X
  • 1984
  • R
  • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 1984
  • R
  • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • 1 h 29 m
Stranger Than Paradise

Summary A self-styled New York hipster is paid a surprise visit by his younger cousin from Budapest. From initial hostility and indifference a small degree of affection grows between the two. Along with a friend, they eventually end up visiting their aunt in the wastelands of Cleveland and then proceed to Florida where they lose all their money ...

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Written By: John Lurie, Jim Jarmusch

  • 1984
  • R
  • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 1984
  • R
  • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • 1 h 29 m

Stranger Than Paradise

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 13 Critic Reviews
86
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary A self-styled New York hipster is paid a surprise visit by his younger cousin from Budapest. From initial hostility and indifference a small degree of affection grows between the two. Along with a friend, they eventually end up visiting their aunt in the wastelands of Cleveland and then proceed to Florida where they lose all their money ...

Directed By: Jim Jarmusch

Written By: John Lurie, Jim Jarmusch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 13 Critic Reviews
86
100% Positive
13 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 13 Critic Reviews
86
100% Positive
13 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jim Jarmusch’s minimalist meditation on a trio of misfits who wander across the U.S. Shot in crisp black and white, the film is a series of 67 single takes punctuated by moments of black screen.
FULL REVIEW
100
Jim Jarmusch’s breakthrough film Stranger Than Paradise — famously described by its director as a neo-realistic black comedy in the style of an imaginary Eastern European director obsessed with Ozu and The Honeymooners — captures something essential about the American character: the contradictory desire to be anonymous and to be identified, to blend into the crowd and yet still stand out.
FULL REVIEW
88
From beginning to end, Jarmusch carries it off. His vision is stranger than paradise, and his talent is odder than hell. [16 Nov 1984]
By Jay Scott FULL REVIEW
80
Jarmusch's punk minimalist style, deadpan humor and delicious timing are all his own, and his oddball drifters, whose major goal in life is hanging out, are three slob existential stooges Sam Beckett might envy. You wouldn't choose to hunker down with them in real life, but they're great company on screen. These dead-end kids may be headed nowhere not so fast, but their oddball odyssey is headed straight for cult-movie heaven. [08 Oct 1984, p.87]
By David Ansen FULL REVIEW
80
A bleak but mordantly funny portrait of three aimless characters who discover that paradise isn't such an easy place to find.
FULL REVIEW
80
Jim Jarmusch tried to create the essential road movie and although he didn't manage that, he has still created a classic that captures perfectly the life of a drifter in New York.
FULL REVIEW
70
Jarmusch keeps the picture formal and cool, and it has an odd, nonchalant charm; it's fun. But it's softhearted fun--shaggy-dog minimalism--and it doesn't have enough ideas (or laughs) for its 90-minute length.
By Pauline Kael FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
56% Positive
9 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
56% Positive
9 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Cinesthesia Productions, Grokenberger Film Produktion, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
Release Date Jul 25, 1984
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating R
Genres
View All Details

Awards

Locarno International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Singin' in the Rain

99
Universal Acclaim

Playtime

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Pinocchio

99
Universal Acclaim

Some Like It Hot

98
Universal Acclaim

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

97
Universal Acclaim

American Graffiti

97
Universal Acclaim

Toy Story

96
Universal Acclaim

The Shop Around the Corner

96
Universal Acclaim

A Hard Day's Night

96
Universal Acclaim

Nashville

96
Universal Acclaim

The Philadelphia Story

96
Universal Acclaim

Ratatouille

96
Universal Acclaim

The Lady Eve

96
Universal Acclaim

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

95
Universal Acclaim

La Dolce Vita

95
Universal Acclaim

Inside Out

94
Universal Acclaim

Meet Me in St. Louis

94
Universal Acclaim

Sideways

94
Universal Acclaim

The Apartment

94
Universal Acclaim

Chimes at Midnight

94
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie