Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Sara Goldfarb is a lonely widow who is revitalized by the prospect of appearing on television as a game show contestant, while her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his friend Tyrone have devised ...( read more  read more... )an illicit shortcut to wealth and ease. Lulled by early successes, Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone convince themselves that unforeseen setbacks are only temporary. They ignore their deteriorating circumstances and focus all their energies on realizing their beautiful visions of the future. Even as the promise of fulfillment disappears to nothingness, they cling to the delusions that are slowly destroying their lives, denying reality until at last they are eye to eye with their worst nightmares.

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93% liked it

281,204 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

113 critics

R, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Release Date: October 6, 2000

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DVD Release Date: May 22, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (30,907)


  • September 4, 2009
    Capitalism has lead to consumerism and consumerism has lead to addiction. We are now all drug addicts and greed is the drug and we must have it at any cost. Hard hitting social commentary from Aronofsky who goes from strength to strength.
  • August 10, 2009
    If the stunning script -- particularly the clever dialog -- doesn't drive you up the wall, then the brilliantly coached dialect may step up and drive you to drink. A nightmare not to be endured.
  • June 15, 2009
    If Pi showed that Aronofsky was full of ideas, his follow-up showed we didn?t know the half of it, with the director?s toy-box of technical tricks providing the film?s big buzz amid a gripping pessimism.

    I was tempted to title my summary "Drugs are bad, mm'kay?" because this mov...( read more)ie was so sad I was desperate to inject a little humor. Man, what a sad, scary, excellent, grim, disturbing, well-made movie. The more I read about this movie and learned about it, the more fascinating it seemed. I also am one of those people who, when they hear a movie is extremely shocking and disturbing, get a burning urge to see it as fast as I can to see if it shocks me (especially if it's unrated or 18), since I am pretty jaded. So, I eagerly anticipated seeing it.

    Unfortunately I read SO many reviews and so much about the making of the movie, that I knew a little too much about the plot going in to see it, so there weren't too many surprises. It concerns four addicts. Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly play a young loving couple, Harry and Marion, who dabble in heroin and plan to make a big sale along with their friend Tyrone (Shawn Wayans) so they can be set for life and Marion can open up her own (legal) business. Unfortunately, their recreational drug use turns into day-to-day addiction, and things start to get ugly. REAL ugly. (Watching someone shoot up directly into a gangrene-infected, pus-filled crater in his arm kind of gave me a whole new definition of the word ugly.) Ellen Burstyn plays Harry's mother Sarah, a lonely widow who wants to lose weight to fit into a red dress so she can appear on her favorite TV show. She starts out by being addicted to TV and candy, but has the bad luck to go to a doctor who-in what I thought was the only unrealistic part of the film- gives her an RX for 'diet pills', that turn out to actually be speed. I say unrealistic because, as anyone who has ever worked in the medical profession knows, very few doctors will NOT just write someone who goes to them for the first time to see them for weight loss a huge prescription for extremely powerful and addictive controlled substances without so much as an examination. In this day and age, if you went to 100 doctors and asked for Dexedrine or a similar narcotic diet pill, I doubt even one would prescribe it. If the movie took place any time before the early 80's, this would have been a little easier to swallow.

    Anyway, I found her story thread the most memorable and heartbreaking. Sarah takes pills and starts losing weight, as well as suddenly becoming very energetic and chatty. Like any addictive drug, her happy blue pills stop working after prolonged use so she ups her dose more...and more...and things slowly start getting very weird and scary. In one of the best scenes midway through the film (one of the few that had a tiny bit of comic relief) Harry visits her --the only visit he makes during the movie where he doesn't openly steal her TV to pawn for dope money. He is briefly riding high (in more ways than one) and tells her he bought her a big screen TV-he wanted to do something nice for her and figured out that "TV is her fix". He looks like he's getting a bad feeling when she's babbling happily about how she has a reason to get up in the morning, and then he hears her grinding her teeth, and figures it out. This is the first time in the movie you see real fear in his eyes. Sarah soon starts having very scary strung-out hallucinations-starting out with subtle things like time woozily slowing down and speeding back up, and when her refrigerator suddenly starts moving on its own, the real nightmare begins. An agressive fridge with a mind of its own sounds Monty Python-esque when you first hear about it, but trust me, you won't be laughing by the end of the movie.

