X
- 2013
- R
- RADiUS-TWC
- 1 h 22 m
- 2013
- R
- RADiUS-TWC
- 1 h 22 m
Summary For years, Ushio Shinohara has been one of the leading, and most underappreciated, alternative artists in Japan and New York City with an wildly esoteric style. For many of those years, his wife, Noriko, has been a faithful companion to this idiosyncratic man, but grew want to be more. This film covers the relationship of these special c...
Directed By: Zach Heinzerling
Written By: Zach Heinzerling
- 2013
- R
- RADiUS-TWC
- 1 h 22 m
- 2013
- R
- RADiUS-TWC
- 1 h 22 m
Cutie and the Boxer
7.1
Where to Watch
Summary For years, Ushio Shinohara has been one of the leading, and most underappreciated, alternative artists in Japan and New York City with an wildly esoteric style. For many of those years, his wife, Noriko, has been a faithful companion to this idiosyncratic man, but grew want to be more. This film covers the relationship of these special c...
Directed By: Zach Heinzerling
Written By: Zach Heinzerling
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
83
88% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
12% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
83
88% Positive
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
12% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
For all of the eccentricities that come in any telling of an artist's life, Cutie and the Boxer's real magic is in so beautifully telling a familiar story of husbands and wives.
Heinzerling's beautifully shot, painfully intimate look at the aging couple's struggle to survive amid personal and financial strain is both heartbreaking and intricately profound. This is a story about creative desire so strong it hurts.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
7.1
72% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
17% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
7.1
72% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
17% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
It was the perfect title name. Cutie (Noriko) is an illustrator and her husband Bullie (Ushio) is 20 years older than her who is a craft maker live in New York city. Usually documentaries about successful people would consider as inspiration. But this movie features two Japanese born couples who are masterful in art and crafts and their unsuccessful career. A good opportunity for us, a lesson to learn from their mistakes in life. Simultaneously, their relationship inspires about how to share happiness as well to face the worst situations.
This movie won't only tell about the art and crafts, but also the romantic life. Especially it clearly denotes the difference between east and west regarding relationships. Married life is full of ups and downs, taking part in all the situation together is a true commitment. In this movie, it explains very nicely those subplots alongside main theme. When Bullie was in a trouble Cutie gave a solid support, that is what every man asks for. They too had small-small fights sometime big. In the west, that is enough one to get divorced.
This story is set when Bullie celebrates his 80th birthday. It was amazing to know their 40 year relationship stood unbreakable. But what I bothered was their son Alex who was totally discarded in between these two's life's struggles. Too bad that he became alcoholic like his father that led him failure in life. This movie won't tell much about Alex, he appears only for a few minutes. At those times it is clearly understandable about failed parenting.
Success won't only come from the true dedication, sometimes it depends on others too. It requires identifying their talent and give an opportunity to work and right value for their products. This couple's talent was not recognized due to the people of society who are unfamiliar with this kinda art. I believe if they would have lived those 40 years in Japan it would have been different lifestyle they could experienced. Only the time and place they had was wrong.
8.5/10
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This is a great little independent film about struggling artists in a loft in New York, but also about a long lived relationship between Japanese-Americans that survives due to RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCES, not taking each other for granted, and value for humanity being three main themes for lasting love. Another film that got snubbed at the oscars, it should and WILL grow on the public over time, because it certainly is a lesser known but exquisite, multicultural gem that is a salient contrast to the American consumer-driven rat race !
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Because Cutie and Boxer resists easy sentimentality, its view of life and love is all the more powerful.
The simple approach teases fascinating parallels between art and marriage: essential to both, it seems, are a thick skin and an optimism verging on madness.
In this alternately whimsical and grim documentary, Zachary Heinzerling relates the couple’s down-and-out, inspiring saga, which slyly comments on the evolution and ironies of the past half century in contemporary art.
Heinzerling allows us to read whatever we want into this picture. The endless struggle for money and professional recognition is either a curse or a raison d’être.
Their 40-year marriage seems like more of a trial than this overweening, lightly likable movie acknowledges.
Odd movie but one that I couldn't stop watching. A real portrait of what "starving artists" go through. If you are interested in abstract art, or artists in general, you will appreciate this movie. In the end though, the movie seemed to be more about Noriko and her relationship with Boxer (named for his paintings in which he wears boxing gloves with paint soaked foam to hit the canvas) and what she has gone through to support and stand by him.
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A really interesting film -- reflecting on it, I'm impressed that it managed to raise so many issues about the intersection of art, marriage, sacrifice, parenthood and alcoholism. I enjoyed the various storytelling techniques that drew me into the lives of Noriko and Ushio -- whom I had never heard of before.
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I understand how vinyl lovers who write in Starbucks would be amazed by this but I didnt.
I liked the people fine but the modern art vibe through the whole thing and lack of more substance about the people left me wanting. The breaking free out of a shadow and living for ones art holds the interest enough to not be bored with trying to understand how they can survive on doing this in the first place.
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Production Company
Little Magic Films,
Cine Mosaic,
Ex Lion Tamer
Release Date Aug 16, 2013
Duration 1 h 22 m
Rating R
Genres
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
