Head in the Clouds poster & wallpaper

Allen Altman, Charlize Theron, David La Haye

If movies were solely about the cheap pleasure of watching gorgeous people make grand gestures in epic circumstances--because, sure, sometimes movies are--director/screenwriter John Duigan's go...( read more  read more... )opy, obvious, overwrought contemplation of how global unrest really messes with your love life would be Oscar-worthy. Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, and Penelope Cruz are headstrong 1930s playthings who each discover that they need to pull their attractive heads out of their inviting behinds if they're going to play a part in stopping the spread of European fascism. Charlize is socialite Gilda, who ensnares both brooding, Cambridge-educated Irishman Townsend and Spanish rebel Cruz (who is particularly ill-defined) in a love triangle while seemingly caring not a whit for the imminent goosesteps of the Nazis. Charlize wears a lot of fabulous outfits, and she and real-life paramour Townsend do impetuous things like sport fedoras while romping in a milky-white bathtub; Cruz, meanwhile, performs a passionate impromptu striptease. Hey, there are worse ways to be entertained. Unfortunately, you don't really give a damn about any of them, and you can predict what's going to happen to all of them well before it actually does. It's an efficient, glamorous, hokey, ultimately downbeat time-killer for anyone willing to spend two hours trying to decide which of the doe-eyed trio you'd save from destruction first. --Steve Wiecking

Flixster Users

65% liked it

1,783 ratings

Critics

15% liked it

86 critics

R, 121 min.

Directed by: John Duigan

Release Date: September 17, 2004

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DVD Release Date: January 25, 2005

Stats: 295 reviews

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Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Penelope Cruz as Mia in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon and Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon in Head in the Clouds (2004) Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon and Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Penelope Cruz as Mia and Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Penelope Cruz as Mia in Head in the Clouds (2004) Stuart Townsend as Guy Malyon, Penélope Cruz as Mia and Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse and Thomas Kretschmann as Major Thomas Bietrich in Head in the Clouds (2004) Penelope Cruz as Mia and Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Charlize Theron as Gilda Besse in Head in the Clouds (2004) Head in the Clouds Penélope Cruz as Mia in Head in the Clouds (2004)
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Flixster Reviews (295)

  • puffchunk
    June 21, 2008
    puffchunk
    Okay for a bit. After a while I fast forwarded to the end.
  • johnd62
    July 23, 2007
    johnd62
    Hey guys lets make a movie! I got this script which kind of sucks but who knows maybe if we can get 2 gifted actresses (Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz) and one of the actresses not so gifted boy friend just so she doesn't complain (Stuart Townsend) maybe people will forget tha...( read more)t it sucks and if not it can still become like showgirls in WW2.
  • InaHH
    February 23, 2006
    InaHH
    This is so bad and boring. horrible film.
  • fluturash
    October 9, 2009
    fluturash
    big cast, small movie. forgettable. very forgettable.all the drama is "been there, seen that" and the acting is not that of oscar-winning people.
  • SFG71
    September 1, 2009
    SFG71
    "Three lives. One destiny."
  • benhunter84
    August 5, 2009
    benhunter84
    Very sad. I felt bad for Stuart Townsend's character. Charlize Theron didn't do a bad job either, her part was very convincing. I kind of wish she had a little "foreign twang" to her to put the cherry on top though. This is why Peneolpe's character was all the way sold with me, I...( read more) totally bought her. Charlize was good, just wasn't 100% with me. The 2 of them are the reason why I chose to view the film in the 1st place, so good job on the casting directors.

    I wish I could've seen Penelope a little more though, but she probably wasn't that big 5 years ago like she is now. I did, however, expect something to boil between her character and Stuart's a little sooner than it did, and when it did that was it. I was expecting more of a love triangle story and entanglement between the 3, that's where it felt like the filmmakers were leading the story to. But, it strayed away, and then further away from that idea, which kind of let me down.

    The movie kept my interest throughout. I'd only watch it again though if like I had a few friends over and they wanted a different feel of a narrative to view. It's one of those poetic sob stories. Like I mentioned before, it's really puts you in a sad mood in the end.

    The Spanish Civil War is a great subject to shed a little light on, so I'm glad this movie was made. It's a miracle if a movie even makes it to production, let alone getting distribution so the common person has the opportunity to view the film. But it sucks, and I'm living proof of it, that we have to rely on big names to sell most movies. I totally fell into this and decided to view it because of the names in the film. That's just business though, I totally understand.
  • krissyd69
    June 27, 2009
    krissyd69
    kinda wish they got together in the end
  • svet4
    June 23, 2009
    svet4
    Hot scenes with penelope and Charlize but otherwise medium
  • deanaz1
    June 5, 2009
    deanaz1
    All kinds of erotic and romantic
  • jewelersdiamond
    April 4, 2009
    jewelersdiamond
    It might seem boring at first but when you get the patience to watch it, you'll be sure that it was worth the while.

View All Head in the Clouds Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 1, 2004
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Catastrophically overdone. full review

October 1, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It wants to be a hard-panting melodrama, with spies and sex and love and death, and there are times when a movie like this is exactly what you feel like indulging. full review

September 24, 2004
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

A relentlessly overripe melodrama that takes place in movie-Europe as opposed to the real thing. full review

September 16, 2004
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

A World War II melodrama of epic silliness and supreme vapidity. full review

View more Head in the Clouds reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • durgeshvinod
    August 29, 2008
    durgeshvinod
    So wonderful.
  • WrellikW
    July 9, 2008
    WrellikW
    I liked this movie; I thought it was done well.

    Take care all,
    William
    Zzzzzzooooooommmmmmmm!
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