Beeswax (2009)

72% of critics liked it
(46 reviews)
43% of users liked it
(1,066 ratings)

In this typically low-key comedy drama from independent writer/director Andrew Bujalski, Jeannie (Tilly Hatcher) and Lauren (Maggie Hatcher) are a pair of twin sisters living in Austin, TX, who are close without having much in common. Jeannie, who is confined to a wheelchair, runs a well-established… More In this typically low-key comedy drama from independent writer/director Andrew Bujalski, Jeannie (Tilly Hatcher) and Lauren (Maggie Hatcher) are a pair of twin sisters living in Austin, TX, who are close without having much in common. Jeannie, who is confined to a wheelchair, runs a well-established vintage clothing store called Storyville with her longtime friend Amanda (Anne Dodge), while Lauren drifts from job to job and is pondering an offer to teach English in Kenya. Jeannie and Amanda have had a falling out and Jeannie is worried about her stake in the business, especially since the original partnership agreements were drawn up by Amanda's father. When Amanda suggests she may take legal action to take full control of Storyville, Jeannie decides she needs legal advice and turns to Merrill (Alex Karpovsky), a former boyfriend who has almost completed his law degree. Merrill is feeling frazzled as he tries to pass the bar exam and he welcomes the distraction, but it isn't long before he forgets one of the first rules of legal ethics and begins sleeping with Jeannie. Lauren, meanwhile, wants to be of assistance to her sister, but she gets roped into helping her mother with her myriad problems while trying to make sense of her own future. Beeswax was an official selection at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Andrew Bujalski
Written By: Andrew Bujalski
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 7, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Apr 6, 2010
Studio: Cinema Guild

Critic Reviews

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
It is typical of Bujalski's finely wrought observation of their lives that the film ends, as it began, with a moment in which Lauren is poised, indecisively, on the cusp of a decision.
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
Ultimately a dull story about dull thirtysomethings whose dull issues are conveyed in a prying, cinema verité style, implying drama and meaning in the mundane details of their dull lives.
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News
It's rambling, doesn't really go anywhere, and is not necessarily about anything beyond its own sense of place. But it's mildly diverting nonetheless. It's about mood, not plot.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Makes up in depth for what it sacrifices in breadth.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Beeswax reminds viewers that in talkative films much can go unspoken. For writer-director Andrew Bujalski these betwixt-between, hem-haw spaces are the places to be.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
There are viewers and critics who simply can't abide mumblecore. But give this movie a chance: Bujalski has a serious talent for finding resonance in the mundane.
Jason Anderson, eye WEEKLY
Andrew Bujalski ought to be more than a critical darling by this point.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
Don't expect intensity of any kind in Bujalski's films; the emotions range from mild annoyance to bemusement, but within that minimal palette he's a master.
Adam Lippe, Examiner.com
Beeswax can be summed up by one lingering shot, where the camera focuses, for no particular reason, on Maggie Hatcher's armpit hair. Like armpit hair, Beeswax is sweaty, unpleasant, in need of cutting, and without a point.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
The primary appeal most mumblecore films hold for me is the comfort of knowing that I have never met any of these people and probably never will.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
A collection of small moments and awkward interactions, this low-key drama has a home-made feel to it. But it's so rambling and aimless, with characters that aren't particularly likeable, that it's difficult to find much resonance in it.
Catherine Shoard, Guardian [UK]
It's weirdly gripping, an authentically banal slice of life. Mumblecore must die. But maybe from its ashes will come something spikier, stranger.
Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
A relentlessly talky and meandering slough of claustrophobia passing itself off as an intimate life study.
David Jenkins, Time Out
More than ever, Bujalski comes across like the natural heir to someone like Eric Rohmer, an artist who creates intricate, perceptive and artful cinema that rejects unnecessary style and contrivance.
Simon Kinnear, Total Film
It takes real talent to make something so studied feel this soufflé-light, especially in the Hatchers' charming naturalism.
Henry Barnes, Little White Lies
A step forward, but a sluggish one.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This amazing little gem simply blew me away with its loving voice of reason.
Matt Pais, Metromix.com
Provides no interesting challenges for its characters or profound thoughts about life.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Everyone is a full-grown adult dealing with all which that entails, and both the characters and the film's easygoing rhythms are, remarkably, true to life and love lost, or found.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Wow this was hard viewing. Rarely have I sat through such a dull film, and this had potential, that's the worst bit. I am not someone who enjoys blockbusters and explosions, so no one can claim I don't get "slice of life" films, generally speaking, I do. But this… More
Wow this was hard viewing. Rarely have I sat through such a dull film, and this had potential, that's the worst bit. I am not someone who enjoys blockbusters and explosions, so no one can claim I don't get "slice of life" films, generally speaking, I do. But this is so tediously dull and nothing happens. There is no point at all to this story. The cast do well with what they have, and I liked the setting at the vintage clothing shop. If they had have given this an actual plot, I think I would have really liked this film. As it is, I feel like I just sat through a really boring day at work listening to other people talk crap. I would really like my 2 hours back.
Simeon D

Will the monotony ever cease?! Unrelentingly dull and painfully realistic: Beeswax is only for those who enjoy unenjoyable movies. 42/100