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Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, The
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 11 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Asia Argento
Alessandro Magania
J.T. LeRoy (short stories)
Directed by: Asia Argento
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 10, 2006
DVD: June 6, 2006
Running Time: 98 minutes, Color
Origin: USA / UK / France / Japan
Summary
RATING: R for intense depiction of child abuse/neglect, strong sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence
Starring Asia Argento, Jimmy Bennett, Peter Fonda, Ben Foster, Marilyn Manson, Ornella Muti, Kip Pardue, and Michael Pitt
Based on JT Leroy's novel of the same name, this is the story of Jeremiah, a child who is pulled from his foster home and thrown into a troubled life on the road with his teenage mother Sarah. With Sarah, Jeremiah travels through the country roads of the U.S. and learns first hand about the troubles of the world. (Palm Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Scarlet Diva
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
Film Threat Greg Bellavia
Not a film for everyone. If you are squeamish about children being placed in danger then do not see this film.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
The Heart Is Deceitful has a daring that's hard to dismiss, even when it only amounts to Argento shamelessly getting off on human rot.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
This is an unpleasant film, but Argento, whose bloodline positively seethes with unpleasantness, is, in her own right, a master cinematic stylist of the first order.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The results are shapeless, excessively lurid and often unpleasant, with Argento shamelessly vamping the white-trash junkie mother and truck-stop hooker. She apparently forgot whose story she was telling.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Given Argento's willingness to attempt the controversial book at all, she pulls a surprising number of punches. What at first appears to go too far in reality doesn't go far enough: Argento doesn't even broach the subject of child prostitution.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
My two-star rating represents a compromise between admiration and horror.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves
There is some directorial skill here--Argento should be congratulated for a few interesting storytelling choices--but the end result feels grimy and strangely pathetic.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Asia Argento is not what I would call a good actress, but she's a prime specimen of train-wreck sexuality: a debauched Eurotrash starlet who oozes punk cred more than she does talent. It's not too hard to see why she wanted to write, direct, and star in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.
Read Full Review >Variety David Rooney
Though it's decidedly for perverse palates, some kind of cult audience seems assured for this one-note onslaught, which exercises a bizarre fascination despite its excesses.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Rob Nelson
Whatever her limitations, Argento the actor makes certain that Argento the director doesn't lack for "action"--and that the audience doesn't lack for pain.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
An almost comically lurid tale of a little boy abused by his malignant hooker mother, malignant fundamentalist grandfather, and malignant surrogate dads.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
The performances by all three children are scarily convincing. Still, it's a taxing bit of exploitation, which, although you're glad to know it's a work of fiction, doesn't exactly make a case for itself as art.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
This is an execrable movie depicting the improbable events in the life of a young boy being intermittently raised by his crackhead, highway-hookin' mom (actress-director Asia Argento, with a face that makes Courtney Love's mug shot look glamorous), her plumb-nuts evangelical parents and a cartoonishly incompetent West Virginia social system.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Watchable in a train-wreck kind of way, but you'll probably want to take a shower afterwards.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Anthony Lane
The whole enterprise heaves and strains with a sadistic overkill that even Dario might find too rich.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Ella Taylor
A degraded and degrading film, of interest only because it's symptomatic of so much that's wrong with the drearily repetitive tabloid mentality that has infected not just the news media, but the whole culture industry.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
The Heart Is Deceitful wants to cauterize us into feeling something -- anything -- but it's far too heartless to know what.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
The movie is terrible, but made with verve and sincerity, all of it pointed in the wrong direction.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Viewer discretion is advised, if only because it's well-nigh unwatchable.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Duane Byrge
Inspirationally impaired and dramatically retarded.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.6 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
cj gave it an8:
I enjoyed it greatly, idk why everyone is giving it such bad reviews...the acting for the most part is solid, especially for the children (although the sprouses show none of that on The Suite LIfe...which is still awesome....) and the plot is based on an excellent novel. The poor production and choppy editing and music choices bring it down a bit though. Not a movie for the fainthearted or easily disturbed.
Harmony K gave it a0:
A sick joke. This empty commercial is an insult to her father. Dario Argento was a man who had a vision, followed that vision and made some of the best movies of the past century. Asia Argento is a Michael Pitt tag along who wore out her welcome years ago.
Chris D. gave it a7:
While the movie is based on a hoax, it is a sick twisted ride that will leave you imagining all of the scum that resides in this world. The movie is a great but very depressing film if you can make it all of the way though. A good portion of the cast does very well and makes their characters very convincing. Especially noted are: the twins, Bennet, Manson, and Fonda. I really didn't think Asia did a bad job either. I recommend it for anyone who thinks they can manage to make it. But if you expect to feel any bit of happiness or joy throughout the course of the movie, you'll be disappointed.
Elyse S. gave it a9:
i'm really surprised at all the horrible reviews. i can see that asia argento's performance is exhibitionistic, she does steal many scenes and it's obvious that she revels in playing a southern junkie punk whore type. and it does sort of make a caricature of the sick side of america. but this doesn't sum up the movie. it isn't merely exploitative, "look we show white trash life, immoral bible belt-ers and child molestation". the enviornment doesn't detract from the empathy we have for jeremiah. his scenes- especially his fantasies and shots of him by himself- reveal his confusion, fear, anger, and emptiness brilliantly. and if you understand abuse you know just what he feels like. sarah's relationship with him is fascinating, she loves him as best as she can for being as selfish and morally shaky as she is. the music is amazing, and the ending is strangely triumphant. please see it and judge for yourselves, it seems like the subtleties were lost on the critics. this isn't a white-trash exploitation flick, if you like films that make you empathize then you will pick up a lot more from this movie.
Randy O. gave it an8:
It's a disturbing little film, that surprisingly exhibits what could be the most disturbing scene in the film in a clever, smart and "tasteful" way. The result has an even stronger affect than if the scene had been shown explicitly, like every other scene in the film. Asia's not the most winning actress, but her sure hand behind the camera attests that she has her father's genes, though not his style. No vituoso camera moves here, or artisitc use of color. Just an in-your-face griminess that packs a genuine wallop of depression at moments. I really really liked this film, as it is unlike any other I could name. Not since the bird/fish romance scene in "Xanadu" have I been so caught off guard by a sudden use of animation. But, as in that film, it works, and gives a mood and a voice to the film that's disconcerting while carrying it into an almost subconcious realm. The only thing that keeps this film from being a "10" is the spotty acting. If anyone has ever doubted that Winonna Ryder has run out of that little bit of talent she ever had, it will be confirmed here, where her cameo almost brings the film to a screeching halt. Only the camera work, representing the child's visual attention,( abrilliantly observed bit) saves the scene from Ryder's cartooninshness. And Asia's main credit as an actress is that she is soooo willing to portray such an unredeemable character. Julia Roberts or Reese Witherspoon don't have the chops or bravery to go where this main character goes. And they never will.
