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10/18/08
Laurel Canyon (2003)
67
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:72
Rotten:35
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Though the movie itself is flawed, McDormand is fantastic as Jane.
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $3,596,939
Synopsis: Laurel Canyon is a street that runs through the heart of the Hollywood Hills, joining the middle-class, stolid environs of the San Fernando Valley to the heart of the city of Los Angeles. The... [More]
Starring: Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhone
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Reviews for Laurel Canyon
Top CriticCholodenko has pulled finely calibrated ensemble work from her perfectly cast actors who, despite varied backgrounds, are on the same page and bring a rare authenticity to their interactions.
02/22/03
But what holds the film together is Frances McDormand’s riveting, unapologetic performance as Jane.
03/30/03
it goes without saying that McDormand is the high point of Laurel Canyon. She tears through the stiff, paper-thin movie with a sense of complete freedom, the same way Geena Davis did in The Accidental Tourist.
03/17/03
McDormand's terrific as the perennially foxy rock chick, but Bale contributes the movie's most affecting performance as a son who still longs for the stability his mother could never provide.
10/02/02
Well-cast, sporadically engaging but easily forgettable.
03/13/03
An immediate guilty pleasure.
04/25/03
Comes across pretty much as a pretentious soap opera -- a movie that wants the audience to believe it has more to say about life than the usual melodrama.
03/01/03
Cholodenko's tepid melodrama is an exercise in boilerplate storytelling.
02/04/03
...well-acted but unadventurous in its allegorical depiction of temptation and personal growth.
03/14/03
Good entertainment, but not a film that will stay on your mind once you've seen it.
04/04/03
Despite the insistent prurience in the writing, the performances are pro and much production value is accomplished on a modest budget.
01/27/03
From the choice of L.A.’s musical bohemia to finding the right tension in each scene, director Lisa Cholodenko has hit another home run.
06/04/03
An enjoyable little film about fidelity and intimacy among different generations. Worth seeing just for McDormand's performance.
05/06/03
Laurel Canyon explores how the love of a serious and sober couple is challenged by the hedonistic sexuality of those they encounter in this California community.
03/09/03
Are you ready for 'Marge Gunderson: Sex Goddess'?
04/09/03
McDormand steals every scene, seemingly without even trying.
04/25/03
Real people, real situations. Laurel Canyon is a keeper.
07/03/03
It reminds of what Cholodenko is capable--and of the promise that she might get there again.
03/07/03
If you want to see a first class perf by McDormand and a sexually titillating family story, then I think you might enjoy ["Laurel Canyon"].
03/31/03
Latest News for Laurel Canyon
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