Parents' Guide to

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Gilliam's dark, challenging, but fantastic Quixote movie.

Movie NR 2019 132 minutes
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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

age 13+

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Terry Gilliam's long-dreamed-of project finally comes to light in this great, long, wandering, bizarre, fantastic movie. It's filled with personal signature touches yet still honors author Miguel de Cervantes. Truthfully, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote probably isn't for casual viewers; it's almost essential to have some knowledge of the original book, as well as some idea of the nature of Gilliam's work. But viewers who appreciated the wild, visionary madness of Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will feel right at home here.

Gilliam vividly tunes into Cervantes' complex themes, such as a denouncement of reality and an embracing of lost values, as well as a keen awareness of modernism. The director coats these and other ideas with new cinematic layers. The movie is funny and tragic, playful and dark, hopefully romantic and heartbreaking, all at the same time. It's also frantic, difficult to nail down, and without purchase. It's like crazy dreams and hallucinations banging around with snippets of reality. Driver does his best to anchor everything, but, understandably, his character goes a little nutty in reaction to everything happening around him. But it's great to see Pryce back with Gilliam -- they made Brazil together -- and as such a lovable Quixote. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is a challenge, but it's one that's very much worth the effort.

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