Passion Play (2011)

3% of critics liked it
(32 reviews)
15% of users liked it
(2,319 ratings)

A terrific cast will hold you spellbound in PASSION PLAY, a one of a kind seductive thriller from Mitch Glazer, the screenwriter of The Recruit. The last thing washed-up jazz musician Nate Pool (Academy Award (R)-nominee Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler) wanted to do was betray sinister gangster Happy… More A terrific cast will hold you spellbound in PASSION PLAY, a one of a kind seductive thriller from Mitch Glazer, the screenwriter of The Recruit. The last thing washed-up jazz musician Nate Pool (Academy Award (R)-nominee Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler) wanted to do was betray sinister gangster Happy Shannon (Academy-Award (R)-nominee Bill Murray, Lost in Translation). But it may be the last thing he does unless he can deliver Lily (Megan Fox, Transformers), a beautiful and mysterious carnival sideshow attraction. The stakes can't get any higher for the two lovers as they try to elude the merciless killer who will stop at nothing to keep Lily for himself. Kelly Lynch (Drugstore Cowboy) and Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) costar in this gritty and unpredictable tale of redemption in the hard-boiled tradition of classic film noir. -- (C) Image

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Mitch Glazer
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 6, 2011 Limited
On DVD: May 31, 2011
Studio: Image Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
This underworld fairy tale is so soggy and sentimental it's like a new genre: Hallmark noir.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
The net effect is as if someone had set out to imitate a David Lynch movie without ever having seen one, or as if it had been directed by Wim Wenders (which is approximately the same thing).
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
"It's like a movie," someone says at some point. Yeah, like one. But not quite.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Conjuring magic, it goes abracadabra and snaps its fingers, but nothing happens.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
You can do worse than a movie that features Megan Fox stripped down to her tattoos and Bill Murray as a pinstriped gangster who says things like, "Kill him and bring her back here."
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Every now and then a movie's awfulness rises to the level of mystery. How did it get produced? Did anyone try to save the filmmaker from himself?
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
This often risible mood piece stars Megan Fox as a circus sideshow attraction who has actual angel wings growing out of her back. Rather than doing the sensible thing and joining the X-Men, she instead decides to make out with Mickey Rourke. Go figure.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review at Movies for the Masses
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Perhaps it's needless to say, but Rourke and Fox are a thoroughly mismatched screen couple, who exude zero screen chemistry with one another.
Brian Holcomb, CinemaBlend.com
A vanity project from successful Hollywood screenwriter Mitch Glazer, this film should really be much funnier than it is. Oh, it's not a comedy, by the way. Not at all.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Peculiarly bad. It's one of those total misfires that wanders so far off the track that you're left scratching your head.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
One of the funniest most pretentious art house flicks of the year...
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
There's undeniable entertainment value in accidental absurdity, but Passion Play strikes a note of delirium that's downright painful to process.
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Ebert Presents At The Movies
The very definition of a cinematic curiosity: a movie that seems almost too strange to exist.
Nick Schager, L.A. Weekly
Mickey Rourke recently made headlines for dubbing Passion Play "a terrible movie," a proclamation that's ultimately most notable for its understatement.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Black Swan meets Water For Elephants, sort of. And is Mickey Rourke's male cougar character's obsession with his leading lady's wings in this post-mortem noir, possibly suspect intimations of either bestiality or necrophilia? Who cares.
Elliot V. Kotek, Paste Magazine
Despite a gorgeous poster, a beautiful object of affection and cult-worthy actors, Passion Play fails to transform from a poetic pet project into a fully realized film.
Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com
From the cheesy score to the nonsensical plot to the half-asleep performances, Passion Play is a snooze.
Maitland McDonagh, Film Journal International
Screenwriter Mitch Glazer's directing debut is a romantic fable about love, redemption and exquisitely art-directed squalor whose evident sincerity is overwhelmed by its utter ridiculousness.
Diego Costa, Slant Magazine
You almost wonder if the whole thing isn't just one big campy joke.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nate Z

