Flashbacks of a Fool (2008)

38% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
53% of users liked it
(3,241 ratings)

Having squandered his stint in the spotlight on hard drugs and reckless sex, washed-up Hollywood has-been Joe Scott (Daniel Craig) reflects on the summer of innocence and tragedy that would alter the course of his life after receiving news that his childhood best friend has suddenly died. As he… More Having squandered his stint in the spotlight on hard drugs and reckless sex, washed-up Hollywood has-been Joe Scott (Daniel Craig) reflects on the summer of innocence and tragedy that would alter the course of his life after receiving news that his childhood best friend has suddenly died. As he makes his way back to the quiet English seaside village of his childhood in order to attend the funeral, he finds his journey into the past becoming a journey of both redemption and self-discovery as well. Oliver Twist star Harry Eden plays the young version of Scott in a drama also featuring Olivia Williams, Claire Forlani, and Eve. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Baillie Walsh
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Apr 13, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Sep 22, 2008
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Leslie Felperin, Variety
Whiile pic doesn't exactly feel like a vanity project, its weak script might have kept it forever in development hell if debutant writer-helmer Baillie Walsh weren't the topliner's good buddy.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
The bizarre secret isn't nearly interesting enough to justify the long buildup to it, and since it amounts to bad luck it doesn't really reveal anything about the actor, anyway.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Without Daniel Craig's 007-enhanced profile, it's unlikely that Flashbacks of a Fool would have appeared anywhere except the Netflix queues of his most rabid fans.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
Charismatic Daniel Craig plays Joe Scott, a washed up movie star, addicted to a misspent life of sex, drugs and uncool behaviour
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
... an uninspired rearrangement of familiar elements, with little emotional force to justify the entire project.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Craig does a hopelessly dissipated futuristic Bondish has-been celeb party animal, undone by an overload of hard drugs and sex orgies in a flash forward culture clash of Hollywood excess and soapy UK downhome family values.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Craig does a hopelessly dissipated futuristic Bondish has-been celeb party animal, undone by an overload of hard drugs and sex orgies in a flash forward culture clash of Hollywood excess and soapy UK downhome family values.
Staci Layne Wilson, Buzzine Magazine
It's Daniel Craig as I've never seen him, baring all in every conceivable way. Joe Scott isn't an easy individual to play, but [he] transcends his cardboard cutout characteristics.
Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International
Flashbacks flounders in the final third.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Impressively directed and superbly acted by a terrific cast, this is both a nostalgia-fuelled coming-of-age tale and a genuinely moving drama about making peace with the past.
Lance Goldenberg, L.A. Weekly
Craig's shaken-but-not-stirred charisma makes the most of an underwritten part, but the movie nearly flat-lines when the actor's not onscreen, which is often.
Anna King, Time Out New York
While the dialogue is often hackneyed and full of rushed backstory (not enough flashbacks, evidently), the cinematography excels, particularly the chiaroscuro interiors.
David Gritten, Daily Telegraph
Fatally, Craig's self-obsessed Joe never develops into anyone more interesting.
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
It's like an awkward (and how could it not be awkward?) marriage of The Cement Garden and Beaches; an intriguing bit of driftwood, an exotic wreck.
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
It's a handsome picture but Joe's lack of evolution is unsatisfying.
Danny Bangs, Little White Lies
A two-hour whining session in which Daniel Craig plays fading actor Joe Scott.
James Mottram, Film4
An uneven drama that uneasily mixes Hollywood satire and coming-of-age tale, Flashbacks Of A Fool is hampered by its adventurous attempt to link the two. Much like its central character, Walsh's film is stylish but empty.
Matt Mueller, Total Film
It's a fool's paradise for Craig as his fading filmstar looks back on how teenage hormones lead to tragedy. Walsh doesn't fritter away Daniel's magnanimity, but the lurch between Hollywood washout and ramshackle English adolescence needs more to bond.
Jonathan Trout, BBC
Despite the skilful and evocative photography, the strong cast seem to misfire against the imbalanced structure and clashing styles.
Rob Daniel, Sky Movies
When the record stops spinning Flashbacks Of A Fool doesn't amount to much more than "learn from past mistakes and don't take your life for granted", but it's strikingly shot, perfectly played, and rather well scored.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tired of P

