Mr. Nobody (2009)
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71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews) -
79% of users liked it
(10,074 ratings)
A man close to death ponders the many lives he might have led in this fantasy from director and screenwriter Jaco van Dormael. 117-year-old Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) is ill and facing his last days as he looks back on his past and a particular crucial moment -- at the age of nine, Nemo's parents… More A man close to death ponders the many lives he might have led in this fantasy from director and screenwriter Jaco van Dormael. 117-year-old Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) is ill and facing his last days as he looks back on his past and a particular crucial moment -- at the age of nine, Nemo's parents divorced, and as his mother (Natasha Little) and father (Rhys Ifans) stood on a train platform, he had to choose who he would go with, and whether he would live in the United States or Great Britain. Either choice would bring with it a wide variety of possibilities regarding the sort of life he would lead, and Nemo imagines nearly all of them, including two different wives -- sweet but emotionally blank Jeanne (Linh-Dan Pham) and lovely but troubled Elise (Sarah Polley) -- and another woman, Anna (Diane Kruger), who he loves but can not marry. But as Nemo considers the many different paths his life could have taken, his memory begins to fail him, and he finds it increasingly difficult to be certain which was his real life and which is a product of his imagination. Mr. Nobody also stars Thomas Byrne as nine-year-old Nemo and Toby Regbo as Nemo in his teenage years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jaco Van Dormael
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Oct 7, 2009 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Fred Topel, Screen Junkies
I relate to most movies by thinking about my past. Mr. Nobody has me evaluating my future.
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Jason Gorber, Filmfest
This is thought provoking without pretentiousness, full of ideas and passion that deserves a wide audience...Giving oneself over to the film is a pleasure that's not soon to be repeated.
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Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
Expect the unexpected. Try to answer the unanswerable question that writer-director Van Dormael poses. It is a worthwhile exercise.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Emil K
Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody is utterly ridicilous and unbearably annoying experience to sit through. It is a perfect example of a film that tries to be something visually special, philosophical and one of of a kind but in the end it is nothing but a bunch of nonsense and piece… More
Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody is utterly ridicilous and unbearably annoying experience to sit through. It is a perfect example of a film that tries to be something visually special, philosophical and one of of a kind but in the end it is nothing but a bunch of nonsense and piece of pretentious crap. With thin characters, most of them badly written caricatures, this film never give us anyone to root or releate to. Dormael is clearly aiming for larger than life approach and shoots to moon with his ideas, but none of those ideas actually even remotely work. All this film manages to give us is a visual overload of mediocre effects and awful acting. Jared Leto cannot bring soul to his Nemo Nobody and there are times when he seems to be completely absent and out of viewers reach. Maybe in more talented hands this film could have ended to be something fairly interesting, but now it is nothing but a bunch of of half baked ideas that mostly are utterly ridicilous and badly excecuted. -
Aditya G
OVERVIEW: A drop of rain falls on a piece of paper and smudges the phone number (belonging to a girl named Anna) written on it. The number gets erased and so does any trace of Anna. The narrator of the story, Nemo Nobody, aged 118 explains to the journalist interviewing him,… More
OVERVIEW: A drop of rain falls on a piece of paper and smudges the phone number (belonging to a girl named Anna) written on it. The number gets erased and so does any trace of Anna. The narrator of the story, Nemo Nobody, aged 118 explains to the journalist interviewing him, "Do you wanna know why I lost Anna? Because 2 months earlier, an unemployed Brazilian boiled an egg"! Confounding? Not half as what this extremely cerebral film has to offer! Jaco Van Dormael, the Belgian filmmaker who didn't make too many films in his career had earlier astonished us with his excellent "Toto Le Heros" (1991) (http://gokhaleaditya.blogspot.in/2011/11/toto-le-heros.html) about an old man recalling his tragic childhood and surviving with the sole goal of vengeance for his loss and often confusing reality with fantasy. "Mr. Nobody" provides for a heady cocktail of this earlier Dormael film and some other films, particularly "Donnie Darko", "The Fountain" and "The Butterfly