You would think that a movie where a jazz musician (Mickey Rourke) gets in trouble with a mobster (played by Bill Murray!) and while on the lam he discovers a girl (Megan Fox) with angel wings working in a circus sideshow would be interesting. How could you go wrong with all those… More
You would think that a movie where a jazz musician (Mickey Rourke) gets in trouble with a mobster (played by Bill Murray!) and while on the lam he discovers a girl (Megan Fox) with angel wings working in a circus sideshow would be interesting. How could you go wrong with all those interesting elements? Mobsters, circus freaks, angels, Mickey Rourke! Well Passion Play found a way, a triumph of failure. This would-be parable just sleepwalks from scene to scene, rarely making much of its fantastical sci-fi elements. Fox swears she's no angel, just a girl born with bird wings, and people let this be a conversation ender. Rourke's character is a pathetic coward who nets little empathy. Not reverent or weird enough, Passion Play was the passion project of writer/director Mitch Glazer but the movie feels devoid of anything approaching passion. The actors seem bored, the romance between Fox and Rourke is a non-starter, and the lame ending borrows a page from An Occurrence at Owl Creek as a last-ditch attempt to interject some meaning into this unholy mess. The only reason I can foresee (sober) people watching this is for the mistaken belief that they might glance upon some heavenly nudity from Fox. Sorry boys, the gal keeps her purity. The entire production is just so wrong-headed and listless; I can't even work up a good dose of bile to proclaim its utter inanities. This is a terrible, silly, puzzling, dopey movie made even worse by its pseudo-intellectual twist ending. Nate's Grade: D
Bruce B

Bill Murray playing the part of a ruthless gangster, someway I don't see that happening and it didn't in this movie. Mickey Rouke played excellent part but gets uglier as time goes on. Mickey Rourke plays a washed up trumpet player Nate, who upon the opening of the film is… More
Bill Murray playing the part of a ruthless gangster, someway I don't see that happening and it didn't in this movie. Mickey Rouke played excellent part but gets uglier as time goes on. Mickey Rourke plays a washed up trumpet player Nate, who upon the opening of the film is being taken to the desert to be killed, somehow the hit man is shot by a band of Indians. Nate stumbles upon a caravel as he wanders across the desert and discovers Lily a women with wings, is she an angle? Now the Carney people want to kill Nate, Happy Shannon wants to kill Nate so begins the story with twist and turns and is it real? I give it 3 1/2 stars
Melvin W

Nate: How long have you been an angel? "Love Is Stronger Than Death" I don't really know what happened between the time I hit play and the moment the credits started to roll. I think I watched a movie, but I guess I'll never be entirely sure. As much as I like… More
Nate: How long have you been an angel? "Love Is Stronger Than Death" I don't really know what happened between the time I hit play and the moment the credits started to roll. I think I watched a movie, but I guess I'll never be entirely sure. As much as I like Bill Murray and respect Mickey Rourke; neither of them could save Passion Play from being a horrible movie. I'm not going to nitpick about Murray and Rourke's performance's because look at the material they were given to work with. We know that they are both quality actors. I am however going to ask why they would choose to be in this film. It makes no sense to me that actors of their quality would be involved in this. The movie is horrible for a number of reasons. One of which would be the moronic story. What the hell was that? Obviously part fairy-tale and I guess part awkward, disgusting romance. I've seen others say that the sex scene was really bad and I don't think that does it justice. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever watched and it's done poorly. Another reason the movie is horrible is because of Megan Fox's sheer presence in the film. Yes, I find her attractive to some extent, but I don't think that gives her the right to a free pass. She is one of the most unbelievable and completely garbage actresses I've ever seen. One more reason I personally found disturbing, but not a cause for the movie being terrible was just the idea of it. Rourke's character getting involved with Fox's character. I'm not even talking about the age difference. I like to think that I'm not a shallow person, but when the bitch has wings; I think that's a good place to put a line in the sand. I saw the ending of this film coming as soon as Murray's character gets involved and it still was mind-blowing that the writer-director would do it. It's completely idiotic. The fact that this movie was made just gives me a feeling of extreme nausea. Don't let Rourke or Murray pull you into this one. If you see a copy, destroy it.
Greg S