Directed (and written) by Baillie Walsh, Left Turn Films, 2008, Starring Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Eve, Mark Strong and Olivia Williams. Genre: Drama Question: Do you receive recommendations to see a movie and most of the time you wonder what people saw in the movie that made… More
Directed (and written) by Baillie Walsh, Left Turn Films, 2008, Starring Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Eve, Mark Strong and Olivia Williams. Genre: Drama Question: Do you receive recommendations to see a movie and most of the time you wonder what people saw in the movie that made them like it? Yes, I know I review and recommend movies all the time so maybe just ignore this question. I am still flustered over a movie I just finished viewing on Netflix: Flashbacks of a Fool. Anyway, I wasn't going to review this movie because it hit me hard. I am still trying to figure out exactly why. A friend recommended this movie and their opinion is one that I always take into consideration. But as I like to always say: DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING about the movie so they did not. I am still undecided if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The movie stars Daniel Craig (a.k.a. Bond, James Bond) as a self-indulgent, alcoholic, narcissist who is a very emotionally bruised man. He is obviously trying, desperately, to forget about his past and winds up alone, beaten and at the end of his rope emotionally. He receives some devastating news one morning after a night of debauchery. It's probably the first connection to the past that he has had in years, decades. This just finally pushes him over the emotional edge. The first 20 minutes or so you see the life he has chosen for himself and why he comes to the beach to reflect back on his life after receiving this news. For more of the review: http://www.tiredofpreviews.com/2011/07/flashbacks-of-fool.html
Elvira B

Meh. Not a dismal film but not very interesting. Daniel Craig does his darned best to save it, but he isn't allowed much room. Olivia Wiliams is always a pleasure to watch... in fact, the performances are quite the only thing I'd give any credit to. The rest is just… More
Meh. Not a dismal film but not very interesting. Daniel Craig does his darned best to save it, but he isn't allowed much room. Olivia Wiliams is always a pleasure to watch... in fact, the performances are quite the only thing I'd give any credit to. The rest is just acceptable: decent cinematography, decent score. Still, the structure is disastrous and the story is aimless in a bad way. Only watchable for a few minutes of Roxy Music lipsynching!! And/or if you want to take a good, good look at Daniel Craig's butt from several angles. Suit yourself.
Dean M

This drama film manages its details well, but can't control a much bigger problem - the titular conceit - and is crippled by the fact that I never believe they're the same character. Solid performance by Daniel Craig as a man on the brink and Jodhi May is so hot in the sex… More
This drama film manages its details well, but can't control a much bigger problem - the titular conceit - and is crippled by the fact that I never believe they're the same character. Solid performance by Daniel Craig as a man on the brink and Jodhi May is so hot in the sex scenes of the 1972 flashback.
Gordon A

Fairly routine drama enlivened by a strong cast who brought the tale to life.
Curtis L

Kind of pointless, but I still enjoyed it. It made me go and listen to a bunch of David Bowie afterwards and think of the past. Highlights include a little girl screaming "It's Mine!" as she steps on a giant WW2 water mine that blows up.
Walter M

In "Flashbacks of a Fool," Joe Scott(Daniel Craig) is a movie star whose life is in free fall due to vast substance abuse. His agent(Mark Strong) has told him not to call him anymore after losing yet another role. To make matters worse, he gets a call from his… More
In "Flashbacks of a Fool," Joe Scott(Daniel Craig) is a movie star whose life is in free fall due to vast substance abuse. His agent(Mark Strong) has told him not to call him anymore after losing yet another role. To make matters worse, he gets a call from his mother(Olivia Williams) that Boots(Max Deacon), his childhood best friend, has died, sending him off the deep end into the Pacific Ocean, resurfacing in memories from 25 years before in an English seaside village. Even with Daniel's Craig customary fearlessness(although it's not really his movie) and a very good supporting cast, "Flashbacks of a Fool" still turns out to be an unoriginal and predictable movie that fails to prove that nothing good can come from two people having sex. In this case, it derives from an event so shameless and incredible, that it is absolutely mindboggling.(Admittedly, it is a little symbolic...) Then, the movie tries to turn around and use that incident to explain all of Joe's problems when simply being interrupted during sex would have done the job well enough. And why obsess over the past, anyway? I thought at one point that Joe might be gay and that his constant pretending to be someone he is not, is taking an enormous toll on him.
Andrew F

In <i>Flashbacks of a Fool</i>, Daniel Craig plays a selfish actor that must revisit his past. The flashbacks (or more appropriately, flashback because it is one continuous flashback) are interesting and were the scenes I found most interesting, but the problem is that… More
In <i>Flashbacks of a Fool</i>, Daniel Craig plays a selfish actor that must revisit his past. The flashbacks (or more appropriately, flashback because it is one continuous flashback) are interesting and were the scenes I found most interesting, but the problem is that they don't really give the audience much perspective into what is happening in the present. And, plus, I found Daniel Craig quite annoying in this movie.
Jonny C

Good drama starring Daniel Craig. Flashbacks of a Fool is about a fading Hollywood star who looks back at the days of his youth as he returns home from his best friend's funeral. The story carefully constructed, with the story cleverly split into three part's… More
Good drama starring Daniel Craig. Flashbacks of a Fool is about a fading Hollywood star who looks back at the days of his youth as he returns home from his best friend's funeral. The story carefully constructed, with the story cleverly split into three part's (present/past/present) and there were solid performances throughout the cast.