Effect". Only "The Butterfly Effect" is more like an entertaining popcorn fantasy that doesn't go deep into the Science of it, unlike "Donnie Darko". "Mr. Nobody" is akin to "Donnie Darko", but not plot-wise. Like "Donnie Darko", it is one of those rare films that is a work of fiction built around existing scientific principles of Physics and Physical Cosmology. [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o78ORtm-1as/T1oERWVQSYI/AAAAAAAACOU/NKoE_xGxobM/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-22h15m21s176.jpg[/img] PLOT: The year is 2092. It is the age of 'quasi-immortality'. Mortality is a thing of the past. So is sex! The 118 years old Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto, brilliant, but a tad hammy) is the last mortal on earth. He appears to be confused.....keeps telling a shrink with a painted face that he is 34! Later, tells a journalist (Daniel Mays) that he is "Mr. Nobody" and that he "doesn't exist"! Upon probing by the journalist, Mr. Nobody starts narrating a strange tale of his supposed past right from his childhood (age 9) through his teen years (age 15) to his adulthood (age 34). But the story isn't straightforward as it should be....there appear to be multiple threads; multiple lives, multiple realities...each with its own love interest for Nemo! [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_9b-90CALSI/T1oERnlLDtI/AAAAAAAACOk/xwDY_AENH1Y/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-22h08m29s151.jpg[/img] There's one thread in which Nemo grows up with his mother who marries a man, whose daughter Anna becomes the object of Nemo's affection. Then there is another in which Nemo grows up with his crippled father and becomes romantically involved with Elise, a girl who also has emotional problems! And then there is the third thread in which Nemo marries Jean, merely out of a whim! These stories branch out into sub-stories, involving one outlandish adventure on the Planet Mars where Nemo travels to scatter his wife's ashes!! Or that freaky universe which appears to be dominated by argyle patterns and Nemo is guided by signs all around him! The journalist is confused, of course; doesn't know what to believe! Yet Nemo jokes...."(in those days) Most of the time, nothing happened. Like a French movie"!! [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8_SMM9lS28Q/T1oESGLz9vI/AAAAAAAACOg/_sRCb2FqpiQ/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-22h18m21s180.jpg[/img] So what really happened with Nemo? Did he live all those pasts? Are any of those stories real, or figments of his imagination? The fact as we know it, is that all time is irreversible. It moves in one direction. But does it really? Does Nemo have the power to alter the course of time...? [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-koxYfgIU2XI/T1oETcxEKyI/AAAAAAAACO8/ypCY9M0-gqo/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-06-16h28m16s53.jpg[/img] ANALYSIS/REVIEW: A LOT of questions pop up while watching this film which is almost impossible to grasp in the first sitting. While Dormael drops plenty of clues in the form of dialog and explanations of various scientific theories in order to enable us to understand what he is getting at, it is still quite a task to put together this difficult film! We can gather some hints in the first viewing, but a second viewing can shed some more light on certain things we may easily miss in the first viewing! The 34 year old Nemo (in one of his many pasts!) is a scientist and an anchor for a TV show and is seen explaining to an audience, the principles of Entropy, The arrow of time, The Butterfly Effect, the Innate fear, The Big Bang, The Big Crunch and a lot of other theories that the film's plot is based upon! We are supposed to infer our own interpretation of the film by tying these theories to whatever happens in Nemo's life! This device reminds one of "Donnie Darko" (The Director's Cut) where some intertiles from a text are interspersed in the narrative to hint at what exactly was happening in the film! There are at least a couple of mentions of The Butterfly Effect (the theory, not the film!) in "Chaos Theory" which is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state (Source: Wikipedia). To further stress on this effect, there is also an example given in the form of an incident in one of Nemo's pasts....the aforementioned incident which appears in the first line of this review! [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YeqRMlP21wQ/T1oEPH0W5gI/AAAAAAAACN0/BChDR1Ef14I/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-21h47m02s83.jpg[/img] But this film isn't really about time travel and altering the past seeking a better future. On a broad level, I think it is about choice and NOT making it! When faced with a choice, as long as you "don't choose", there are infinite possibilities, infinite universes which have their own ends...the theories of Big Bang and Big Crunch are transported to a personal and emotional level in a unique fictional narrative that is unparalleled, the similarities with "Donnie Darko" and "The Butterfly Effect" notwithstanding! A Chess move is