X
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 36 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 36 m

Summary Michel Houellebecq, possibly the most widely read living French writer, was believed kidnapped on September 16, 2011. But was he really? After a flurry of media reports of his abduction, the story goes cold and Houellebecq, famously reclusive, refuses to set the record straight. Now he goes one step further by starring as himself in a f...

Directed By: Guillaume Nicloux

Written By: Guillaume Nicloux

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 36 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 36 m

The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
64
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Michel Houellebecq, possibly the most widely read living French writer, was believed kidnapped on September 16, 2011. But was he really? After a flurry of media reports of his abduction, the story goes cold and Houellebecq, famously reclusive, refuses to set the record straight. Now he goes one step further by starring as himself in a f...

Directed By: Guillaume Nicloux

Written By: Guillaume Nicloux

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
64
70% Positive
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

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

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
64
70% Positive
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Mar 24, 2015
Crucially, all four men, plus the ancillary characters who appear throughout the film, prove to be excellent company, holding forth on literature, Europe's future, inner-ear ailments, and side triceps.
By Melissa Anderson FULL REVIEW
75
Mar 23, 2015
Even though the film takes on a more overtly fictive aesthetic after he's kidnapped, Michel Houellebecq's understated presence lends the proceedings a factual quality throughout.
FULL REVIEW
70
Mar 24, 2015
A divertingly eccentric, often comically absurd movie.
By Manohla Dargis FULL REVIEW
70
Mar 24, 2015
An inspired comic thriller.
By Stephen Dalton FULL REVIEW
63
Mar 25, 2015
This is pretty much the opposite of a contemporary American comedy: rather than broad, The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq is an exemplary example of narrow.
By Glenn Kenny FULL REVIEW
50
Mar 24, 2015
At first, the movie is offbeat enough to be entertaining anyway; but like the title character, it quickly outstays its welcome.
By Noel Murray FULL REVIEW
50
Mar 24, 2015
The character of Houellebecq implicitly understands that this is just a transaction, and doesn’t take it personally. It’s too bad that, like so much of the movie, this germ of satire is never developed past the point of premise.
By Ignatiy Vishnevetsky FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Les Films du Worso, ARTE, Chic Films
Release Date Mar 25, 2015
Duration 1 h 36 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
View All Details

Awards

Tribeca Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Sydney Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Olhar de Cinema - Curitiba International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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