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Directed by: Richard Linklater Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy Before Sunset is one of the most unlikely sequels I've ever seen. 9 years prior, Before Sunrise came out as a nice quirky intelligent romance flick that was critically acclaimed but hardly seen. To have the same writer/director and stars return for a high quality part 2 is amazing. I haven't enjoyed a sequel with a time of day change in the title since Night of the Living Dead gave way to Dawn of the Dead. And for me to have liked this film without the presence of flesh-eating zombies present says a lot. Make no mistake, this is a HARD movie to watch if you don't know what you're getting in to. If you're looking for something light and fluffy with a popular soundtrack and a formulaic script, you're gonna hate this film. It's only 80 minutes long, but it's jam-packed with the dialogue of a 3 hour film. You have to really dig the script and enjoy watching Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy muse about relationships, missed opportunites and love, cause that's about 95% of the film. There were 27 people that walked out of the screening I attended, and I could hear many of them mumbling things like, "this movie is bullshit" or "I ain't gonna just watch 2 people talk, gently caress that!" But this movie isn't for them. If you like talking to your partner about all sorts of deep things, this is a good date movie for you. Hawke is charming and Delpy is a bit of a beautiful train wreck that's hard to stop looking at. I didn't see the the first film, and I still enjoyed it and felt perfectly caught up with their characters within minutes. But I'm eager to see BEFORE SUNRISE now so I can soak it all in. It's a gutsy film that will clearly not reach a broad audience. And the ending is so perfectly "gently caress you" to the audiences expecting a canned Hollywood finale that half the audience let out an audible gasp of combined disappointment and surprise. It looks like it's getting a fairly limited release, but if you're in the mood for a thoughtful date, or just want a movie that might get your brain moving a bit, give it a look. 3.5 stars. RATING: 3.5 PROS: Very smart script, good flick to bring a girl to that is into deep arty love films CONS: Be ready to see a film that features the same 2 people talking non-stop ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/ liquorhead fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Jul 13, 2004 |
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Jul 13, 2004 07:03
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Giving this a bump as it opens today in many cities. Funny thing, this review I've linked here, from Joe Baltake at The Sacramento Bee, completely gets the movie wrong, making things up that never even happened in the movie. http://www.sacticket.com/cgi-bin/Movies/review?story_id=04beforesunset_baltake He says that Delpy showed up to Paris and Hawke did not, but that's completely backward. He even mentions that she goes to the book store to confront him about it, which never happens. Makes you wonder if he just took a giant piss-break during the movie and filled in the blanks himself.
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Jul 16, 2004 16:41
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All the good reviews I read interested me enough that I actually bought the used VHS of Before Sunrise from Amazon (since of course Blockbuster and the likes would never carry such a movie) and watched it the night before I went to the sequel, a couple weeks ago. I would definitely not want to see Before Sunset without seeing the original first; they gloss over the story, but there's just no point to the movie without having witnessed the characters' time together nine years prior. That being said, I did enjoy Before Sunset, although it did get a bit draggy a couple of times, just watching them talk. But I was quite engaged most of the time; these are enjoyable people to observe. If you've seen the original, you should see the sequel. If you haven't seen the original, you shouldn't see the sequel. Reviews seem pretty pointless except to tell you that the sequel isn't a piece of poo poo with which you shouldn't waste your time. 4.5/5 edit: I wanted to revise this a bit, in light of subsequent reviews from people who had not seen the original and enjoyed the sequel nevertheless. Upon reflection, there are actually two separate dynamics to Before Sunset: first, it is a movie about two people reuniting after spending the night together nine years ago. Secondly, it is a movie about how people change over several years. If you haven't seen the original, apparently you can still enjoy the sequel, but I believe you'll only enjoy it on the first level. But for a lot of people, namely the following posters, that one level was good enough that they found the movie as a whole worth seeing, and perhaps it will be the same for you. I retract that you MUST have seen Before Sunrise to get anything out of Before Sunset. But I still feel that you'll get more out of the sequel, if you are able to examine it on the second level as well, which is only possible if you have actually seen the original. The sequel summarizes the actions of the first film, but it would be impossible to condense what we learn about the characters into any kind of quick prologue. Propaniac fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Jul 25, 2004 |
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Jul 17, 2004 05:36
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Thought this was wonderful, the most intelligent movie about relationships and love to come out in recent memory. I've never seen Before Sunrise but it didn't matter much (it's pretty easy to figure out where it left off). Thought I was just going along for a chick-flick that my girlfriend wanted to see, but turns out that I got a lot out of it myself. Well written, well acted, well shot. Recommended for those of you who are not afraid of dialogue and no popular soundtrack. 4.5.
