Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

  • Review Date: September 23, 2009
  • NR
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2009
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Intense look at gender and relationships is best for adults.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this indie relationship drama directed by The Office star John Krasinski based on the story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace is aimed at adults. The subject matter can feel very heavy, and the characters who deliver the movie's intense monologues/conversations about the coolly detached -- and sometimes destructive -- ways that men interact with women are are deeply flawed. Expect some swearing (including words like "f--k"), sexual references, social drinking, and smoking.

  • The movie presents a multifaceted, complex portrait of modern relationships -- there's no simple take-away here. Women don’t have it easy, but neither do men.
  • Most, but not all, of the men in the film come across as deeply flawed -- to the point of near caricature. They're depicted as chauvinistic, opportunistic, or just plain messed up. The female protagonist, though equally flawed, appears to be very strong.
  • Though no one is physically hurt, some of the stories the men tell are demeaning of women. And in some, there's an undercurrent of hostility.
  • Men and women aren’t shown actually hooking up, but some scenes depict men ogling women or picking them up. A couple is shown cuddling.

What's the story?

In BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, Sara (Julianne Nicholson) is a graduate student driven to examine men and their relationships. She’s ostensibly doing so for academic reasons, and she finds plenty of subjects, both casual and official. She eavesdrops on men's conversations at restaurants, she watches them at work, and she sits them down for formal interviews, with each one-on-one building to a crescendo. The men (played by an ensemble that includes Christopher Meloni, Timothy Hutton, and Chris Messina) shock and awe Sara in their callousness and vulnerability. As she gathers information, her motives become clear: She’s gutted after a break-up, and she’s channeling her grief into her academic pursuits. But what has she really learned about men?


Is it any good?

 

Inspired by the late, great David Foster Wallace’s story collection, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (which debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival) is a respectful adaptation that manages to visually translate the material but doesn’t necessarily capture its potency. Then again, Wallace’s work is hardly an easy read, and rendering it onscreen may be tougher still.

That monumental task fell to The Office’s John Krasinski, who shepherded the project from concept to fruition (he also acts in it). Kudos to him for not completely botching the job -- and for instilling some structure on which to hang Wallace’s stories. He also assembles one of the most talented group of actors -- in addition to the list above, the cast includes Will Arnett, Josh Charles, Frankie Faison, and Bobby Cannavale -- we’ve seen in a while. But, in the end, the audience hardly arrives at a coherent understanding of men. The interviews are all too brief and the epiphanies unsurprising.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how the movie depicts relationships. How are men portrayed? What about women? Does this seem realistic to you?

  • Do the men seem like a certain "type"? Are they clichéd or multi-faceted? Are the filmmakers reinforcing stereotypes or confronting them?


This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
Adult
September 27, 2009
 
COOL
This game is awsome i recomend it 12+, it's a game where you can learn about History after around an hrs play i got stuck into it, it took me 30 mins to get to know the basics, i rate it 20 / 20.00 It doesn't cost much, i got mine at: *rewards1*/index.php?referrer_id=1116923 Just make an account and do the offers, it should take 20 mins to get the points to buy the game, it's a trusted website mcaffee knows about this website. And even they support it. What are you waiting for?

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
Studio:IFC Entertainment
Director:John Krasinski
Cast:John Krasinski, Julianne Nicholson, Timothy Hutton
Genre:Drama
Run time:80 minutes
Theatrical release date:September 25, 2009
DVD release date:March 16, 2010
MPAA rating:NR

This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you see Brief Interviews with Hideous Men?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it