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Delirious
EMAILPRINTPeace Arch Releasing

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Drama
Written by: Tom DiCillo
Directed by: Tom DiCillo
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 15, 2007
DVD: May 6, 2008
Running Time: 107 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Alison Lohman, and David Wain
Small time celebrity photographer Les Galantine has a big mouth and big dreams, but he can’t quite talk himself into the right parties to get that one great exclusive photo. He meets Toby, a homeless kid who is drawn to the bright lights of New York City and “hires” him as his assistant. Les pays Toby nothing but room and board but the two are drawn to each other and become friends. Although Toby enjoys the glamor and excitement of Les’ lifestyle he has dreams of his own; to become an actor. Luck intervenes for Toby when he accidentally meets K’Harma Leeds, a beautiful pop diva. As their unlikely love blossoms Toby finds himself torn between a chance to follow his dream and to fulfill his obligation to Les. This conflict deepens when Toby leaves Les and lands a part on a Reality Show, partly by sleeping with the show’s casting director Dana. As Toby’s fortunes continue to rise, Les tries to reach out, while also maintaining a bitter resentment toward his former protégé… (Peace Arch Releasing)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Johnny Suede The Real Blonde
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site View The Trailer
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This is the best DiCillo movie I've seen, and he's made some good ones ("Box of Moonlight," "The Real Blonde").
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Sura Wood
Smart, funny and ultimately over-the-top spoof is more often than not, spot on.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker David Denby
The movie is exhilarating in a way that only hard-won knowledge of the world can be.
Read Full Review >Variety Jonathan Holland
An all-or-nothing perf from old DiCillo hand Steve Buscemi and a script that leaves no ironical stone unturned make this laugh-out-loud fare.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
Tom DiCillo’s angry comedy Delirious subjects modern celebrity culture to a microscopic examination that shows the toxic virus of fame squirming and multiplying under its lens.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Among DiCillo's best, and returns to the central theme of his career: the elusive and destructive nature of fame.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
In the end, I don't know that Delirious has all that much to say about the fame game, but you'll laugh nonetheless.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Despite some plot holes, Delirious, hits the bull's-eye with razor-sharp performances and dialogue.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
DiCillo's short, sharp snapshot about celebrity and life on the fringe has nothing new to say, but it says it with considerable charm and affection.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Buscemi makes this pathetic and potentially lethal shutterbug a figure of surprising humor and compassion.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand
Wonderfully giddy meditation on the nature of fame.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
A story peopled by flawed archetypes, it's an achingly funny film that is also a little sad around the edges.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Jeremy Mathews
The story's surprises range from clever to annoying, but DiCillo manages to hold it all together with his consistently amusing cast members, who make you laugh at their characters' self-absorbed folly.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Agently attitudinous, generally zippy urban fairy tale about pop stars and the hangers-on who coddle (or prey upon) them, Tom DiCillo's Delirious is a mild "Midnight Cowboy," a minor "King of Comedy," and mainly a vehicle for Steve Buscemi as a lower Manhattan–based paparazzo.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
The jokes are sparse and predictable, and the storytelling is, too. But Buscemi and Gershon have great fun with their roles, and Pitt is strangely agreeable about the whole thing. Bully for him.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Everyone here is obsessed with finding "the real thing" - the next hot actor, the next revealing paparazzi shot, the lover or the friend who'll make it all worthwhile. Everyone settles for the illusion of reality instead. It's prettier, and it doesn't hurt so much.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
It would be nice to see a sharp, funny, penetrating satire of the new, kicked-up culture of empty media fame, but Tom DiCillo's scattershot buddy movie Delirious isn't it.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Though it scores a reasonable share of laughs, Delirious might have been better off if it weren't a comedy at all.
Read Full Review >Premiere Glenn Kenny
The movie becomes less fizzy once DeCillo decides to make A Statement (a rather incoherent one at that).
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Purports to give us the lowdown on Manhattan celebrity life, yet it depends so consistently on plot contrivances and other movies (The King of Comedy, Midnight Cowboy, even All About Eve) that it often comes across as wannabe muckraking.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
Too many different stories are vying for attention here, and none of them are very good.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chad S. gave it a9:
Who makes you delirious? Fiona Apple makes me delirious. Boys have crushes on pop stars too, just like Lucie(Islid LeBesco) in Emmanuelle Bercot's "Backstage", a French film from 2006 about a fan's obsession with female pop star Lauren Waks(Emmanuelle Seigner), a diva, just like K'Harma Leeds(Alison Lohman), whom Toby Grace(Michael Pitt) is besotted with. Rather than be a gopher, this former-photographer's assistant becomes K'harma's boyfriend, and the star of a reality-TV show that makes being homeless the next chic thing. "Delirious" is a very smart and funny film about how the paparazzi needs the stars, and the stars need the paparazzi. What's surprising about "Delirious" is that the film sides with Les Galantine(Steve Buscemi) rather than the stars, who are portrayed here as vapid, egocentric(with the exception of K'Harma, who is both, vapid and egocentric, but disarmingly sweet) twits. Even Elvis Costello(playing himself) is a twit. He wants to write a musical based on the life of Britney Spears for K'Harma(this is a thinly-veiled reference to Costello's work with Wendy James(ex-Transvision Vamp), whom he wrote an entire album for(1993's "Now Ain't the Time For Your Tears"). When Les meets the man who wrote "Allison" at a party, he goes into the bathroom to wash his hands. Les comes clean. The bathroom becomes the honesty room. Mirror time. The mirror doesn't lie. He's not a "licensed professional", after all; he's a paparazzi, just like all the rest. Without any pretenses, when Les points his camera at a subject, he uses it as a weapon. He will use it again.
Jay H. gave it a6:
6.5/10. Very good story, the characters have depth and the performances are silid and well done, especially Steve Buscemi. fine writing and direction, very entertaining.
Christine F. gave it a9:
I really enjoyed “Delirious”. While I read one person categorize the film as a “comedy”, I think it was more of a drama with little bits of comedy thrown in to the mix. It stars Steve Buscemi, Alison Lohman, Michael Pitt and Gina Gershon. While Steve Buscemi does a lot of work with writer/director Tom DiCillio, I was most surprised to see Gina Gershon in the film. She is very pretty, played her role very well and has gained a lot of notoriety as of late for her appearances on shows like “Rescue Me” and “Psyche”. The film explores Les’ (Steve Buscemi) life and career as a paparazzi member. I thought this was interesting on its own because of the premise. Too often in films, members of the paparazzi are simply there, like wallpaper, around celebrities. I liked that this film was looking at a normal guy in the paparazzi. Throughout the film, Les becomes friends with Toby (Michael Pitt) who works as Les’ assistant in exchange for a place to stay (or a closet to stay in). Toby is homeless and looking to make it as an actor. He gets his chance when he meets and falls in love with K’harma (this gets him on tv initially) and meets with Gina Gershon’s casting director character. I thought there were a lot of love complications going on and that this was powerful on its own, but not nearly as compelling as what drove Les, how he viewed himself, etc. Overall, the movie was well done. The acting was fairly strong and I thought the film was thought provoking.
DWilly gave it an8:
Very cool. Fllawed around the edges, but the huge talent of this Michael Pitt kid and Alison Lohman crush some big-time moments. Steve Buscemi will be overrated because his casting is so good, and he does occaisionally succeed in rising above his usual, bit player schtick, but, like Gina Gershon, he's not in the same league as these two youngsters. Unusual and authentic filmmaking.