quoted to give an example, the 'Zugzwang': "The only viable move...is NOT to move"! The film also follows a tree-structure with 'branched' narratives representing the multiple threads, further branching out into sub-branches of multiple choices (or lack thereof...of making any!). [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NAgeDxc1-q8/T1oEO_vZXnI/AAAAAAAACNw/M0b3z-d9DL4/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-21h54m54s152.jpg[/img] But ultimately amidst all the scientific mumbo-jumbo, this film has a heart....and literally so, as it explores the protagonist's emotional ups and downs...the trauma of the separation of the parents, having to "choose" who to live with; the teenage romance(s), the heartbreaks, the desire for a good family life, kids, the works; these emotions come into play across narratives too. It is the emotional thread that binds all the branches together, and the manifestation of this is seen in some scenes in which Nemo appears to have memories of another reality in his "current reality"! So what is it exactly? Does Jaco Van Dormael even know what he has filmed? He obviously does. It is not all random as it seems, that is certain. But is there a single thread that connects the dots neatly and gives us a comprehensible structure? Or is Van Dormael only interested in playing tricks? For as you dig deeper, you find out there is not just one thread that connects the dots! There are still more! Just like the branched structure of the narrative itself! [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pQGwIMnWua0/T1oEOCFebDI/AAAAAAAACNo/UbYzcBhIHhE/s656/vlcsnap-2012-03-05-21h45m39s15.jpg[/img] The complex theme is only complemented by Jaco Van Dormael's penchant for quality filmmaking. His varying use of colour as it reflects the mood in each of the narratives of the "lives" of Nemo is especially commendable. And so is the beautiful music score, the choice and placement of songs in the key scenes in the narrative which give the film its distinct mood. The bizarre, dream-like imagery with the accompanying sound design is a treat for lovers of surrealism and there is a lot for film buffs who are suckers for teenage romance too! There is very little room for character development, thanks to a narrative that keeps shifting between timelines and universes and characters, but that is no reason to complain. The ensemble cast, including Jared Leto, Toby Regbo, Diane Kruger, Juno Temple, Sarah Polley, Daniel Mays, Rhys Ifans and Natasha Little all do their jobs well, especially Leto who has a mighty challenging task of playing several roles (well...almost!). He goes all out, yet slightly hams as the old, decrepit Nemo in some scenes. One really wishes there was more of Sarah Polley and Diane Kruger. Sadly, both get very little screen time, although Polley nails it with her 'Borderline personality disorder' performance. Juno Temple and Toby Regbo as the teenaged Anna and Nemo respectively make their doomed lovers angle of the story more watchable. [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YnFl50UlsKI/T1oEMWBAB4I/AAAAAAAACNU/dJYkgPKskXk/s656/Mr.%2520Nobody.avi_snapshot_01.52.38_%255B2012.03.06_20.01.59%255D.jpg[/img] CONCLUSION: "Mr. Nobody" is a film that will not go down well with most people. It is a kind of film that is at a very big risk of being written off as "pretentious" and "self-indulgent"! Others may care less just because it is a little too heavy on the head! But it is also a film that is intellectually stimulating. It makes for some great food for thought and analyzing the story and then re-watching it makes it a more exciting experience. Additionally, it is a mind-expanding film that will make you aware of so many things around you if you are averse to reading about such material otherwise. It will make you rethink the ideas of space, time and reality as you know it! My advice? Take up the challenge. Watch "Mr. Nobody"! Score: 9/10. [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Sfs3Rd-j7vU/T1oEN3EbV5I/AAAAAAAACNg/IguiPwa5r0g/s656/Mr.%2520Nobody.avi_snapshot_01.47.06_%255B2012.03.06_19.55.06%255D.jpg[/img] -
Jens S
In the late 21st century the last man who will die of old age thinks back on his life and the different paths it could have taken in this mix of arthouse drama, romance and science fiction. The film's problem soon becomes apparent: the audience remains as uncertain and confused… More
In the late 21st century the last man who will die of old age thinks back on his life and the different paths it could have taken in this mix of arthouse drama, romance and science fiction. The film's problem soon becomes apparent: the audience remains as uncertain and confused about the real events in Nemo's life as the old man himself. He meets the girl, he loses the girl, the girl dies, he marries the girl. Possibilities blend into each other, we get different versions of the decisions he made and ends up marrying three different women. But which one is the real life he lead? Thankfully, the old man's interviewer is soon as confused as we are. Because while all that may sound pretty interesting, and it is for a while, things soon get repetitive and more confusing than necessary. It feels a bit as if the film wants to screw with our minds just for screwing's sake. By the end you don't even really expect a solution that makes sense anymore, and of course you only get a half-assed one. That's not to say that there are rewarding aspects to this film. Leto's acting is great and the futuristic set-ups and cinematography are outstanding. The problem is that the film's many layers keep you from connecting with the characters because you have no chance of knowing which parts are true or not anyway. A brave attempt, that would have worked so much better had it been a little more straight forward. -
