Paranoid Park
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Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 66 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Daniel Liu, Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen
  • Summary: An unsolved murder at Portland's infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey in which he must not only deal with the pain and disconnect of adolescence but also the consequences of his own actions. As director of "My Own Private Idaho", "Good Will Hunting", "To Die For", and "Elephant", Gus Van Sant has created some of the most memorable works about youth ever committed to film. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded the 60th Anniversary Prize for Paranoid Park, which is largely considered one of his finest films. (IFC First Take)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    100
    Appropriately structured like a ride on skateboard: It swoops back and forth in time, hovers in midair, twists back on itself over and over again, then rolls into silence.
  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    100
    The pleasing circularity of Gus Van Sant's masterful Paranoid Park is not only a function of the film's narrative structure but reflects the arc of its maker's career. Few directors have revisited their earliest concerns with such vigor.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    80
    In Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant enters the world of high school kids just as he did in "Elephant," achieving this time a much sharper, more focused portrait of how these rapidly maturing young people act, think, speak and behave.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Rick Kisonak
    60
    The chief triumph here, it seems to me though, is one of style over substance. The disaffected kids who shuffle through its universe have nothing to say, nothing to tell us. I’m not sure the movie has a whole lot more.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 13 out of 33
  1. Z.Wyatt
    10
    This was just spectacular film-making. Intimate, claustrophobic. Pure tone throughout.
  2. JamieJ.
    8
    Artful and inspiring. DEFINITELY not for the impatient. This movie is captivating in it's own way and has a pleasant simplicity to it.
  3. ryancarroll88
    7
    Often when directors become big and famous, they'll lament about having to sacrifice personal projects for the 'big blockbuster,' as if that was some excuse for selling out (*cough*GeorgeLucas*cough*). That's why I have a lot of respect for Gus van Sant, a guy who struck a chord with audiences and critics alike in the late 90s, but flew completely under the radar afterward, writing and directing films that he felt were significant to him. "Paranoid Park" is a perfect example of that - a sort of skater-crime-drama about a kid who is accidentally responsible for the death of a cop. Fortunately the movie doesn't hinge on plot twists, but focuses on the kid, Alex, and how his life is affected before and after. The film is spliced with what looks to be home videos of skateboard footage and is topped off with new and young actors, giving the whole movie an amateur vibe. This turns out to be an advantage - there's nothing that complements the confusion that comes with being a teenager as well as a sense of authenticity. Overall, the movie doesn't pack as much of a punch as "Elephant," or isn't as absorbing as "Gerry," but is likely to stay with you and keep you wondering, "what if that was me?"… Expand
  4. JoshB.
    4
    I get why all the critics went ga-ga for this movie-- it's very atmospheric and arty. But it's hard to care about any of the characters, so at the end I was left with a big "So what?"… Expand

See all 33 User Reviews

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