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Brad Peterson, Daniel Liu, Gabe Nevins, Grace Carter, Jake Miller ...( see more  see more... ) , Joe Schweitzer , Lauren McKinney , Taylor Momsen , Winfield Jackson

An unsolved murder at Portland's infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey where he must not only deal with the pain and disconnec...( read more  read more... )t of adolescence but the consequences of his own actions.

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66% liked it

17,763 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

109 critics

R, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Release Date: May 21, 2007

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DVD Release Date: October 7, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (2,350)

  • TheMachinist
    May 19, 2009
    TheMachinist
    'Paranoid Park' is another minimalistic film, with mostly amateus actors, from the critically acclaimed director Gus Van Sant. With a filmography consisting such films as 'Good Will Hunting', which is absolutely one of my favourites, and 'Drugstore Cowboy' and now with his latest...( read more) work 'Milk', Gus Van Sant has proved us all that he can make movies that will for sure be worth a look. But then again, he has made a remake of 'Psycho' so....

    'Elephant', which he made in 2003, was a succesful film. 'Paranoid Park' resembles it a lot in the way of filmmaking. Amateur actors, authentic look and so on. This film has its positive sides, mainly the cinematography by Christopher Doyle, but when everything else doesn't give you anything particularly special, it can't really be that great.

    Nothing much really happens here. Skater, high school kids just hanging around at Paranoid Park, watching other skaters do their thing. Then there's of course the everyday problems of dating and losing your virginity and listening to the annoying girlfriend. Oh yeah, and someone gets killed.

    Although 'Paranoid Park' only lasts for less then 90 minutes, it may at times feel a bit draging and boring. I had troubles to identify myself with the main characters. I'm just a 30 year old man who was born in yokel surroundings. When I see skaters, once again, do their thing, I'm not that interested of it.

    Even if the acting is solid, which is a great thing considering the amateur cast, when you skip everything else and leave just the murder, this could have worked better as a short film but not as a full length feature. But 'Paranoid Park' is in no way a bad work by Van Sant. I just don't see it as that special.
  • ceWEBrity
    May 17, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    A stirring, subtle, visually remarkable piece by Gus Van Sant. If you saw flaws in Elephant, this rectifies them and expands on its companion piece's richness. Though the awful acting still remains, the situations Van Sant creates house them well - these kids aren't navigating pa...( read more)rticularly challenging or out-there roles, but instead are living the lives of a few ordinary teenagers who are in or around trouble. The awkwardness and lack of grandstanding (or presence of grandstanding, where appropriate) are a perfect fit for the teen experience. The only one who doesn't fit here is Taylor Momsen, who just feels far too accustomed to acting and movies and all that glossy desouled business. Gabe Nevins works as a good, solid blank slate, a perfect fit for a protagonist who isn't particularly bright or charismatic. He is stentorian and hard to read, almost enigmatic.

    I was surprised to see that Christopher Doyle filmed this movie, but upon actually watching it, the work is clearly his. Colorful and sharply framed, he always knows what to keep in the viewer's sight and what to keep away from them. Paranoid Park, against all odds, is bizarrely suspenseful for an otherwise quiet movie. The viewer knows within the first ten minutes that Alex killed the security guard, but it doesn't make the buildup to the act any less horrifying. Watching the event unfurl, by the way, is one of the most powerful scenes of 2008; the less you know about it, the better.

    Paranoid Park does ramble a little bit, and it feels as if Van Sant filmed 50 minutes of film and then just edited it all together really fancily to add another half hour. Even so, at 80 minutes, it's far more trim and meaningful than most of what you're likely to see.
  • Cinema101
    February 10, 2009
    Cinema101
    It doesn't hit you until far after you've left the theater. This is a tragic, haunting portrayal of contemporary American youth, and a brilliant one.
  • her69eyes
    November 24, 2008
    her69eyes
    Gus Van Sant, an iconic indie auteur best known for "Good Will Hunting" and the upcoming "Milk", found his cast for "Paranoid Park" via MySpace and a local newspaper. It's completely refreshing to see teenagers who look like teenagers, talk like teenagers, and act like teenagers....( read more) There's a character in the film with acne and the fact that she has acne is never mentioned, unlike how in any other film she'd be considered the ugly outcast. What "Ugly Betty" is becomes simple normalcy in the legitimate world "Paranoid Park" creates, and it's a big step for film that i'd love to see mainsteam pictures tackle. However, the films legitimacy is ultimately it's detriment. I think of another recent film where two young actors made their debut, "Let the Right One In", and compare their performances to those in this film. I'm fine with excusing inexperienced acting in an indie film - but some of this was far too bad to be considered "passable" for something that's not shown by a student in a film production classroom. I totally bought another Van Sant movie in a similar vein, "Elephant", and although this one visually worked, I never found myself doing anything other than asking myself why this kid needs to be walking in slow motion for the umpteenth time.

    Alex (Gabe Nevins) is a high school student who spends much of his time skateboarding. Unlike many other films about skateboarders, he's not necessarily rebellious and outrageous, rather a pretty normal guy. He could actually exist, and you'll be able to draw comparisons from him to people you've encountered (the same goes for everyone in this movie). He's dating a virgin cheerleader, Jennifer (Taylor Momsen), and he dreads the day where she eventually wants to have sex and complicate things. His friend, Jared (Jake Miller), on the other hand insists that getting laid is better than not getting laid, and that he should hold onto her for all she's worth. Alex's other buddy is Macy (Lauren McKinney), who is wise beyond her years and seems to have a crush on Alex.