Dead A
Long, confusing and boring. -
Mark W
Little known Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael - in only his third film in almost 20years - tackles the bigger conundrums of life, in the nature of existence, love and the life force surrounding us all. It tells the story of 'Nemo' (Jared Leto) the only human being left on… More
Little known Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael - in only his third film in almost 20years - tackles the bigger conundrums of life, in the nature of existence, love and the life force surrounding us all. It tells the story of 'Nemo' (Jared Leto) the only human being left on the planet, that will die naturally, in the year 2092. Now 118years old, he is on his deathbed and relaying his life story to a young journalist. He goes back to when he was a young boy and forced to choose between his parents when they got divorced. Not happy with being put in that position, he chose both. This resulted in opening up alternate realities and infinite possibilities as we follow Nemo through the numerous choices he made (and didn't make) throughout his life. Parts of the constantly changing realities are told from a childs eyes like Van Dormael's superb debut "Toto the Hero" and full of visual flair and wonder. This is a highly creative European director making his craft more accessible to a wider audience. I just hope that a wider audience pays attention. The film is rich in it's vibrancy and imagination and you dont get much more ambitious than tackling Chaos Theory, String Theory and the Butterfly Effect. Analysing the choices one makes in life and the eternal rippling effect it has, creating alternate realities and what could have beens. Entropy and the randomness of our existence. Posing the question as to whether it matters in what we choose in life, as the other possibilities are just as valid and important. I could quite easily give this five stars for it's sheer beauty and ambition but as I drifted a little throughout, due to it being slightly overlong, I've decided on my current rating. That is, until such times as I see it again. Then again, maybe I've seen enough to formulate my opinion but only time will tell, and time after all, is relative. If invested in, its very rewarding. -
Julian L
"A great story about "what-ifs" and the incredible aspect of time..." Jaco van Dormael surprised me with this non-linear story about the meanings behind the time as an adjuster of life... There is no explanation for the end but more of a question about it: the… More
"A great story about "what-ifs" and the incredible aspect of time..." Jaco van Dormael surprised me with this non-linear story about the meanings behind the time as an adjuster of life... There is no explanation for the end but more of a question about it: the what if segment of life. What if the end is no near what we think it is? What if the end is reversible and any action we performed in life we could reperform after the so-called end. The point of this movie was, without a doubt, to make yourself think about the different possibilities of this deep question about everything we know. By the look of that, I agree that this director is a big fan of Kubrick's Odyssey since this movie kind of challenges the same system of beliefs. It's a powerful film, emotional I could say since it delivers a lot of messages about love, hate, insanity, about what is sanity, about loneliness and progress. It's a beautiful work and I had to give this movie credit for being not that original but much more interesting and well executed than ninety percent of the movies released in the last years. The cast was my big problem. I couldn't actually like anyone besides Jared Leto. They all seem dull with their characters and had a flat approach for them. The characters though were developed good and you could always connect pieces from each different story without having a hard time. The best part of this movie I tend to say it was the editing which was simply great, lots of beautiful shots arranged in the proper order... That's what kept me interested in the movie besides the story: what should I expect from this scene? where will the movie head after this scene? and so on... By the way, the soundtrack fitted the movie almost perfectly. I recommend this movie to any person who enjoys smart storylines and interesting characters. This movie could have been executed better, without a doubt considering the decors could have been a little bit better, but it impressed me how much the director did with so little... I'll give this movie my next ratings and see you on my next review... Storyline/Dialogue: 9/10. Acting: 7,5/10. Art Direction: 8,5/10. Cinematography/Editing: 9/10. Soundtrack/Score: 8,5/10. Visual Effects: 7,5/10. ============================= Overall: 8,3 -
