Southland Tales

Southland Tales (2006)

  • 35% of critics liked it
    (93 reviews)

  • 42% of users liked it
    (25,696 ratings)

California is at the epicenter of a political and environmental disaster that threatens to destroy the world in this ambitious fusion of comedy, drama, dystopian science fiction, and music from writer and director Richard Kelly, his first film after gaining a cult following with Donnie Darko. In the… More

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R, 2 hr. 24 min.
Directed By
Richard Kelly
Written By
Richard Kelly
Genres
Musical & Performing Arts, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
In Theaters
Sep 22, 2007 Wide
On DVD
Mar 18, 2008
Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

  • Joe Baltake, Passionate Moviegoer

    Richard Kelly's 'Southland Tales' Looms as rude, Confrontational Political Black Comedy about a Very Messed-Up, Dystrophian America - a Film with the Vigor and Incorrigible Quality of a Work-In-Progress.

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

    One of the most confusing, ridiculous, pretentious and disastrous cinematic train wrecks I've ever seen.

  • Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News

    By the time the movie rolls into its third hour, it's exhausted most of its comic energy, leaving you disoriented and unable to remember much of what you just saw.

  • Tom Long, Detroit News

    Immature, crude, poorly made and a waste of time.

  • Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

    No amount of reworking could salvage what was a misbegotten and unfunny idea to begin with.

Read all 24 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    This movie tried to say so much and i think in the end it brought the whole movie to a crashing halt. Good idea by a young director with a good future.

  • Dean !


    A strange film set in the future with a confusing plot with deals with alternative energy, politics, world war 3 and the 4th dimension!! A bit long it has some good moments but a few lows as well. Overall just a bit odd.

  • Chris W


    Ya gotta give credit to Richard Kelly. The man definitely has some interesting, unique, and different ideas, and he's definitely got an unmatched sense of creativity and wicked sense of style. His ambition is something to be praised. He makes some interesting movies, but… More

  • Ken S


    Total Nonsense

  • Steven C


    Sure, the film "Southland Tales" is flawed and can be incoherent without having read the prequel graphic novels, but with the film (and the graphic novels) Richard Kelly shows what our world, will, could and does look like. this is destined to be one of the top 5… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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