This Must Be the Place

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This Must Be the Place

R,

2012,

1h 58m,

Drama

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Watchlist

65%

86 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

At 50 years of age, former rock star Cheyenne (Sean Penn) still dresses the part and lives in Ireland off the royalties and dividends from smart investments. The death of his estranged father brings Cheyenne back to New York, where he discovers the old man had one obsession: to hunt down a Nazi war criminal (Heinz Lieven). Cheyenne decides to pick up the quest where his late father left off, and sets out at his own pace on a journey across America.

Critics Consensus

This Must Be the Place may feature too many wayward detours to satisfy some passengers, but Sean Penn's beguiling performance and Paolo Sorrentino's scenic visuals make this a road trip worth following.

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Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Jun 28, 2013

The conceit of showing a pop-culture figure's life out of the limelight is beyond hackneyed, but the film's incongruous visual splendor and Penn's all-or-nothing commitment keep Sorrentino's unabashed folly afloat for a while.

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Scott Foundas

Film Comment Magazine

Jun 20, 2013

Sorrentino's aggressively life-affirming movie has wormed its way into the hearts of a surprising number of usually sensible, discerning critics.

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nov 21, 2012

2.5/4

Penn has created a colorful tour guide, but in "This Must Be the Place," there's no there there.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jun 27, 2023

5/10

Penn's performance as the rockstar offers slight moments of eccentricity, but his road trip turns dull and loses substance when it stops to interrogate the platitudes of loneliness, old age, and the need for self-discovery. [Full review in Spanish]

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Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

Oct 4, 2022

5.5/10

In tragicomic and pompous tone, Sorrentino once again gloats over the pathos of his characters. [Full review in Spanish]

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Apr 27, 2020

3/5

It elicits a form of emotional rapture that is either the story's themes subtly catching up on the viewer or Sorrentino's shamanistic direction papering over the film's cracks

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Feb 21, 2018

Excellent movie with thoughtful storytelling and immersive acting. Gives me a very personal look into a hypothetical retired famous musician's life in Ireland. Makes the highly eccentric person somewhat human and understandable.

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Hagrid G

Jan 6, 2018

Even if for me this is the worst Sorrentino movie, I still enjoyed much of it. That dude can't miss.

Theodore S

Apr 25, 2017

I love this film. The pacing is very relaxed, the performance of penn is spot on for someone who has trouble dealing with the speed/pace of the world around them. Very enjoyable to see a film that doesn't try to wrap up every single part of the plot

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Finn R

Feb 15, 2017

A quirky but underwhelming and meandering piece.

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Paolo Sorrentino

Director

Sean Penn

Cheyenne

Frances McDormand

Jane

Eve Hewson

Mary

Kerry Condon

Rachel

Harry Dean Stanton

Robert Plath

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Synopsis

At 50 years of age, former rock star Cheyenne (Sean Penn) still dresses the part and lives in Ireland off the royalties and dividends from smart investments. The death of his estranged father brings Cheyenne back to New York, where he discovers the old man had one obsession: to hunt down a Nazi war criminal (Heinz Lieven). Cheyenne decides to pick up the quest where his late father left off, and sets out at his own pace on a journey across America.

Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti
Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Lucky Red, Medusa Film, Indigo Films
Rating: R (Language|Brief Disturbing Images|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $142.2K
Runtime: 1h 58m

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