A Long Way Down

Name: A Long Way Down
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: July 11, 2014
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 34

2014

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

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A Long Way Down

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: July 11, 2014 | R

Summary: Four lost souls – a disgraced TV presenter, a foul-mouthed teen, an isolated single mother and a solipsistic muso – decide to end their lives on the same night, New Year’s Eve. When this disillusioned quartet of strangers meet unintentionally at the same suicide hotspot, a London high-rise with the well-earned nickname Topper’s Tower, theyFour lost souls – a disgraced TV presenter, a foul-mouthed teen, an isolated single mother and a solipsistic muso – decide to end their lives on the same night, New Year’s Eve. When this disillusioned quartet of strangers meet unintentionally at the same suicide hotspot, a London high-rise with the well-earned nickname Topper’s Tower, they mutually agree to call off their plans for six weeks, forming an unconventional, dysfunctional family, becoming media sensations as the Topper House Four and searching together for the reasons to keep on living.… Expand

Director: Pascal Chaumeil

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle

Jul 17, 2014

As British comedy sometimes will, A Long Way Down has an occasional attack of the cutes, but the actors' commitment keeps the movie on the plus side. Read full review

Serena Donadoni

Jul 10, 2014

The group's surprising anchor is Maureen, the single mother of an adult son with cerebral palsy; her fierce love and stifling isolation are contained by careful routine. Collette wears that armor, and cracks it, to devastating effect. Read full review

Jason Clark

Jul 11, 2014

With an ace troupe like that, there are affecting moments, to be sure. But the movie criminally wastes Sam Neill and Rosamund Pike in barely there supporting roles, and the picture has exactly two tones: grim and gooey. They do not coexist harmoniously. Read full review

Emma Dibdin

Mar 17, 2014

At best, this is a cringey stab at black comedy redeemed by charismatic stars; at worst it’s a glib and manipulative punt on a subject that deserves more care. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Jul 11, 2014

There are moments of tenderness and honest human emotion buried in the frustrating A Long Way Down but one has to work far too hard and give far too much credit to the over-qualified cast to grab at them. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Jul 6, 2014

An inept trifle, Pascal Chaumeil's film reduces Nick Hornby's novel of the same name to a series of smug self-help gestures. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Jul 10, 2014

If there is any humor to be gleaned from this concept, it is nowhere to be found in a movie so shoddily made that there is little continuity between scenes and not a laugh or even a titter. Read full review

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User Reviews

smiyamot

May 15, 2016

An humorous study of why people commit suicide. In this movie, we see the back story, the why, what drove them to this final act. While the premise, that the 4 who were planning to kill themselves would band together, is not realistic, it's a movie, so a little license is granted.

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LeZee

Nov 1, 2014

A dark comedy movie from the Britain which was partially based on a novel of the same name. The second movie together for the rising stars Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul after 'Need for Speed'. The trailer was one of the reasons I watch this movie. It created an interest in me for someA dark comedy movie from the Britain which was partially based on a novel of the same name. The second movie together for the rising stars Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul after 'Need for Speed'. The trailer was one of the reasons I watch this movie. It created an interest in me for some uniqueness in its theme. But in the end when I watched the movie now it did not last much longer.

Usually movies will have best shots for last parts, but here it came very early. The opening scene was the movie's highlight, get off with the fun and then while advancement it slowly died. The concept was really a good one, the story created around it was not. I expected twists and turns in last parts that never came. So, in the end it became a simple and the usual entertaining movie.

All the actors were good, but their characters were not convinced enough. The developments were to blame because all the four main characters were not exposed well on the screen about some of the mysteries of their earlier stages. I mean the story talks about each of them's difficulties they recently went through and 50% of them remained unexplained phenomena. Like, what was the Aaron Paul's real problems and about Imogen Poots little sister etc.

Beside all these flaws, there's little enjoyments. Toni Collette and Pierce Brosnan's roles were made sense and blended well with the concept. But when it comes to performances all the four were equally good. Overall, a fine subject was wasted for not that good story. Yes, a little let down movie, should have been a better. I don't know the book, maybe they should have adapted it straight without changing much. A decent movie to watch and no guarantee of satisfactory because differ from people to people.

6.5/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Meth-dude

Dec 14, 2017

While the story was interesting and the cast was rather impressive, the movie was not very funny and it was cliché and predictable. The ending was also very disappointing. Overall, it's not a bad movie, it's just not that good.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

beingryanjude

Sep 4, 2014

A Long Way Down is one of Nick Hornby's more-promising pieces of writing in the last ten years. His style is overtly black comedy--even with the darkest of themes such as suicide. This adaptation had much more potential than this. We learned nothing and ultimately felt very little.

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