    One review I read said that the movie not only pulls the rug out from under you, it drags you and the rug down a long flight of stairs into a very dark basement. Another reviewer compared the experience of watching the film to a drug, and that's not too far off the mark either. Whenever a character gets high, there's a slam-bang fast cut montage of the same images over and over; a sigh, a pupil dilating, cells changing color. The scenes where Sarah hallucinates are pretty close to the real thing. The description I probably agree with most came from Darren Aronofsky himself-he compared the film to a jump from a plane without a parachute, and the movie ends three minutes after you hit the ground. The last few minutes that show the gruesome, depressing, worst-case-scenario fates of all 4 characters are just as intense, hard to watch, and nightmarish as I heard they were. I don't think I will ever forget Harry's mother's transformation from a harmless, plump, friendly older woman to someone so frightening looking that people cringe away in fear and revulsion at the sight of her.

    My only complaints would be that I wish it were longer, with more time for character development. The film is divided up into 3 segments, Summer (things going fine, having fun getting high) Fall (the beginning of the downhill slide)and Winter (end of the line). I would have liked more scenes of what these people and their lives were like before they were addicts, as well as their relationships with each other. The cast is great- Wayans shows that he has the most range and talent of the Wayans bros- I laughed so hard at him in Don't Be A Menace that I ended up buying it, but here...wow. I would have liked to see more of his character. I never liked Leto much before, but he is excellent and also almost unrecognizable (he said he dropped 1/5 of his weight for the role and boy does it show). Connelly I disliked so much before that I would actively avoid seeing movies she was in, but I was very impressed and convinced that she can act. Burstyn gives the performance of a lifetime- not only convincing, but she was dedicated enough to let the filmmakers make her look like absolute and total hell, which many actresses over 50 would probably not be brave enough to do.

    I still am amazed that "Scary Movie" got away with an 18 (WAY more graphic sex than this film-I had to pick my jaw up off the floor at what got by the censors in that one) yet this movie went unrated, reportedly for the flashes of the sex act at the end that, while nasty, was not shown in detail. Well, this wasn't a big budget studio film, so maybe I'm not that amazed, but it bugs me.

    Not recommended if you're easily shocked, squeamish, or upset. If you only like movies that take you to a happy place, stay away. Everyone who left the movie theater looked like they had just been hit over the head with a very large board. And we were all people who knew what we were getting into. Recommended for those who want to see a movie that will completely overtake you and involve you emotionally. In addition, this film should be required viewing for everyone in the fashion industry that supported and glorified that whole 'heroin chic' crap. Also a good movie if you are having some problems in your life and want to put them in perspective VERY fast. I give it 9 out of 10 stars. And even though I keep my weight down the old-fashioned way, I'll probably never look at my fridge quite the same way again...
  • April 29, 2009
    "You are beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl in the world. You are my dream."

    The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control.

    REVIEW
    ...( read more)>
    This movie is about self-delusion, as seen in the context of drug abuse. We track the experiences of four people who all have problems at the start of the film. Sara Goldfarb, portrayed in a startling performance by Ellen Burstyn, is still getting over her husband's death and longs for some meaning in her life - "something that's worth waking up in the morning for" and finds it in the news that she is to appear on television, something she is almost as addicted to as sugar. Her son Harry, played convincingly by Jared Leto, longs constantly for a new, better fix and not surprisingly, finds it in drugs.

    His girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), tries to escape from the control of her parents, who give her enough money, which for her, is not enough and so she also gets involved with the drug scene, descending to lower levels each time. Marlon Wayans plays the role of their friend, Tyrone, for whom all that seems to matter is doing something with his life that will please his mother. The fickle world of drug pushers promises wealth and status and soon starts involving him and his two friends.

    The film moves through three seasons. Summer sees everyone living the good life, but in the Fall, things get out of control. In Winter, everything collapses and each character has to accept the consequences of their earlier actions. The direction of Darren Aronofsky and cinematography of Matthew Libatique brings Hubert Selby Jr.'s bleak world to life. Close-up shots of the drug taking experience add to the extreme graphic nature of the film and the Fall includes some of the most amazing direction, editing and cinematograpy you will ever see.

    It is impossible to watch this movie and not be affected by it. A powerful, horrifying look at the downside of drug abuse.
  • March 19, 2009
    One of the toughest films I've had to sit through, but Darren y's Aronofsky's gradual destruction of hope must be experienced.
  • November 16, 2009
    i saw this movie trailer in youtube..i think it's great...