Sheldon C
MR. NOBODY is director Jaco Van Dormael's meditation on life and its choices. It is as beautiful as it is evocative, disjoint as it is stirring, both a futuristic sci-fi and a love medley, heartfelt and humanistic in all its elements. This experimental narrative boasts stunning… More
MR. NOBODY is director Jaco Van Dormael's meditation on life and its choices. It is as beautiful as it is evocative, disjoint as it is stirring, both a futuristic sci-fi and a love medley, heartfelt and humanistic in all its elements. This experimental narrative boasts stunning visuals, crisp editing, and a high-concept story that is both fascinating and original - one that will undoubtedly provoke your mind and leave you pondering its profound and interesting questions. -
Brandon W
Mr. Nobody is a classic example of a film that is crippled by its own ambition. It was overstuffed with too many ideas, none of which were really anything new. The time-shifting narrative was really jumpy and made the film feel disjointed. It was just really unfocused. At times it… More
Mr. Nobody is a classic example of a film that is crippled by its own ambition. It was overstuffed with too many ideas, none of which were really anything new. The time-shifting narrative was really jumpy and made the film feel disjointed. It was just really unfocused. At times it felt over-stylized and pretentious and at other times, bland. I can't say I downright hated it though. I can respect that the director at least tried to make something extraordinary, even if the execution wasn't quite up to par for me. At least he didn't just take the easy way out by settling for mediocrity like the majority of Hollywood films. However, it's flaws can't be ignored. The film chronicles the life of Nemo Nobody, a 118 year-old man, the last mortal on Earth. He reminisces to a journalist about his memories as a baby, child, teen, young adult, adult, and so forth, but the story is told in unchronological order. It's not told in a clever way like Pulp Fiction or Memento - it's more of a random cluster of scenes from his life that don't have any sort of a coherent flow to them. The film jumps back and forth between different periods of his life, leaving the viewer confused and frustrated. One of the most noticeable problems with this is that Nemo's character and personality shifts so dramatically (and unrealistically) throughout the different stages of his life that it becomes difficult to really define his character. One moment he's a cynical, depressed teenager, the next, he's a mature man. The next moment, he's an innocent child, and then back to a depressed teenager again. It becomes irritating because I liked his character during some stages, but not during others. The film is not a complete train wreck though. Lost under all of the excesses and pretenses, there are a few genuine moments of stunning beauty. There is also obviously a great deal of work that was put into the film - in the story, the ideas, etc. It's really a shame that the finished product was not as coherent or subtle as it should have been. I can't hate the film for at least making an effort but its over-ambition, pretension and lack of focus sank this film for me. -
Cameron J
It's a combination of "Fringe", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "The Butterfly Effect", "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and "The Fountain"... on acid. Well, if you've ever seen those films, I suppose that acid… More
It's a combination of "Fringe", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "The Butterfly Effect", "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and "The Fountain"... on acid. Well, if you've ever seen those films, I suppose that acid statement goes without saying. Actually, I think a better comparison is just "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", or at least one scene. If anyone remembers that scene where Benjamin was describing all of the events preceeding a car collison, then started all the way over to talk about what could have happened differently, in the immortal words of Cyrus of Spill, "this is that, 'The Movie'." Man, even if you haven't seen "Benjamin Button" (You're crazy), there's a much more likely chance that you know about that scene than this film, because - ready for a bombshell - ...this is probably Jared Leto's most obscure film ever and - struttin' Sam Rockwell! - that's saying a lot. However, as irony would have it, on top of being the most obscure film starring Jared Leto, this is among the best yet, which isn't really saying too much, but still something to say, nevertheless. Still, when I say that nobody has a flawless film, I didn't actually mean that "Nobody" has a flawless film, because this is most certainly no exception to that rule. I have to give both respect and criticism for this film's method of recounting Nemo Nobody's lives. It's an almost surrealistic compilation of every version of his life, each with its own significant hint that it is reality, leaving you totally incapable of figuring out which universe is reality. Now, it's not like director Jaco Van Dormael doesn't exectute this technique well, because he does. The problem is that the storytelling technique is so overwhelming, complex and dwelled upon for long periods of the film, and after a while, you're just exhausted and were it not for the excellent style, you would fall in and out of the film frequently. Perhaps the reason why we don't do that after a while, in spite of the captivating style, is because we do eventually take breaks, but that, in it of itself is a bit of a problem, because the film slows down, never to a crawl, but enough to where you'll find yourself a bit bored, and when you're doing that for over two hours, or two-and-a-half in the case of the extended cut, it would become overwhelming for any lesser film. I've recently happened across many examples of what I call the "Experience Genre", where we surrealistically make an intimate study on the life of a character, and even with this being the best that I've seen of that genre recently, that character study technique is still too overwhelming to handle and takes much from a project that could have been much more if it was more straightfoward, because these are stories and it's rare when a nonlinear narrative works over that. I kept imagining what these stories would have been like if they were more straightfoward and that is exactly what keeps this film from being solid, but in spite of that, even though they were kind of like back-handed complement, I meant it when I said that these techniques would have been too overwhelming in a lesser film and that this is one of the best experience films out there. I wish Jaco Van Dormael would have taken this film in a different direction, but like I said earlier, it's not like he botched his technique, because although his directing abilities are too good for a film of this type, he's still what makes this better than most experience films. A big problem with experience films is that they're too immersive and instead of looking at events and characters as part of the story, you're looking at them as simply vessels to move the story along, leaving emotional resonance to die on its feet. However, here, Dormael works around that, pulling back just enough for us to attach ourselves to what's going on, while still pushing us deep enough into this environment to feel the artistic value that went into this. I am personally in love with the soundtrack, which isn't terribly prominent, but when it is available, it alone makes the film electric, because there's so much life pumped into those few golden scenes by the extremely diverse soundtrack, which will have you kicking back to Pixies' "Where is My Mind" or even being hypnotised by one of my favorite score composions, Hans Zimmer's "God Yu Tekkem Laef Blong Mi" from "The Thin Red Line". Go ahead, I dare you to read that out loud with your tongue still inact. Still, what keeps the film going when it's not blasting some awesome tunes is the excellent production value that boasts elaborate production designs, great visual effects, beautiful cinematography and even slick sound design that helps power the surrealism and mediative tone of the film. Of course, although the technical value is excellent and helps in keeping the film going, it doesn't do as good a job at carrying the film as the performances, which are really top-notch. Jared Leto is kind of in and out of the acting industry now-a-days, but that doesn't keep him from being among today's finest performers. Still, although this is his film, I wish that they did more with him, for we focus probably a little too much on Toby Regbo and Thomas Byrne as young Nemo Nobody's, but then again, that doesn't mean that they don't bring enough game for you to not mind Leto's absence. Between the two young Nemo's, Regbo is more impressive as the teenaged Nemo, as he manages to sharply convey teenaged... "struggles" (or whatever these stupid kids are calling "real" problems) in a believable and compelling fashion, allowing him to carry his portion of the film, and let me tell you, he gets a huge chunk of the story. Of course, this is the ladies' show too and both they and their young counterparts carry their own weight. Still, it's the big girls that are given more to do, and they nail it, whether when they're dealing with love being reborn - in the case of the stunning Diane Kruger -, love falling apart - in the case of Linh Dan Pham -, or they, themselves falling apart - in the case of Sarah Polley -. Still, when you get down to it, this is really all about Jared Leto and although he could have been focused upon more, it should come as no surprise that he gives the best performance of the film. Leto's always been good at playing layers, but here, he's playing almost entirely different people - a man bored with his fortune, a man searching for true