Stranger Than Paradise

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Stranger Than Paradise

R,

1984,

1h 30m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

New York City layabout Willie (John Lurie) and his dopey sidekick, Eddie (Richard Edson), get by on TV dinners and beer financed by haphazard card-sharking. Willie gets an unwelcome visit from his Hungarian teen cousin, Eva (Eszter Balint), but, just as he warms to her, she ditches him for her aunt in Cleveland. Impulsively, Willie and Eddie take a road trip to pick up Eva, after which they head out to find fortune and paradise in Florida -- or at least alleviation from their constant boredom.

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Critics Consensus

A striking debut for director Jim Jarmusch, Stranger than Paradise is an effortlessly cool exploration of finding meaning in the mundane.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Dec 7, 2022

This is a plaintive, intelligent, laconic New York comedy.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Dec 3, 2020

4/5

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack / And you may find yourself in another part of the world / And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile / Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Feb 3, 2020

A unified vision of populist American aesthetics.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 25, 2022

4.5/5

Throughout “Stranger Than Paradise” I couldn’t help but feel a hip French New Wave vibe in the vein of early Godard, Truffaut, and Chabrol.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 24, 2019

3.5/4

One of the most important indie achievements of '84.

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A.S. Hamrah

n+1

Nov 29, 2018

Stranger Than Paradise captures what in retrospect turned out to be a last moment of unbranded American reality.

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Jan 26, 2019

The best, GREATEST comedy movie ever made!

George P

Jan 20, 2019

Arthouse crap. Nothing happens. Don't waste your time

Jun 23, 2018

Relies too much on its 'arthouse' rights to excuse its being absolutely unbearable. But its not that easy, you dont get over with an awful film by calling it "art".

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Hagrid R

Apr 24, 2017

This is one of those movies that sticks with you even after seeing it and a couple years have passed.

George R

Jan 12, 2017

Jarmusch draws you into this mundane world with a fresh episodic eye and a deliciously dry smirk.

George M

Sep 7, 2016

Pensive, predictable and slow, but I love Hungarians and Cleveland. 1001 movies to see before you die.

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Jim Jarmusch

Director

John Lurie

Willie

Eszter Balint

Eva

Richard Edson

Eddie

Cecillia Stark

Aunt Lotte

Danny Rosen

Billy

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Synopsis

New York City layabout Willie (John Lurie) and his dopey sidekick, Eddie (Richard Edson), get by on TV dinners and beer financed by haphazard card-sharking. Willie gets an unwelcome visit from his Hungarian teen cousin, Eva (Eszter Balint), but, just as he warms to her, she ditches him for her aunt in Cleveland. Impulsively, Willie and Eddie take a road trip to pick up Eva, after which they head out to find fortune and paradise in Florida -- or at least alleviation from their constant boredom.

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Sara Driver
Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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