, feminism, and romantic grace to create a tenderhearted tale of found love and female empowerment. And he actually pulls it off, give the guy a hand. On second thought... 
More...
March 22, 2008:
Desperate widow turns to prostitution to pay grandson's medical bills in intergenerational family saga.
More...
March 20, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Drillbit Taylor Flunks; Guess Shutter's and Meet the Browns' Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got a wacky bodyguard (Drillbit Taylor, starring Owen Wilson and Leslie Mann), a wild family reunion (Meet the Browns, starring Angela Basset and... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Win Glee DVDs
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
Win tickets to Cold Souls
Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds