Multiple Sarcasms (2010)

5% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
23% of users liked it
(1,148 ratings)

A frustrated architect tries his hand at being a playwright when his life hits a disheartening plateau. New York City, 1979: Gabriel Richmond (Timothy Hutton) is a family man with a high-paying job. Lately, however, he's been skirting his responsibilities -- both at home and at work. Turning… More A frustrated architect tries his hand at being a playwright when his life hits a disheartening plateau. New York City, 1979: Gabriel Richmond (Timothy Hutton) is a family man with a high-paying job. Lately, however, he's been skirting his responsibilities -- both at home and at work. Turning introspective, Gabriel decides to pen a play about his life and his family. The goal is to be as honest and objective as possible, and the process ultimately proves somewhat therapeutic as he revisits his past decisions and ponders how he'd live his life again if given a second chance. But just as Gabriel's play starts to come together, his life starts to fall apart. Mira Sorvino, Mario Van Peebles, and Stockard Channing co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Brooks Branch
Written By: Brooks Branch, Linda Morris
Genres: Comedy, Drama

In Theaters: May 7, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Aug 10, 2010
Studio: Mac Releasing

Critic Reviews

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
An hour-and-a-half mopefest so complete that by the end of it, you want to give Hutton's character a smack in the face and tell him to stop whining, already.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Why devote a single moment of your time to listening to his character, Gabriel Richmond, bellyache ad nauseam about having everything and still being miserable?
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
First-time filmmaker Brooks Branch underutilizes an estimable cast...
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
Multiple Sarcasms is Woody Allen lite -- there's a lot of introspective fumbling around and intellectual foreplay. But in the end, instead of a satisfying climax, it feels like someone is faking it.
Brian Miller, Village Voice
A vanity production by Branch, previously a studio branding consultant, it's the kind of odious, self-validating wish fulfillment that actually makes you appreciate the more generous self-absorption of Henry Jaglom films.
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Timothy Hutton's fine, loose-limbed perf as a man adrift lifts Multiple Sarcasms, frosh scribe-helmer Brooks Branch's male menopause apologia, out of cliche-ridden territory -- at least temporarily.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A tedious and unappealing portrait of the obsession of a middle-age architect to write a play.
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
The simplistic philosophy and cast of characters out of Hollywood's bag of cliches are bad enough, but do we have to be confronted with women's female problems, too?
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Might serve a useful therapeutic function for its writer-director, but for the rest of us the exercise in self-examination will have a much less beneficial effect, unless you suffer from insomnia.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
So-so, light tale of a successful New York architect who endangers his comfortable, conventional life to navel-gaze and write a play provides some moments for the always watchable Timothy Hutton. But there's not much else to watch.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
An often uneven, inorganic drama centered around a dull, tediously narcissistic character who's as irritating as nails on a chalkboard.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
Multiple Sarcasms has a way of creatively meandering into unexpected pockets of comedy and poignancy, heading toward some kind of eventual grace, a little like real life.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Multiple Sarcasms is a terrible title for a movie. And it's even worse for a movie that's got some other serious problems.
Noel Murray, AV Club
From the jokes about Hutton overreacting to his daughter's menstruation to the comic ruminations about the relative attractiveness of genitalia, Multiple Sarcasms often plays like a bad stand-up routine dramatized by serious actors.
Aaron Hillis, Time Out New York
This hoary midlife-crisis tale is watchable solely for its reliable cast.
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine
Thematically and artistically, Multiple Sarcasms has multiple personalities.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
The meaning of Multiple Sarcasms's title is a mystery, but then, so are many things in Brooks Branch's film.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Timothy Hutton, Mira Sorvino, Dana Delany, Mario Van Peebles, India Ennenga, Laila Robins, Stockard Channing, Joan Jett, Chris Sarandon Director: Brooks Branch Summary: In 1979, architect Gabriel (Timothy Hutton) begins questioning his existence, avoiding work and escaping… More
Cast: Timothy Hutton, Mira Sorvino, Dana Delany, Mario Van Peebles, India Ennenga, Laila Robins, Stockard Channing, Joan Jett, Chris Sarandon Director: Brooks Branch Summary: In 1979, architect Gabriel (Timothy Hutton) begins questioning his existence, avoiding work and escaping into the fictional world of movies. When he starts writing a play examining the choices he's made, it creates issues with his wife (Dana Delany), daughter (India Ennenga) and friends. Meanwhile, he tries to convince a brassy literary agent (Stockard Channing) to represent him and confides in his best friend (Mira Sorvino) in this indie drama. My Thoughts: "Well it literally starts out with him having everything. A wife, child, and a good job. But then it all falls apart, and then all comes back together again but in a different way then it began. It's definitely a character driven movie. The characters are relatable. India Ennenga, who plays the daughter is really good in this. But Timothy Hutton is the scene stealer and the main character throughout. He was really good in this movie. I also liked Mira Sorvino in this a lot. Her character was just fun and honest. It has a lot of great characters. I don't think this is a movie a lot of people will care for. Some will get the brilliance of it, and others will, well not get it. But it did the job for me. It was funny, interesting, and relatable. The most out there scene is with the dancing tampons (have to see the movie to understand that last line). So to end this, the acting was good and so was the story line. It's not a blockbuster by any means, but its a good story with a sense of deep meaning."
Walter M

In "Multiple Sarcasms," Gabriel(Timothy Hutton) takes the day off from work as an architect to go to the Cinema Village to see "Starting Over" and in the process helps a homeless man. His boss Rocky(Mario Van Peebles) has been noting his lack of interest at work… More
In "Multiple Sarcasms," Gabriel(Timothy Hutton) takes the day off from work as an architect to go to the Cinema Village to see "Starting Over" and in the process helps a homeless man. His boss Rocky(Mario Van Peebles) has been noting his lack of interest at work for a while, especially on a project for Lauren(Laila Robins). A lot of that has to do with trying to write a play but since it is not yet complete, Pamela(Stockard Channing), an agent, will not represent him since she "represents playwrights, not schmucks," hanging up on him. Also sensing something amiss with her husband and wanting to get into the bathroom at some point, Annie(Dana Delany) suggests a trip to visit her relatives. While it might be tragic for a person not to live up to their true potential, it can also be a little sad for a movie to do so which is true for the underwhelming "Multiple Sarcasms" with its totally unnecessary vulgarity. The movie has an intriguing premise and a great cast but even they cannot redeem something so flatly executed. The promise comes from hints at a meta approach to a midlife crisis but that only comes at the very beginning and end, leaving a vast wasteland in the middle. To be honest, any games of what if should end when a person first becomes a parent which is the point of no return.
Sol C

The film was so so. It needed a rewrite. It seemed at times that it wasn't balanced. The pacing was off. On the positive the film does have some great scenes in it. Timothy Hutton is ok as the lead, but I was expecting better from him. Mira Sorvino steals the film. She is great… More
The film was so so. It needed a rewrite. It seemed at times that it wasn't balanced. The pacing was off. On the positive the film does have some great scenes in it. Timothy Hutton is ok as the lead, but I was expecting better from him. Mira Sorvino steals the film. She is great in every scene of the film. Stockard Channing, Dana Delany, and Mario Van Peebles provide solid supporting work here. It was great seeing Joan Jett in the film. The film is worth checking out for Mira Sorvino's performance.