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Jul 23, 2004 21:08
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I have to make a confession. I haven't seen the first one. Also, I rarely ever watch any romantic films. That being said, this has to be my favorite "chick flick" that I've ever seen. True, it's one 80-minute long conversation but it never feels slightly boring or unnatural. Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy do wonderful jobs portraying Jesse and Celine. Like a real relationship, neither one really outshines the other but rather, they work as a team. If you've read anything about the film, you already know what it's about. What's beautiful about Before Sunset is that Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (they wrote it along with Linklater this time around) knew to avoid all the usual clichés that usually comes with the genre of romantic dramas. Throughout the whole hour and twenty minutes, they sustain the momentum of when they first reunited in the bookstore...it rarely ever drags. I didn't really find the subject matter they were discussing too pretentious at all. I would imagine these are the issues they would have to face as two lovers of a one-night stand, reuniting an odd nine years or so after their romance was cut short. I do admit that this movie is distinctly Richard Linklater, as it revisits several of the themes found in his other movies, such as living in the moment, true happiness, etc. At first, I didn't really like the ending. A little bit too abrupt for me. However, thinking about it as I exited the theater, it really does fit one of the themes of the movie (one that the director has revisted many many times), that being living in the moment, as opposed to extending yourself too far ahead of time. Take it from me, you do not need to know anymore about the first film than the fact that it was a one-night stand. It stands alone on its own; the fact that Richard Linklater made a sequel to a ROMANTIC DRAMA (think about that for a second, I really haven't seen this type of sequel before, at least not in my time) and that he succeeded establishes him as one of the most talented directors right now. Highly recommended. 5/5 (best of its genre)
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Jul 25, 2004 03:10
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I went into this movie expecting to hate it. I read the reviews here and I was intrigued that people said it had a very intelligent discussion of love, and I was wondering what sort of supar-mature views you guys held. Richard Linklater is probably my least favorite director, as I hate Slacker, and I found Dazed and Confused not so interesting. This movie, however, has completely redeemed Richard Linklater in my mind. It is one of the most realistic movies I have ever seen, except for a guy who walks by in a red shirt about halfway through, but that's more of an editing problem . All of the dialogue is well written and extremely well delivered. poo poo, this movie rules. My only misgiving is it IS so drat realistic. The delivery is perfect, sure, but the underlying material has nothing in it that seems really clever and unique. It is an intriguing movie that very accurately reflects the real world, but it lacks the oomph you get by inventing some crazy scenario. I'm not sure if this is really a disadvantage, perhaps it's just another genre, but it does give me slight misgivings at first glance. Rating: 4.5/5 (It was really really good, but I'm hesitant to give it a 5)
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Aug 5, 2004 06:16
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Before Sunset is amazing--it might be the most striking, realistic depiction of love I've ever seen on film. Linklater takes Hawke and Delpy through various stages of reacquaintance until they are tripping on their lip not to fawn over one another like dreamy college kids. You root for them even though they are drippy, annoying and flawed. What they say is never as important as how they say it, how they poke and prod and then sheepishly relent when the signs are present. It's so goddamn heartbreaking--knowing that their time together is finite, knowing the dissatisfied lives they'll return to and knowing through subtext where they should be. Best movie I've seen this year. Take your special lady to see this film, not just to score cheap gently caress points, but because it's genuinely something that would be better shared with a loved one. Five. Also, I want to add that I hate assholes who scoff when you don't like one of their movies because "obviously, you didn't get it." But every negative review I've read about Before Sunset is from someone who didn't get it. One of my friends called it "pretentious" and "pseudo-intellectual" and I had to resist the urge to kick him in the balls. What they talk about isn't important you stupid loving critics. Consider the subtext. NADZILLA fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Aug 13, 2004 |
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Aug 6, 2004 06:50
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As the sole poster and creator of the Before Sunrise review thread, I was very excited to see this film. I finally got a chance to see it tonight, and I was extremely satisfied with it. I went with three people that had not seen Before Sunrise, and they all enjoyed it, but probably not to the degree that I did. I really thought the dialogue was near perfect and everything about the movie was just so good coming from something that conventional film wisdom would expect to never exist. The first movie really isn't the same type of mood as this one, so I really see the two as different films with the same theme of "two people getting the most out of relationship in a limited time". Sunrise's mood was like "Let's be as happy as we can be in this time" and Sunset's mood is more "Let's see if we can't fix what went wrong when we didn't meet for 9 years". The dialogue is witty and interesting and sharp and I really got a lot of mileage out of it in the short time the movie took place. I also liked how it ran in real-time, it added a completely extra layer to the film. Highly recommended. I didn't see it with a girl or anything but it's playing at college a few weeks after I start so hopefully I can pick up a broad to go see it with me then. I'm definitely getting it when it comes out on DVD also. 4.5/5
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Aug 13, 2004 05:48
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I absolutely adored Before Sunrise, and think Sunset is even better. Because the movie now really plays in real-time, the realism is higher. Linklater (I think he's one of the most interesting director's of this time, Waking Life is probably my favourite movie from the past five years) has learned a lot, and the movie looks great. Julie and Ethan play absolutely magnificent, and the dialogue they deliver sounds totally spontaneous. Almost everything about this movie is great. There were two scenes that I found a bit 'too much' (the first scene and the guitar-scene) and the movie was over wáy too soon. All in all, still a great piece of work from Linklater, and one of the best of it's genre. 5/5.
