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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Forty Shades of Blue
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Michael Rohatyn
Ira Sachs
Directed by: Ira Sachs
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 28, 2005
DVD: June 13, 2006
Running Time: 108 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Rip Torn, Dina Korzun, Darren E. Burrows, Paprika Steen, and Red West
Forty Shades of Blue tells the story of Laura, a young Russian woman living in Memphis with a much older rock n' roll legend, and the personal awakening she experiences in the wake of her unfortunate affair with his estranged son. (First Look Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Married Life
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site Film Forum Profile
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...
Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
A compelling family melodrama somewhat in the manner of late John Cassavetes or early Robert Altman…the film combines high production values, terrific acting and a distinctively American lyricism in a combination you hardly ever see these days.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
Alan, who Mr. Sachs has said was based on his own father, is a great character - passionate, complicated, bursting with life. Those words also describe Mr. Torn's performance.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Director Ira Sachs moves to the rhythms of his native Memphis, teasing emotional resonance out of geography.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The song may be somewhat familiar, but Sach gets understated performances from his entire cast and finds interesting harmonies as they play out their clashing duets.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Investing a lot of time on each corner of his three-sided character piece, director Ira Sachs (who co-wrote the film with Michael Rohatyn) has created a film as dramatically intense as it is opaque.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Scott Foundas
This is still powerful, undiluted stuff -- a jolt of backwoods moonshine whiskey injected into the veins of the atrophied American relationship drama.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Sachs has pulled off a film of inferences and intimations, thanks largely to the casting of accomplished actors.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
I despised the character of Alan James so sincerely that I had to haul back at one point to remind myself that, hey, I've met Rip Torn and he's a nice guy and he's only acting.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
A muted but nicely observed study of a Russian woman's gradual estrangement from her domineering Memphis music-legend husband.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Michael Atkinson
It's Korzun's film, and she is in complete control of her character, never divulging too much of the haunted woman under the studied facade of American hotsiness.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Jeremy Mathews
Repetitive interaction between characters in an aimless story can't hold up the film's weight, and it eventually collapses on its noble attempt to capture life's frustrations and compromises.
Read Full Review >Empire Patrick Peters
Rip Torn and Darren Burrows respectively over- and underplay their hands in this archly restrained Memphis melodrama.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
John B. gave it a2:
I can't imagine how this film received so many good reviews. (best drama at Sundance-you must be kidding!) It is a really thin, depressing little story that goes nowhere. The relationships between the characters are not in any way believable or interesting, and even the sex scenes were poorly done. [***SPOILERS***] The final scene was representative of the entire film-the female lead walks away from the car-no resolution, no closure, no reason to know what will happen to the characters, and even worse, no reason to care.The director is obviously new at filmaking, and needs more experience. I'm only sorry I had to sit through one of his early learning experiences, because it was boring and worth nothing.
Brian C. gave it a9:
Dynamite acting pulls this several notches above the pack.. Rip Torn is memorable.
Francisco M. gave it a10:
Rip Torn gives an amazing performance. I really enjoyed the film.
