Ask the Dust (2006)

35% of critics liked it
(104 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(41,541 ratings)

Adapted from a novel by John Fante, Robert Towne's Ask the Dust stars Colin Farrell as Arturo Bandini, a young writer who comes to Los Angeles during the Great Depression in order to write a novel. As the film opens, he is down to his last nickel and decides to spend it on coffee in a diner. He is… More Adapted from a novel by John Fante, Robert Towne's Ask the Dust stars Colin Farrell as Arturo Bandini, a young writer who comes to Los Angeles during the Great Depression in order to write a novel. As the film opens, he is down to his last nickel and decides to spend it on coffee in a diner. He is served by Camilla (Salma Hayek), a Mexican beauty he is instantly attracted to even though he treats her horribly during their first interaction. Soon the pair is involved in a relationship that finds them sparring with each other at first, but slowly learning to trust each other. Bandini meets the acquaintance of a desperate woman who sees him as the most desirable man in the world. Eventually Arturo and Camilla get away from the city and their love deepens as he attempts to finish his novel. Donald Sutherland co-stars as a seedy but helpful and loyal neighbor. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed By: Robert Towne
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Mar 10, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jul 25, 2006
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

David Edelstein, New York Magazine
Something is missing, though. The themes are all there, but the movie doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier and rev you up.
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
Farrell and costar Salma Hayek have rarely been so affecting, or so effective, as self-hating ethnics who find love.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Who would have guessed that Robert Towne, the writer of Chinatown, could make a movie as awful as Ask the Dust? It has it all -- one-dimensional characters, one-dimensional set and idiotically arch dialogue.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Ask the Dust is one of the most eagerly awaited cinematic projects of 2006, which may be why it lands with such a curious thud.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
Whether or not you're familiar with John Fante, if you like novels, you'll like Ask the Dust.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
[A] sexy, sensual, romantic, nostalgic adaptation of the novel ...
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
Director Robert Towne and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel have creatrd a pretty picture but forgot to inject some life into it.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Airless, joyless
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The disc includes two extras: an audio commentary by writer/ director Robert Towne and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, and a 'making of' featurette.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Donald Sutherland saunters onscreen, momentarily raising the level of the film, before he ambles back out the door and things sink back down to the listless and pointless pace that typifies this jumbled mess of a movie.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
Supporting characters float in and disappear without rhyme, reason or resolution.
Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org
Towne has a perhaps unique ability to make this ill-fated movie romance classically seductive while doing full justice to its authentic subject. [His] canniness as a writer and casual sophistication do wonders for the actors.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review in Greek
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Farrell is one of the most consistently intriguing actors of the past 10 years, but he is woefully miscast here.
Edward Lawrenson, Time Out
Although Chinatown writer Towne lovingly depicts the Depression-era LA setting (actually shot in South Africa), the film misfires.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Termina numa nota amarga; não em função de sua história, mas da promessa não realizada de se revelar um filme grandioso, digno de seu diretor.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
It is a odd-sounding, odd-looking piece of work, not uninteresting by any means, but there is something a little forced in both lead performances.
Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com
A perplexing but ultimately rewarding experience.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
A curiously resistable drama, despite several strong elements -- the most notable being newcomer Idina Menzel.
Stella Papamichael, BBC
Like the desert beyond, the film is arid and airless.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Arash X

"I looked for Camilla everywhere,and everywhere I looked,all the faces seemed like mine.Tight. Worried. Lost. Faces with the blood drained away.Faces like flowers torn from their roots,the colors fading fast."
danny d

this film wanted to be great, and could have been so, but it missed the mark. at least average, it failed with oddities of the story and uncomfortable moments that were unneccesary to the plot. the premise was great but it missed on most everything else.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Ask the Dust", it is the 1930's when Arturo Bandini(Colin Farrell) has had a story published in H.L. Mencken's magazine, American Mercury. With the $150 he receives, he moves from Colorado to Los Angeles where he seeks to pursue a career… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Ask the Dust", it is the 1930's when Arturo Bandini(Colin Farrell) has had a story published in H.L. Mencken's magazine, American Mercury. With the $150 he receives, he moves from Colorado to Los Angeles where he seeks to pursue a career as a writer. Only one problem: he is an inexperienced young man and has nothing to write about despite the rich palette happening just outside of his window. He is soon down to his last nickel and decides to spend it on a coffee at a local bar. However, the coffee is downright awful and he gets into a running argument with a beautiful waitress, Camilla(Salma Hayek).[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In "Ask the Dust", 1930's Los Angeles is a place for people to get a new start but too many of them just recreate their old lives and even worse, bring their old prejudices along for the ride. And even Arturo and Camilla cannot escape this. [/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Ask the Dust" is an adequate movie that starts well but slows down to a crawl and becomes predictable. But it is evocative in recreating 1930's Los Angeles and Colin Farrell gives his best performance to date. [/font]
Mike T

Robert Towne's uneven character study has sparse great moments, but there were enough strong ideas to keep me engaged. This is a flawed piece that requires a lot of patience, especially considering the fact that its first act is its weakest. However, the unorthodox protagonist… More
Robert Towne's uneven character study has sparse great moments, but there were enough strong ideas to keep me engaged. This is a flawed piece that requires a lot of patience, especially considering the fact that its first act is its weakest. However, the unorthodox protagonist and sexual energy keep it afloat enough for its positive elements to shine through. Colin Farrell, who is a consistently impressive actor, is not given enough credit for his talent. He does quite a good job in this, and Salma Hayek turns in a respectable performance too. If you're willing to overlook its faults, it's an engaging watch.
Lee K

I hate to sound like a chauvinist here, but aside from the Salma Hayek nude scenes here nothing else more to see.