This Must Be the Place

Sean Penn as a kind of burnt-out rocker version of Forrest Gump. Everything happens to him and then he goes on a Nazi hunt, meeting every type of person on the road. It's a baffling mess of mushy, gushy little melodramas, smarty platitudes out of motivational plaques, and the occasional lame stab at comedy. A cameo of David Byrne performing the title song is the only really good bit in the entire movie.

(2nd viewing) Penn plays a miserable drag and gets away with it. It doesn't seem to have a leg to stand on but it travels places other films wouldn't even have the balls to. Down-to-earth, touching and rewarding, with some nice visuals to spare.

Though it has an overwhelming number of great scenes it has too many places it wants to go, and when finally goes somewhere, you kinda wish it had gone somewhere else. Still good, and with a powerhouse perfomance by Penn...

Pretty photography fails to conceal the weak characters, unconvincing performances and rather trite sentiment that underlies this disappointing effort, the main effect of which is to make it seem difficult to avoid the conclusion that this director may be yet another in a long line of filmmakers who cannot match their mastery over style with anything approaching substance. Tries but fails.

too slow (and I like slow movies!)

As hard as Paolo Sorrentino tried to make this the quirkiest, most eccentrically unenjoyable movie he could, Penn's deft portrayal of the main character saved the day. While some of the movie was a little to enigmatic to be entirely enjoyable, there was entertainment to be had in watching mild-mannered and introverted Cheyenne on such a weird journey.

That feelgood song at the end ruined it a bit for me.

This is a very quirky film, with an oddball main character (known as Cheyenne). He is very guarded and quiet, as unlikely as that may seem given his appearance but I liked how he seemed to open up to people. He has a spooky or ghoulish muted tone to his voice, which of course is in contrast to his goth rock look. He is quite philosophical in the way he views situations he comes across. There is some very poignant dialogue and I loved the cinematography present, with some beautiful sunset shots.

Top badass moment? A movie about a goth with no goth music in it? Duh! This film seems to exist mainly to promote the director’s masturbatory fantasy band, Talking Heads. We're forced to listen to 6 versions of the title track and then view David Byrne’s latest art installation. Neither has any useful connection to the plot. But somehow Sean Penn manages to create a very genuine movie from this incoherent muddle. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations. “Once in a Lifetime” is rubbish too.

Kadrajlarindan muziklerine hatta jenerik fontuna kadar her seyiyle "indie" diye bagiran bir film icin cok cesur planlar ve sorrentino'nun dahiligini gosterdigi cok nefis fikirler var. Ama ben boyle bir Osbourne karikaturu ana karakterinin arkasinda secilen muzik ve dokuyu cok uyumlu bulmadim.

Enjoyably odd. Penn played the character rather differently than I expected, which was appreciated. [Criticker's estimated ranking was four tiers lower; a rare misstep, but I prefer lower over higher.]

I was really excited to watch this movie. Sean Penn playing a goth rock star going after a nazi, should be a great fun romp of a film right? Unfortunately, I was really bored throughout the entire film. Sure it looks nice, but I rate things based upon pure enjoyment and this movie was Dull with a capital D. Left me very disappointed.

Penn lurches his way through Sorrentino's script, coming to life arbitrarily to punctuate a nothing point. Additionally, we get a lead on the plot line about 50 minutes in, the first 50 sets up the characters and the light allegorical finale. Feels like a less violent Coen brothers film, or one mixed with the middle-American abstraction dreamt up or influenced by Byrne

A weird, retired rock star in the journey of self-discovery. Liked it.

What an incredibly strange and amusing film. I enjoy it for its absurdities, of which Penn's performance is the highlight, rather than its platitudes.

This movie's only serious flaw is its completely forgettable title. Otherwise it's a compelling mish-mash of the Holocaust, road tripping and 2000s era Ozzy impersonation--which somehow hangs together not as awkwardly as you would guess. Sean Penn is really the glue here and I'm not usually a fan of his work. Definitely worth a watch.