A trumpet player discovers a woman with wings at a freak show while hiding out from a gangster who wants him dead. A potentially interesting premise wrecked by an awful script that begs us to care whether angelic Megan Fox will choose old, creepy, poor Mickey Rourke or old, creepy,… More
A trumpet player discovers a woman with wings at a freak show while hiding out from a gangster who wants him dead. A potentially interesting premise wrecked by an awful script that begs us to care whether angelic Megan Fox will choose old, creepy, poor Mickey Rourke or old, creepy, rich Bill Murray.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Kelly Lynch, Jerry Sawyers, Rhys Ifans, Bud Cort, Rory Cochrane, Chris Browning, Liezl Carstens Director: Mitch Glazer Summary: Restrained by a ruthless gangster, gorgeous Lily, a circus freak whose incredible wings make her look… More
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Kelly Lynch, Jerry Sawyers, Rhys Ifans, Bud Cort, Rory Cochrane, Chris Browning, Liezl Carstens Director: Mitch Glazer Summary: Restrained by a ruthless gangster, gorgeous Lily, a circus freak whose incredible wings make her look like an angel, yearns for freedom. After crossing paths with the trapped beauty, down-on-his-luck musician Nate commits himself to rescuing her. My Thoughts: "There is no getting around how completely awful this movie was. I really did try until the very end to make some sense out of what the hell these actors were thinking when they signed up for something so bad. The acting wasn't the worse part, it was the unbelievable story, not to mention the creepy romance between Rourke and Fox. Just felt so wrong and dirty and... ewe. Just completely wrong. There are very few moments in Fox's case where you feel her turmoil and sadness. I liked this part of her, and it felt absolutely real. Her acting in this was not awful and that gives me hope for when she actually picks a film that will do her justice. Mickey had his moments, but his acting was pretty bad in this. Maybe because he just seemed way too old for the part or he just didn't try cause he realized nothing could help this film. I tried to have an open mind about the movie, but in the end it was as bad as everyone was stating it was."
Manu G

Love Is Stronger Than Death Not bad yet not great either. The movie's story never leads nowhere in particular even though it had a decent particular subject which what I thought was intriguing yet never developed at the end. Acting was so-so to non-existent. Watch it if… More
Love Is Stronger Than Death Not bad yet not great either. The movie's story never leads nowhere in particular even though it had a decent particular subject which what I thought was intriguing yet never developed at the end. Acting was so-so to non-existent. Watch it if you're a Rourke or Fox fan but don't come expecting a great movie. 'Passion Play' is an indie drama in which Mickey Rourke plays a down-on-his-heels trumpet player in 1950s Los Angeles who finds redemption in an angel (Megan Fox) after attempting to save her from a gangster.
Lorenzo v

"Love Is Stronger Than Death" An angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck. <center>"Love Is Stronger Than Death" An angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck. <center>REVIEW</center> In this truly odd-off-the-beaten-path combo of Twilight Zone meets Red Shoe Diaries neo-noir pastiche mash-up, Mickey Rourke stars as Nate, a downward spiraling jazz trumpeter who works in two-bit strip joints somewhere out in desert who finds himself earmarked for assassination by gangster Happy Shannon (Bill Murray, sporting Roy Orbison shades and his usual , low-key snark) - whose wife Nate unknowingly slept with. Surviving the attempt on his life (don't ask) he finds himself stumbling upon a traveling carnival where he meets Lily (Megan Fox stereotypically cast) a young woman featured on display behind glass ...for having vestigial angel wings (!) Here Nate falls in love with the 'freak' (for a lack of a better term) but sees redemption in perhaps wiping the slate with Happy by offering a business transaction to clear his name (i.e. 'selling' a share of Lily to the thug). What naturally follows is some mistaken emotions and an irate Rhys Ifans as Lily's 'owner' out for revenge. While longtime scribe and Murray collaborator/friend Mitch Glazer makes an intriguing directorial debut (he co-wrote the Bill Christmas classic "Scrooged") - to say the least - the film sadly is a one-note oddity that doesn't know if it's supposed to be a metaphorically 'serious'noir (i.e. a gilded Lily may finally have freedom as well as Nate despite their trappings - literally a cage and a never-ending desert) or a black comedy (enter Murray who frankly I am biased and love the big lug but he wasn't intimidating as a criminal in Mad Dog and Glory). It's a fascinating mess overall and even Rourke's comeback kid can't save it nor can the always beguiling Fox.
Lewis C