    The title of the film is in reference to an imaginary skate park - one which is frequented by outcasts, druggies, and the like. One day, as him and a fellow skateboarder are trying to hitch a ride on a train, a security guard runs at them with his flashlight and tries to bat them off. Alex, scared, fires back and hits him with his skateboard, sending the guard into traintracks and is met with an oncoming train. Now, there's a detective on the case (Daniel Liu) who is sure that the culprit is a skateboarder who frequents Paranoid Park. The film, however, is not a detective thriller, and the whole murder story is almost a backdrop for the rest of the film. We never get a payoff, and we don't spend a whole time with the detective. Rather, it's about Alex's mind and his search for meaning. He has enough problems with his home life, girlfriend, and everything else that goes along with a teenager - but now being drawn this conception of the fragility of mortality has completely shattered his world.

    In the beginning of this review, I mentioned that Alex frequently walks around in slow motion. That is true. Of course, the artistic side of you can argue that these scenes were there to show Alex's indecisiveness and how involved he is with his own problems... but unfortunately, they come off as nothing more than an excuse to get another Elliot Smith song on the soundtrack. This is indie on top of indie on top of indie filmmaking... and although I usually do enjoy films like this, I found this one to be very self-indulgent. Some of the cinematography is beautiful, such as the skateboarding sequences - but there comes a point when you want to learn more about Alex's surroundings than seeing kickflips and grinds. While visually appealing, I found it to be emotionally lifeless.

    Gabe Nevins' performance is adequate and not bad for a newcomer. He shows little enthusiasm and comes off as a walking corpse, but that's what best fits his character. A few of the supporting players, like Jake Miller, were just inexcusably bad. When you see a film by a director like Gus Van Sant you'd expect great cinematography and at the very least decent acting, but some of these kids were just awful. I loved that they all looked like normal kids... but there comes a point when you're begging for one of the Jonas Brothers.

    That being said, however, I can at the very least say that "Paranoid Park" is an interesting film. It establishes a relentless mood through it's cinematography and music, and it that draws you in for the entirety of the story. That being said, I felt that "Elephant" said more about high schoolers more effectively. I really liked that film a lot, but this time around it's hard to swallow the pretentiousness and amateur acting.
  • columbiatch
    October 30, 2008
    columbiatch
    Excellent stuff. a very dreamy and intimate portrayal of adolescence. Didn't fall into any kind of cliche resolution I was expecting and the film is about much more than its central incident. Love the Nino Rota music and the Scorpio Rising-like 8 mm footage of the skateboarding...( read more) subculture.
  • LeDorlis
    February 1, 2010
    LeDorlis
    Après Elephant, Van Sant joue encore les John Hughes version art et essai avec Paranoid Park, ça peut paraître prétentieux (c'est pas parce que c'est pas édulcoré que c'est forcément plus réaliste) mais on voit que Van Sant sait ce qu'il fait et où il veut en venir avec cette his...( read more)toire d'un jeune skater dont la vie se retrouve chamboulée après la mort accidentelle qu'il a provoqué. Pour des acteurs inconnus (voir non professionnelle) les jeunes s'en tirent plutôt bien et la bande son est pas mal, cette manière tortueuse d'entrecroiser les évènements autour de l'accident est bien trouvé et ne m'a posé aucun problème, en bref pas ennuyeux, et bien foutu !
  • loesziejj
    February 1, 2010
    loesziejj
    Nice, realistic story, really sad.
  • leedire
    January 28, 2010
    leedire
    Typical Gus Van Sant style. Very little dialogue, brilliant shots and captivating storyline.
  • chrissm1
    January 26, 2010
    chrissm1
    What a poor movie, can't believe its being received so well. The cinematography in this movie is nice. I mean really nice, in fact both stars I'm rating this are merely for cinematography. Raw acting is great in movies, and I really like it. Untrained actors, etc. But it didn't w...( read more)ork here. Maybe because what there was of dialogue was pretty bad. Dull, in fact. Innocuous, even. What there was of a plot didn't engage, on any level. Not entertaining or thought provoking. The long, lingering shots of a teenage boy showering didn't do anything for me. I frankly saw no reason for it. Gus Van Sant is over rated.
  • luciaag
    January 3, 2010
    luciaag
    the movie has lack of a better ending

View All Paranoid Park Reviews

Critic Reviews

March 21, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Regarding Paranoid Park as an elongated short rather than a feature helps a bit, because it's a miniature in spirit -- a small-format portrait of psychic malaise that just happens to last 84 minutes. full review

March 14, 2008
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

In the space of 78 minutes, Mr. Van Sant and his cinematographer, the peerless Christopher Doyle, manage to suffuse that state with haunting sadness, ubiquitous danger, pulsing power and flickers of h... full review

March 5, 2008
Armond White, The New York Press

Just when it looked like Van Sant was finally ready to present a movie real people might want to watch, Paranoid Park abandons universality and fetishizes the generality of skater boys. full review

March 3, 2008
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Paranoid Park is a supernaturally perfect fusion of Van Sant's current conceptual-art-project head-trip aesthetic and Blake Nelson's finely tuned first-person 'young adult' novel. full review

February 28, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The result, a defiant slap at slick Hollywood formula, is mesmerizing. full review

December 28, 2007
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Transposed from a novel by Blake Nelson, the boy is played by newcomer Gabe Nevins with all the complexity and three-dimensionality of a magazine centrefold. full review

November 21, 2007
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Paranoid Park's triumph ... is its aesthetic design. full review

View more Paranoid Park reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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  • This director has made films about High School shootings, the death of Kurt Cobain, Portland's Paranoid Park, and an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV".  Answer »
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