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JCVD
EMAILPRINTPeace Arch Entertainment Group

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 37 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Crime | Drama
Written by:
Frederic Benudis
Christophe Turpin
Directed by: Mabrouk El Mechri
Release Date:
Theatrical: November 7, 2008
DVD: April 28, 2009
Running Time: 96 minutes, Color
Origin: Belgium | Luxembourg | France
Language(s): French | English
Summary
RATING: R for language and some violence
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-François Wolff, and Anne Paulicevich
JCVD is an action-packed, comedic satire of the life of movie hero Jean-Claude Van Damme. Playing himself, Jean-Claude finds himself out of money, fighting for custody of his daughter and losing every good action role to Steven Seagal. In an attempt to escape, the aging star walks away from his shrinking spotlight and returns home to his native Brussels. But when he is thrown into a real-life hostage situation, everyone sees a side of Van Damme they've never seen before as he takes on the police, battles the perpetrators and creates a media firestorm that captures the attention of the world. (Peach Arch Entertainment)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database 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...
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
A reality-twisting cousin to "Being John Malkovich" -- showcases a Van Damme who's sly like a fox about his own image.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
One of the best movies playing in Portland is, I kid you not, a loopy dramatic thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Post-JCVD, we'll never again be able to think of Van Damme as just another kickboxer turned actor. Van Damme is an actor, pure and simple, and proves that he is just as deft and accomplished as the movies in which he appears.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
You'll respect him more as an actor if you see this film – and you should, even if you haven't enjoyed the action movies he's made over two decades.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
JCVD is a whimsical twist on the biopic, sending up heist movies and breaking cinematic rules to interesting effect. At a critical moment, Van Damme rises out of a tense hostage situation to look into the camera and speak movingly to the audience. He has never seemed more convincing.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Van Damme says worse things about himself than critics would dream of saying, and the effect is shockingly truthful.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
The film sags in the middle section, and it's more a novelty item than a fully formed work . But it's very entertaining. And Van Damme proves himself a brave, possibly foolhardy actor, which is more than Steven Seagal ever did.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Unlike "Being John Malkovich," which JCVD sometimes resembles, there is no secret portal to the star's head; instead, the audience gets a fleeting glimpse through the smeared window of his soul.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
A shrewd satire about stardom and the cult of celebrity.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
JCVD may not be the first meta-musclehead movie, but it's certainly the most surprising.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
JCVD juggles humor with whomping martial-arts moves and a kind of melancholy star turn from the melancholy, muscular star.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
An inspired melding of action thriller, satire and biographical drama through the looking glass of a funhouse mirror.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
This functions perfectly well as a Van Damme vehicle, but it's also a funny and poignant look at a man trapped by his own ridiculous reputation.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
Van Damme has been known as a martial-arts legend, movie star and pain in the ass. But never an actor -- until now.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Bernard Besserglik
JCVD should entertain both movie and action buffs. Van Damme proves once and for all that he's not just a set of glistening pectorals. However, he's still in no danger of being asked to play Hamlet.
Read Full Review >Variety Rob Nelson
A French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the headiest stretch of the beefy star's career since, well, ever.
Read Full Review >Washington Post John Anderson
Inventive, insightful and utterly surprising movie. It takes you places you're not prepared to go: namely, into the soul of a performer best known for flying back kicks. Who, by the way, can act.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
A canny piece of autobiography that looks at the man behind the legend and the legend behind the man.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Sam Adams
The giddy near-brilliance of its central conceit is squandered by flat execution.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
What exactly is JCVD? Comedy? Confession? Confusion? No one will ever mistake these backstage shenanigans for "Irma Vep." But as a self-regarding expression of masculine angst, it's a Damme sight more fun than "Synecdoche."
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Who knew? Turns out, Jean-Claude Van Damme is a funny guy, and a pretty good actor, too. Fans may already be aware of this, but JCVD is likely to introduce a whole new Van Damme to everybody else.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
Some of this is affecting, some of it tedious, and the film's inconsistencies of tone are made more glaring by its peculiar look.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
At one point, Van Damme delivers a long, tortured soliloquy about his alienating stardom to the camera in a single take. It's the most amazing piece of acting I've ever seen by a martial artist. But the film itself doesn't rise above the level of a good try.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Van Damme's remarkable performance -- I say this in all seriousness -- comes pretty close to redeeming the picture's murky and overly complicated artistic intentions.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
Combines a sketch-comedy premise with pacing like a philosophy seminar.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Frisse P. gave it a9:
A surprise and a very good one. Stallone did Copland Roarke did The Wrestler and Van Damme dis JCVD.
Dave R gave it a9:
Surprisingly honest, JCVD proves he can act too! - very enjoyable.
Colin C gave it a2:
Probably is his best movie and hence I gave a full 2.. DULL DULL DULL! Cannot believe folks think it is a 9 or 10.. Maybe I watched a different movie ?
Steve C gave it an8:
This movie is deeply flawed, mostly by way of poor editing. But overall, I enjoyed it. It's different, unpredictable, and takes risks.
Chris B gave it a9:
Probably his best movie ever, hopefully the start of a new phase in his career.
K P gave it an8:
Hands down the best movie Van Damme will ever be a part of. The sincerity and honesty behind it was very refreshing.
jethro a gave it a9:
Funny as hell! Classic!