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Sep 29, 2004 21:32
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Well everything has already been said, it's an awesome movie! I liked it more than before sunrise, but I would still recommend people to watch Before Sunrise first. It's very good too. It's just amazing to see these two actors reading scripted dialog and making it sound so real and so natural. You just see them talking, I never even thought this was scripted until after I left the movie. 5 / 5
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Oct 13, 2004 20:56
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I'm going for a 5.5, because I really feel I've never enjoyed a movie as much as I have enjoyed this one. I really have a week soft for romantic movies that aren't cliché at all, and when you combine it with philisophy, simplicity, realism... it really is perfect according to me. I enjoyed Before Sunrise a lot, but this was even better... they've grown up, there's more tension between them, and it's even more just about the two of them. Not once did I find their conversations boring, they're more focussed than in the previous movie it seems... And Julie's just... she really is perfect for this role, and so is Hawke, but yeah, I looked more towards Julie. The ending is exactly what I hoped it would be, not giving away too much, but enough to keep you pleased.
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Oct 21, 2004 01:34
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Such an amazing movie. Loved, absolutely loved the actors and their continuous dialogue. Some of the topics were so amazingly great (especially when they really really open up to each other). The ending was just perfect too. A movie MADE for people that love lofty discussions. 5/5 Quantuvis fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Nov 8, 2004 |
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Nov 8, 2004 02:51
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Plot: Its not about the plot. Its the process, the anticipation, the missed opportunities and the what-ifs. Watch it if: You have a soul-mate. Or if you loved Paris. Or if you were ever involved with a sophisticated european chick in summer. Don't watch it if: You are lonely. You think 80 minutes of dialogue is utter bollocks. You are dating someone who feels like a million miles away.
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Nov 25, 2004 11:56
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Felt very nouvelle vague, and not just because it's set in France. You've got the roughly-90-minutes of real time of walking through Paris, just like Cleo From 5 to 7. You've got the extended conversation, very reminiscent of Godard and Malle. And even the song at the end (quite lovely, by the way) brought forth the same emotional release that the song in Jules et Jim provides. Some of the dialogue is unnatural, but ultimately the film is satisfying. Rating: 4 (I haven't seen Before Sunrise in 9 years, so I can't compare the two)
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Mar 29, 2005 17:27
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Bumping this because I just thought of this movie and I loved it when I saw it. I had no idea what the original movie was, and I had no idea what to expect from this movie. I rented it with no expectations at all, and I was pleasantly surprised. Although I'm not sure I have much to say that hasn't been said before, it all bears repeating. Watching Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy interact on screen is amazing. They play their parts extremely well, and really, really make it feel like you're watching two actual long-separated lovers. They have great chemistry, and have just the right nuances that show that they're really perfect for each other. Not to mention the incredibly fluid and generally very realistic dialogue. Although at times a bit too impressive to seem like real speech, the delivery and play between the characters is just perfect. I was so caught up in their dialogue that I didn't even realize until the movie was over and the credits were rolling that I'd just watched an 80 minute conversation. This movie manages to perfectly capture the feel of those long conversations you have with people you really connect with, which is quite an amazing feat. Another thing that wasn't mentioned too much is the look of the movie. The beautiful afternoon that slowly turns into a sunset really matches the mood of the entire movie very well. Slightly hurried, but basking in the leisure of another's company. Also, I loved the ending. What better way to end a long, amazing conversation between two people who clearly love each other than inevitable but ultimately unnecessary sex. I felt like the ending captured the feeling of wanting to have sex while realizing that it's not necessary for happiness. 5.5/5
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Apr 4, 2005 00:32
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I saw Before Sunrise on TV when I was really young. Like elementary school young. I didn't understand a lot of references in the dialogue, but I still felt that it was very touching that the two characters spent that one night together. I had made up my mind back then that they would meet up again six months later and they'd live happily ever after. And then, almost a decade later, this film comes about and I'm instantly intrigued after reading about it. I watched Before Sunrise again, found it quite good, and then watched this film. I must say that I was completely captivated. The way Hawke and Delpy had visibly aged and the way the characters had developed compared to their younger selves was excellent, and I thought the dialogue was very well written. The ending disappointed me at first, but I now think that it's probably the best way the film could have ended. I don't know if I could have gotten nearly as much out of it if I didn't have any emotional investment from the first film, but I think it's one of the best films I've seen in a while. 4.5/5 (compromise due to how I feel Before Sunrise to be necessary)
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Apr 11, 2005 07:18
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