A strange road-movie, that tries hard to be an art-film, and got that only in his film-making, but not in his (a bit silly) plot and in his characters portrays. Great Sean Penn overacting performance here. But there is also funny moments, especially in the start, in the relationship between Sean Penn and his wife (McDormand). In the end, is an enjoyable movie. But the first contact between Sorrentino and the Hollywood machine has not been the best, for both.

An Interesting performance from Sean Penn and some touching moments and nice cinematography but for me, it lacked cohesion and purpose.

The cinematogrphy is what makes the movie and truly elevates the script. Unmissable if you're into movies.

This Must Be the Place is an interesting film, but not one that is particularly good. It's more unremarkable. Penn is good and it's quite fun watching him, and McDormand helps, but the plot could have been better.

Funny and refreshing. Didn't feel like it was just draining the old indie comedy well. Things slowed down a bit too much at the middle but it quickly picked up the pace again.

A star vehicle in denial. Sean Penn owns this film utterly; one's never quite sure what this bleary-eyed nebbish might be capable of. When the film's directness and big ideas and bon mots come from other characters it feels oversold, corny, and very typical of European films about America. David Byrne's cameo mixes the film's fiction with the real world in a uniquely odd way and might be worth the price of admission.

Doesn't work on many levels but still manages to be intriguing. Penn as a Robert Smith type retired rocker who seeks out a former Nazi. Yes , that's the plot.

depends on you initially thinking it's lame and affected so it can surprise you into self-doubt, into a confrontation with your own cynicism. sorrentino's style is self-consciously light-hearted and life-affirming in such an insistent, undeterred, annoying way that it's infectious, irresistable, and eventually life-affirming for real. regardless, penn is thrillingly unrecognisable as a whining deadpan robert smith, david byrne cameos, the title song is everywhere--guess i must be having fun.

It's a very meandering film, which fits the style, but leaves it feeling somewhat impenetrable. Sean Penn as the most ennui-infused middle-aged goth rock star is great fun to watch though. And I will enjoy most things that have Harry Dean Stanton.

I liked this for all the wrong reasons which are always the best reasons to like something.

Too many ideas for a single movie. It promised something in the first part, set in Ireland, and then went somewhere completely different. I liked this promise of a film way better than I liked the film itself. In fact, I loved it. I still long to see it.

Comical due to the absolutely pitiful lead character, and his outlandish journey. Thoroughly enjoyed.

"The film believes in maturity, but only as a freely continual process of acceptance." - Joseph Jon Lanthier

Nicely shot, but a way too self-conscious and simplistic take on Holocaust. It feels like a restrained tale of revenge, from a decadent rock star to an old nazi living in US. As always, what becomes as a trip full of pain ends up being a journey of self-discovery, with Dean Stanton reminding you of how great Paris, Texas is compared to this one. Ok, guess I've made my point, it's not a good film. But the scene with David Byrne singing This must be the place is just fantastic.

At times indulgent, and Sean Penn's performance is quite affected, but overall it's engaging enough. Worth a watch.

6-5-2012 plaza Story often goes nowhere, but path taken is amusing.

I'm not sure what to make of the story, but the film is sold well by Penn who owns his character and makes the journey worth watching. Although I believe many actors these days are well instructed on how to portray the best facial expressions when watching an old lady guzzling juice from the carton while a goose is pecking at your arm, I'd easily rank Penn's in the top 5.

Loved it.

Upon rewatching I have to value this a bit more. Superb directing and acting, even though the writing's just decent.

Not a movie I would have expected from Sorrentino in a thousand years. Even comparing it to other quirky road movies with weirdo middle-aged guy protagonist this film is mediocre. Story often feels disjointed and doesn't go anywhere. Very disappointing ending. Sorrentino has an eye for composition and a sense for style, no doubt. Nice dialogues, more funny than 'deep' or 'philosophical', but along with Penn's character they made me chuckle.