Hurlyburly (1998)

59% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(5,716 ratings)

David Rabe's popular play of Hollywood immorality and decadence is brought to the big screen by director Anthony Drazan and an all-star cast that includes Sean Penn, Robin Wright-Penn, Kevin Spacey, Meg Ryan, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling, and Anna Paquin. The film is set in the Hollywood Hills… More David Rabe's popular play of Hollywood immorality and decadence is brought to the big screen by director Anthony Drazan and an all-star cast that includes Sean Penn, Robin Wright-Penn, Kevin Spacey, Meg Ryan, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling, and Anna Paquin. The film is set in the Hollywood Hills and tells the story of Eddie (Penn) a drinking-smoking-snorting-womanizing casting director and his philandering partner-roommate Mickey (Spacey). Along with their buddies Artie and Phil, they sit around and pontificate about the meaning of life -- that is, the meaning of their lives, of which there is very little. Eddie is in love with Darlene (real-life wife Wright Penn), but she is also seeing the married Mickey. When Artie brings Eddie and Mickey a "care package" in the shape of a pretty, disillusioned hitchhiker named Donna (Paquin), they take turns throwing her around until, yet again, their own empty pathetic lives preoccupy their paranoid minds. As people and relationships deteriorate everywhere, the guys try to pick Phil by giving him the gift of a washed-up exotic dancer, Bonnie (Ryan). Of course she ends up just more abused than ever as she and the rest of the gang hit rock bottom. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Anthony Drazan
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 25, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jun 22, 1999
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Rabe has streamlined the dialogue, sacrificing a lot of funny throwaway lines without lessening the script's burden on our patience.
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com
This black alleged comedy wouldn't be funny at all if it weren't for Kevin Spacey's droll wit and silly bleach do. Sean Penn's self-indulgent performance and the unfocused script make sitting through Hurlyburly a chore.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Seldom has a film betrayed its stage origins more than Hurlyburly.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Depicts hedeonism as a grim exercise in cynicism, betrayal and emptiness.

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

Michael G

A great movie with incredible characterization.
Laura C

Self-indulgent b.s. Spacey proves he can talk a million-miles-a-minute about a whole lot of nothing.
Mike T

I've read a lot of feedback to this film, which is by and large rather negative. I've noticed that people who dislike the characters occupying Hurlyburly often criticize the film itself as a result. We are not intended to embrace the lifestyles of these characters. This is a… More
I've read a lot of feedback to this film, which is by and large rather negative. I've noticed that people who dislike the characters occupying Hurlyburly often criticize the film itself as a result. We are not intended to embrace the lifestyles of these characters. This is a picture that encompasses a sub-culture and the neuroses of certain types of people. It is an intelligent, articulate piece with a venomous sense of cynicism and blunt sensibility. The men focused on are self-obsessed chauvinists, but they are not reduced to amplification of their flaws. Their pain and dilemmas are familiar, and they serve towards an unnerving portrait of emptiness. I loved this movie because I love great acting. Watching what some of these actors do with the script is so exciting and astonishing, particularly the brilliant Sean Penn. The writing and performances are phenomenal, but this is a movie that probably only appeals to people who like stage-oriented pieces.
Anthony V

With this cast, the film should have been so much better than it is. It's a pleasant enough ride, that ultimately goes nowhere.
Kevin M

Clever dialogue, great cinematics, and rolling plotlines. Those who appreciate educated English, method acting, and well-rounded characters, will enjoy this film. If all you want is hip hop slang and Bruckheimer action, go elsewhere.