love, a man caught in the middle of his love's crisis situation and even an old man on his last leg, looking back at life and wondering about his accomplishments - and each role presents a painful challenge, - from accents, to subtle emotion, to acting his old age - every one of which he passes with flying colors, making his comeback - brief though, it may be - a satisfying one that shows us that he's still that dazzling talent that he was, if not more so, and every time he occupies the screen, he ties everything together and makes this film seem satisfying, regardless of the potential it squanders. When the story ends, then the other story ends, then the other story end and then the other ends, you're left looking back at this experience film, feeling as though it could have been much more if it was to realize its potential as a more linnear storyline, but outside of that, you'll still find yourself rather satisfied by the dazzling technical value and lively direction and performances that carry the emotional resonance that make "Mr. Nobody" not just one your better experience films, but a generally enjoyable work of art by its own right. 3/5 - Good -
Andreas B
If you are looking for a movie that has an ending, don't look here. If you are prepared to watch a movie that can change the way you look at life, then come right in. The film Mr. Nobody is much like the title. It is not a very well known film, but once you get to know it, you… More
If you are looking for a movie that has an ending, don't look here. If you are prepared to watch a movie that can change the way you look at life, then come right in. The film Mr. Nobody is much like the title. It is not a very well known film, but once you get to know it, you wonder what you would have done if you hadn't seen it. Jared Leto plays Nemo Nobody in many stages and many forms, including a decrepit old man, a working family man, a beggar, and even a caveman, amongst others. What I love about Leto in this movie is he doesn't have a dramatic, climactic acting moment, and he doesn't need one. He acts as naturally as the script requires him to. He does this while remaining very believable in his many different roles. I think Mr. Jared Leto, if the world is right, should be expecting an oscar nomination for this. He does in my own fantasy awards line up anyways. The basis of the story is that Nemo is a 118 year old man who is the last mortal alive, in a world where science has discovered a way to keep people from ever aging or dying. He is asked to recall his life, but he recalls several. Which life was the real one? Diane Kruger, Sarah Polley, and Linh-Dam Pham also act incredibly well as the various love interests in the different paths of Nemo's adult life. When there had to be connection and chemistry, Nemo and *fill woman's name here* had magnetic, inseparable on screen love. When there had to be tension and some distance, not only could you see the distance, but you can't spot the end of it for miles. Lastly, the writing is beyond clever and intelligent. Many psychological and philosophical theories are brought to mind, as well as scientific inquiries. This changes the overall meaning of the story in a way that makes you see your own life differently. Well acted. Well shot. Well written. Everything about this movie is fantastic. I only wish this movie was more well known than it makes itself. Final Rating: 9.5/10 -
Lesley N
Multi-national flm about the last man in the universe reminiscing about several lives he may or may not have lived. A bit Michel Gondryish and a bit muddled but quite lovely too if you go with it. There are no good or bad choices in life. <img… More
Multi-national flm about the last man in the universe reminiscing about several lives he may or may not have lived. A bit Michel Gondryish and a bit muddled but quite lovely too if you go with it. There are no good or bad choices in life. <img src="http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/mr_nobody_photo1.jpg"> -
Mike T
Unfortunately, I predict that critics will ruthlessly thrash this movie. It will be belittled, called pretentious, mocked and spat on. It doesn't deserve to be ridiculed. It makes a noble attempt to present something heartfelt and original. In my opinion, it misses the mark...… More
Unfortunately, I predict that critics will ruthlessly thrash this movie. It will be belittled, called pretentious, mocked and spat on. It doesn't deserve to be ridiculed. It makes a noble attempt to present something heartfelt and original. In my opinion, it misses the mark... but it tries, and that's more than can be said for the majority of mainstream releases these days. There are moments of bravura filmmaking - director Jaco Van Dormael uses music brilliantly, and some individual scenes stand out based solely on his technical skill and intelligence. Jared Leto is quite good in the lead as well. Unfortunately, the film strays into too many places and doesn't succeed particularly well in any of them. The futuristic scenes are downright painful to sit through, occupied with an aged Jared Leto who looks more like Hoggle from Labyrinth than a real old man. This is a movie based on a concept, and the concept is both too flimsy and too scattered to hold it up. And, as superficial and hollow as it might sound, Mr. Nobody is far too long. Smart and well-intentioned, but ineffective. -