"Last thing on earth you'll ever see. Wings." What the heck was that? Rather, what was it even supposed to be? A love story? A fairy tale? I have no idea. It doesn't matter if you're a die-hard Mickey Rourke fan from way back, a fanboy in total lust with… More
"Last thing on earth you'll ever see. Wings." What the heck was that? Rather, what was it even supposed to be? A love story? A fairy tale? I have no idea. It doesn't matter if you're a die-hard Mickey Rourke fan from way back, a fanboy in total lust with Megan Fox, or if Bill Murray is your idol. There's just nothing here worth your time. Other than perhaps the most inexplicably hilarious, awkward, and unsexy love scene in ages. The story is about a washed-up, formerly famous trumpet player who escapes from a hitman and finds a young woman with wings at a traveling circus. They leave her cruel caretaker together, and the musician hatches a plan to use the angelic young woman as barter to buy back his life from a gangster he crossed. Oh, and the girl is just a little too heavy to use her wings to do any more than float on a strong wind. Now, try hard to imagine the most cliche and boring resolution to that scenario possible. Bingo, you are the winner! Your wonderful prize is never having to watch this! There's nothing slightly romantic or interesting about Passion Play. No matter how many lone white feathers slowly drift past the screen, or how much slow piano music plays over lingering close-ups of faces, it's not poignant. I guess some scenes are worth seeing because of the meteoric levels of WTF they feature. ESPECIALLY the laugh-out-loud ending, which was my personal incredulous highlight of the entire picture. Other than that, you get a lot of Megan Fox weeping and Mickey Rourke wearing clothes a classy hobo would be proud of. By far the most interesting thing about Passion Play would be an explanation of why so many people thought it would be a good idea to make it. It's not the worst movie I've seen, but it's certainly one of the oddest.
Walter M

In "Passion Play," Nate(Mickey Rourke), a down and out trumpet player, would be dead if not for the intervention of a group of American Indian ninjas who are still rude enough not to give him a lift back into town. Hours later, he stumbles across a traveling sideshow. Only… More
In "Passion Play," Nate(Mickey Rourke), a down and out trumpet player, would be dead if not for the intervention of a group of American Indian ninjas who are still rude enough not to give him a lift back into town. Hours later, he stumbles across a traveling sideshow. Only wanting to know where a telephone is from Sam(Rhys Ifans), the barker, he gets more than he could have ever bargained for in the person of Lily(Megan Fox), a winged wonder. Upon realizing that her wings are real, Nate also discovers Sam and several others behind him meaning to do him harm. Instead of it being ninjas this time, it is Lily who rides to the rescue in a pickup truck. In gratitude, Nate has Harriet(Kelly Lynch) set up a deal to further preserve his skin with Happy Shannon(Bill Murray). "Passion Play" is an oddly beguiling throwback to the days of burlesque joints, traveling carnivals, vinyl and mobsters.(Is it any surprise that a key late scene is set in a museum?) Fitting in perfectly with that theme is Megan Fox with her classic good looks, possibly proving that she was born 60 to 70 years too late. In fact, despite the vast difference in their ages, Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox, both Hollywood outcasts, make a fine pair.
Dann M

