Clean (2004) Reviews
- Starring:
- Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte, (more)
- Director(s):
- Olivier Assayas
- Category:
- Foreign, Drama, Independent Films
Member Rating
My RatingAverage Ratings
Member Reviews
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful This movie was difficult to watch because most of the time Maggie Cheung's character is suffering. Lee, her lover and father of her child, died of an overdose. She too uses heroin and realizes that ... Read More This movie was difficult to watch because most of the time Maggie Cheung's character is suffering. Lee, her lover and father of her child, died of an overdose. She too uses heroin and realizes that she has to get clean. It is an uphill struggle against habit, people not supporting her, and her child's grandmother telling the kid lies. There was a great scene when Maggie's character honestly discussed with her child how his parents lived, and how his father died. The ending gives hope that she has decided to remain clean. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful Maggie Cheung did a great job in this movie! It's refreshing to watch an Asian actress----a rarity. The story of a drug addict struggling to get clean may be unoriginal, but the acting and story was ... Read More Maggie Cheung did a great job in this movie! It's refreshing to watch an Asian actress----a rarity. The story of a drug addict struggling to get clean may be unoriginal, but the acting and story was pretty well done.
Also, Nick Nolte is a great actor, but his character almost seemed to good to be true. Overall, this is a very good movie.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful Most addict movies are tailor-made to fit the PC message of "Drugs are bad, mm-kay?" There's the bottom, a stint in treatment, tearful confrontations, the gritty 12-step meetings, and a nice, ... Read More Most addict movies are tailor-made to fit the PC message of "Drugs are bad, mm-kay?" There's the bottom, a stint in treatment, tearful confrontations, the gritty 12-step meetings, and a nice, reconciliatory ending.
This movie eschews these trite scenarios for the more difficult task of mapping the psychological terrain of an incredibly self-obsessed, frightened, and lonely person. Maggie Cheung's performance is enthralling precisely because she doesn't play her character for the big drama, but instead "as-is," portraying a deeply flawed and movingly human person. Assayas' direction is flawless: the imagery in places is stunning and breathtaking, the narrative pace smooth, with many surprising and unpredictable terms. The final scene is a profoundly Zen-like moment I could watch over and over again. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful I love this film for its honesty about human struggle and how someone is not perfect but trying to make a change in her life. Maggie Cheung and Nick Nolte gave great perfomances in this film. It kind ... Read More I love this film for its honesty about human struggle and how someone is not perfect but trying to make a change in her life. Maggie Cheung and Nick Nolte gave great perfomances in this film. It kind of veers off the story line when she tries to get "tricky" to help her but other than that its a great movie very realistic feel how it was shot and the dialogue. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful I've never even taken illegal drugs so drug addiction is not something I understand. But I have struggled through other life trials and at times felt desserted by someone who I thought should have ... Read More I've never even taken illegal drugs so drug addiction is not something I understand. But I have struggled through other life trials and at times felt desserted by someone who I thought should have been there for me. The movie conveys the struggle well. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful I was shocked that Cannes gave this one a thumbs up. The whole drug addiction theme without any true resolution or redemption made the film a bit soul-less. I actually enjoyed all the language ... Read More I was shocked that Cannes gave this one a thumbs up. The whole drug addiction theme without any true resolution or redemption made the film a bit soul-less. I actually enjoyed all the language switching because it was the only interesting part for me. It moves quite slowly. Don't rent this one unless you want to practice your French comprehension skills. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful I agree that this movie was extremely hard to follow both storyline & especially launguage...The movie is 3/4 subtitles & the only person you could understand speaking English was Nick Nolte(which HE ... Read More I agree that this movie was extremely hard to follow both storyline & especially launguage...The movie is 3/4 subtitles & the only person you could understand speaking English was Nick Nolte(which HE was the only reason I rented the film)who is not even in it very much...The ending is unbelievable so if you rent you have to watch the very last scene which is so lame it was pathetic which pretty much sums up the whole movie..... Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful Didnt realize that over half the film would be in subtitles, which made it hard to follow for me. The story also was kind of rough and jagged... instead of explaining a lot of what was going on you ... Read More Didnt realize that over half the film would be in subtitles, which made it hard to follow for me. The story also was kind of rough and jagged... instead of explaining a lot of what was going on you were left trying to figure out and piece things together yourself. Didnt have any real conclusion. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful Was the English dialog in CLEAN--prosaic in the extreme and practically dead on the lips of the performers--translated directly from the French? Given that the film was written/directed by Frenchman ... Read More Was the English dialog in CLEAN--prosaic in the extreme and practically dead on the lips of the performers--translated directly from the French? Given that the film was written/directed by Frenchman Olivier Assayas (some of whose movies I have quite enjoyed), I cant help but wonder. Rather than sounding real--with any of the quirks & oddities of actual speech--this script makes each point with such a generic feel that I finally began to suspect Assayas of doing this deliberately so that the viewer would not feel anything as pedestrian as sympathy or emotion. More likely, the man simply speaks & hears English as a (distantly) second language and so can bring no "art" to table when he writes it. (In his "Demonlover," the language runs the gamut from French to English to Japanese and there are plenty of action & fascinating visuals to divert the eye from what the ear might hear.) The result is a shame because Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte and the rest of the cast are trying their level best. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No |
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