    Finally, I saw this movie. Perfect movie with great story....
  • November 15, 2009
    I love to hate this movie... if that makes any sense? It makes you feel so dirty and twisted just for watching it, and if I can get that disgusted with myself just for watchin it?... than it must be good. loved it
  • November 14, 2009
    Mi ha causato delle simpatiche paranoie.
    Aronofsky i love you.
  • November 12, 2009
    Gave this film a re-watch for a review of the Blu-ray.

    Still amazingly effective and monumentally depressing all the way around, Aronofsky has captured the downbeat feeling of the novel really well, filling it with his own stylistic flourishes.

    Well worth a look if you're feeli...( read more)ng too good about life in general or humanity.

    Highly recommended.
  • November 7, 2009
    Very good and disturbing, keeps a trace of humour in that dramatic fall story

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Aronofsky brings a new urgency to the drug movie by trying to reproduce, through his subjective camera, how his characters feel, or want to feel, or fear to feel. full review

View more Requiem for a Dream reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • tghtkid26
    April 14, 2009
    this movie is so real and it depicts real people and real problems in our society. i really strongly feel a connection with this movie becuz it has alot of stuff that i have seen people deal with within my lifetime. it also shows that anyone can get addicted to harmful drugs. and that its not always on purpose. people should show more caution to who they trust and it might not always be the right person that is your friend. but a person needs to think how that person really affects u and if life might just be better without them.
  • ember22
    March 29, 2009
    Psh... will every1 stop the, "I'm never going to do drugs now, not that I ever would before" bullshit. When will people learn that "drugs" all do different things, have different risks and not all are addictive. Yes this film should put you off doing certain types of drugs such as smack, and yes you can become dependant on some weight loss pills, which are genrally illegal. Do you homework on drugs as individual substances and dont take the view that all illegal substances are life threatening, addictive and therefore highly dangerious.

    Ok... rant over.
  • MorpheusOne
    February 8, 2009
    A funny, gross, sad, & hysterical movie, all at once! At times I found it difficult to watch bc I had come to identify with, & be repulsed by, the characters, their dilemmas & their choices. LOL, eww, ...shit,... lmao, throughout the entire movie!

    Kids in highschool should be forced to watch this movie!!
  • Number1MovieFan
    November 1, 2008
    Fantastic movie but sad ending.5 Stars and Fav.
  • VanessaOliveira
    July 15, 2008
    ohhhh...
    i didnt saw yet this movie with Jared =( ...
    hope see soon..
    im very courious
  • giligor
    August 1, 2007
    this movie is just...OK, i'm speechless... after watching this movie i could'nt speak for a few minutes.. it just shocked me.. and the cast..wow.. they were amazing!..
  • TheSlowJoker
    June 30, 2007
    im deffinatley not gonna do drugs ever but was anyone else rather shocked at the scene were marion was doing sexual activities as a gambling thing just to get money for a fix
  • spastictoad
    June 27, 2007
    a damn good movie, great editing, one of my favorites but didnt influence me in the slightest on the whole drug use prevention front. thats a choice you have to make and if your gonna watch this film just to convince yourself not to try drugs then dont watch it. thats not the point of this movie. this movie is a peephole into the lives of people who are victims of circumstance, lacking the will power to overcome said circumstance and consequently attaining their just rewards. watch it because its edgy and because it is a masterpiece of modern cinema not because you think its an anti-drug propoganda campaign.
  • ailiesavestheday
    June 23, 2007
    If u ever think about starting drug use.....watch this....see if u feel the sm after the film. i doubt it.
  • enwooten278
    June 12, 2007
    This has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. It is so real and something everyone should see before they die. Everything about Requiem for a Dream is amazing from the acting to the soundtrack to the direction, I love it. It is one of those movies that you see once and can't stop thinking about.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Requiem for a Dream Trivia


  • In what movie did Jared Leto play a drug addict/dealer?  Answer »
  • In what movie are the character(s) working to get a "pound of pure"?  Answer »
  • what does harold take form his mother, for drugs?¿ in the movie Requiem For a Dream  Answer »
  • In which movie does Ellen Burstyn play a woman obsessed about fitting into a red dress?  Answer »

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