Passion Play is a freakishly bizarre film. It's a fantasy tale that doesn't feel like fantasy; when a washed up musician falls in love with a carny that has angel wings, he attempts to free her from the hustlers and gangsters that are out to control her. The cast is… More
Passion Play is a freakishly bizarre film. It's a fantasy tale that doesn't feel like fantasy; when a washed up musician falls in love with a carny that has angel wings, he attempts to free her from the hustlers and gangsters that are out to control her. The cast is impressive, Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, and Bill Murray, but Rourke doesn't have a feel for the material and Murray is underused. Rourke and Fox have no chemistry, and the entire relationship seems forced. And that's really the problem with the entire film, nothing is in sync; the tone, the music, the acting, the settings, everything is off. Yet there's something strangely alluring about the bizarreness of Passion Play. Still, the film as a whole doesn't work.
Ilyaas H

Although Megan Fox puts her best foot (or wing) forward and Bill Murray is brilliant, Passion Play is so puzzling that the end result is too abstract for anyone to connect with and the only thing that remotely makes sense about its theme of redemption is the fact that Glazer will need… More
Although Megan Fox puts her best foot (or wing) forward and Bill Murray is brilliant, Passion Play is so puzzling that the end result is too abstract for anyone to connect with and the only thing that remotely makes sense about its theme of redemption is the fact that Glazer will need to ask for it after having directed this.
Christopher H

Mickey Rourke in true bad ass form. Bill Murray as a pinstriped gangster. Megan Fox half-naked. Passion Play has all the key players and displays them in an artistic way, stylized to the gills and truly original. Though this film is getting poor reviews, the film succeeds in… More
Mickey Rourke in true bad ass form. Bill Murray as a pinstriped gangster. Megan Fox half-naked. Passion Play has all the key players and displays them in an artistic way, stylized to the gills and truly original. Though this film is getting poor reviews, the film succeeds in developing a rich love story all while the A-list cast pulls off separate meaning performances. There are several eye rolling moments, but overall, I enjoyed this film.
Angel G

Okay, I just found out that the whole plot of the story is about Megan Fox being beutiful and magical (the angel wings). I think this is the only movie that Megan impressed me with her drama, but ITS ALL ABOUT HER IN THIS MOVIE, Mickey Rourke and Bill Murry are trying to have her,… More
Okay, I just found out that the whole plot of the story is about Megan Fox being beutiful and magical (the angel wings). I think this is the only movie that Megan impressed me with her drama, but ITS ALL ABOUT HER IN THIS MOVIE, Mickey Rourke and Bill Murry are trying to have her, WHAT IS THIS TWILIGHT!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!. Yes, Rourke does a fine job in this movie, but he just wants Megans face and body, and Bill Muray (only one who was badass) wants her face and Angel Wings, but at least he delivers a good villain performance. It had some heart and drama, but it doesnt show much of the plot, its just about Megan Fox, critics cant trust her that much of being an actress. I wish her luck, but sense "beutiful" is her middle name, why dont you use that beauty to act.
Daisy M

People might be interested in a movie starring Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox, especially one that appeared to be a strong drama. Rourke is, after all, in the urge need for building back his career while Fox is known for her good looks and not her talents as an actress.So what we have… More
People might be interested in a movie starring Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox, especially one that appeared to be a strong drama. Rourke is, after all, in the urge need for building back his career while Fox is known for her good looks and not her talents as an actress.So what we have here is two persons trying to prove that their careers still matter and accept from Mitch Glazer, a man best known for his writing, a movie called Passion Play, a story of a an out of luck trumpet player who finds himself in love with a beautiful woman who happens to have real wings.If this sounds so bad all ready, well it was even worse on the screen.I tried to keep an open mind about this because people's tastes different but I could not find anything, everything seemed very pointless.If you've read this far and still want to see it, then there's no point in me explaining the movie. Go ahead, knock yourself out, but when even Rourke said the movie was bad, and he should know, having been in some good movies over the years, you could not said you had not been warned.