Kyle S
A Masterpiece. -
R?o?d?r?i?g?o? R
Although it is quite confusing and some people may feel boring is an excellent movie with a powerful story. -
Dan B
Mr. Nobody is an overlooked piece of brilliance. It's abstract and fascinating like a piece of modern art. This is definitely not for audiences who prefer a traditional narrative or a storyline they can file away tidily in their brains. As for me, I think I need to watch it at… More
Mr. Nobody is an overlooked piece of brilliance. It's abstract and fascinating like a piece of modern art. This is definitely not for audiences who prefer a traditional narrative or a storyline they can file away tidily in their brains. As for me, I think I need to watch it at least a hundred more times... -
Linda K
The film has a very original and appealing concept, however the story could have been told differently in order to grasp the idea in a simpler way. Considering it is a long film, it could leave the audience somewhat confused and lose track its concept. Although it is a complex subject… More
The film has a very original and appealing concept, however the story could have been told differently in order to grasp the idea in a simpler way. Considering it is a long film, it could leave the audience somewhat confused and lose track its concept. Although it is a complex subject to tackle on a cinematic form, the film does leave us thinking about any decision that every single individual make. -
Ivan D
Very, very simple story about the impossibility of choice mixed randomly with pseudo-intellectual blabbering about life, time, and the complexities of the universe. All right, before someone out there clogs my brain with some mind channeling of such familiar lines as "You… More
Very, very simple story about the impossibility of choice mixed randomly with pseudo-intellectual blabbering about life, time, and the complexities of the universe. All right, before someone out there clogs my brain with some mind channeling of such familiar lines as "You don't get the film's point", let this review speak for itself. Of course, the visuals are very beautiful, 'too good' actually for a film with only a limited release, but eye-popping imagery, as how almost every film watchers out there will probably say, shall always be accompanied by a plot capable of grabbing one's attention for 2 or more hours; emotional and intellectual additions are absolutely sweet bonuses. That's a pretty simple rule of film engagement that "Mr. Nobody" has repeatedly ignored, wallowing itself in its timeline-circling, reality/illusion-breaking narrative, while we, alright, while 'I', sit on the opposite end of the screen always ready to support the film's emotional core, but "Mr. Nobody" looked like as if it prefer not to accommodate the viewers in its swollen intricacies. I would have liked the film's theme even more if it's handled by a more minimalist filmmaker because in that way, the emotions will always matter. "Mr. Nobody" is an immensely extended music video that sings about the hardships of love, and about the difficulties of a universe heading into constant entropy. But as a film, it's a pretentious exercise of giving a statement about many things by saying patches about each, but never really materializing into one full coherent sentence. There's a sequence halfway through the film where Nemo Nobody(Jared Leto) said something like: "Let's start back at the beginning". Well I have to say something, Mr. Nobody: "No, Thank you, I'm very much full". -
John M
From the trailer it looks like a refreshing fantasy tale like ¨Big Fish¨, ¨Benjamin Button¨ and many others. The concept of the movie is very intereting but I had a few problems with this film. I felt the viewer never gets the chance to connect emotionally with the characters and… More
From the trailer it looks like a refreshing fantasy tale like ¨Big Fish¨, ¨Benjamin Button¨ and many others. The concept of the movie is very intereting but I had a few problems with this film. I felt the viewer never gets the chance to connect emotionally with the characters and there are too many ideas, which is why the film lacks focus. Other problem is that it is very long and I found my self checking the remaining running time of the movie. Technically, visually and cinematographically, ¨Mr Nobody¨ is a masterpiece. The visual stunts are amazing, the colours are wonderful and the camera-work is extremely imaginative. At the end, I wanted to like this film, but I couldn´t.
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Cast
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Jared Leto
as Nemo
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Diane Kruger
as Anna
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Sarah Polley
as Elise
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Linh-Dan Pham
as Jeanne
- Natasha Little
- Rhys Ifans
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