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Fay Grim
User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8

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  1. ChadS.
    May 26, 2007
    5
    "Fay Grim" is exhausting to follow, but so was "Syriana", which might be the filmmaker's point. Most films about espionage are to some degree ridiculous in its labyrinthian construction. "Fay Grim" is all about style, all about the psuedo-seriousness in the actors' line deliveries. But even if you relax and conceed that the film's nonsensical plot is a straight-faced spoof on the spy genre(so you don't bother trying to understand the plot), "Fay Grim" is still off-puttingly repetitive. Worst of all, when the story shifts to Pakistan, there doesn't seem to be a hint of the underlying absurdness that's prevalent in the film's other locations. Because "Fay Grim" gets serious, you wonder if closer attention should've been paid to the story elements that lead up to the scene between Henry Fool(Thomas Jay Ryan) and the Osama bin Laden-wanna-be. Even the action scenes are more convincing. The filmmaker had previously used a series of frozen stills to stage his first action set-piece, but by the end of "Fay Grim", it's hard to distinguish the difference between arch satire and the real thing when we see an explosion(which is supposed to be anathemia to independent film), and a character getting shot. Only Parker Posey as the titular character makes this pretentious film worth watching.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. RitterS.
    Sep 2, 2009
    8
    Briefly, I also really like this film- or should I say I am one of the few it seems that did . The imbalance of the whole project (drama and/or farce,) appealed to me. But I recommended it to 3 people and they unanimously hated it. Hated. The acting is extraordinarily uneven but PP and GB are stellar, with good support from JU, LA and SB. I've added it to my watch once a year list.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. BrookE.
    May 23, 2007
    1
    I'm a HH fan but this film was dreadful, from its convoluted plot to its incessant Dutch camera angles. I prayed for it to end, since I saw it with friends at Sundance and I couldn't walk out easily.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. GL
    Sep 14, 2007
    8
    This film got a bad wrap. Not as good as Henry Fool or the PowerBook, but nonetheless clever, witty, and visually fresh.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. IanI.
    Dec 6, 2009
    5
    LOL @ the camera angles. There was literally not a single level frame in the entire film...I can get artsy camera angle choices...but when the same 45% angle is repeated with every frame it stops being a creative choice and starts being annoying.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Jeremy Mathews
    50
    Fans of "Henry Fool" in particular, however, may dislike the complete disregard for the characters of the original film. But the most fervent of Hartley followers can praise the film as a brilliant deconstruction of the tacked-on cinematic sequel.
    Read full review
  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    60
    It's a rich idea -- a Hartley-esque variation on the theme of American Innocents Abroad. And it works superbly until -- well, Grim's the word.
    Read full review
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    50
    Hartley's kooky cosmopolitan caper can never be accused of slumming, but the shift from dry, offbeat wit to politically charged drama is a little jarring, to say the least; it's a bit like taking in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" and having it morph mid-way through into "Shadows and Fog."
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