Rose Byrne plays a woman whose professor boyfriend (Chris O’Dowd) is obsessed with an American singer/songwriter, Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). Yes O’Dowd’s character actually has a whole room with walls covered with Tucker Crowe posters and photos. Tucker Crowe released an album titled Juliet, Naked 25 years ago and dropped out of the music scene. O’Dowd’s character and hundreds of “fans” like him spend hours in chat rooms and tweaking their web sites with the latest nugget of news (or gossip) about Tucker Crowe. Crowe, meanwhile, has been busy making babies with various women. Now, on the verge of becoming a grandfather, Crowe decides to reconnect with his children, especially a pregnant one in London, England. Rose Byrne’s character, feeling that she’s wasted the last 15 years with her obsessed boyfriend, leaves a message in the Tucker Crowe chat room and guess what? Tucker Crowe answers! The relationship starts out with texts, but develops into Something More. If you’re in the mood for a quirky comedy, give Juliet, Naked a try. This movie is based on Nick Hornby’s book of the same name. You can read my review of Hornby’s book here. GRADE: B+
SOUNDTRACK:
Sunday Never Comes
LAX
What to Do When You’ve Wasted 15 Years of Your Life
We’re in Trouble
Juliet
20th Call of the Day
Waterloo Sunset
The Reality
I Know Annie
War & Peace
LAX
Sunday Never Comes
Juliet
20th Call of the Day
LAX
Good soundtrack although you left a couple off-Country Disappeared by Wilco and Brass In Pocket by The Pretenders. Sunday Never Comes by Robyn Hitchcock is one of his best songs and The Kinks Waterloo Sunset sung here by Ethan Hawke is one of my all time favorites.
Saw this today and liked it a lot. Ethan Hawke is an underappreciated actor. Looking forward to Blaze a bio pic about singer songwriter Blaze Foley that Hawke wrote and directed. He was also very good in last years First Reformed.
Steve, I enjoy Ethan Hawke’s unusual choices in acting roles. I thought he was very believable as Tucker Crowe.
Not a big Hawke lover – certainly no where near as much as the younger Hawke seemed to love himself – but he’s grown on me in recent years. I never did get around to the book. If I see this (I do like Chris O’Dowd) it will be when it gets to TV.
Jeff, Chris O’Dowd’s performance as a narcissistic, obsessed fan boy of Tucker Crowe sparkles! And, don’t stop watching at the end of the final scene. O’Dowd delivers a surprise in MARVEL movie credits style.
I’ve really liked all the Hornby novels I’ve read, including this one, and also enjoyed the movies made from them, so I’ll almost certainly see this. Hawke has sorta grown on me over the years and was recently very impressive as a minister suffering a crisis of conscience in Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed”, which I’d recommend highly.
Michael, Ethan Hawke is more laid back in JULIET, NAKED than he was in FIRST REFORMED. He’s a versatile actor.
We are seeing it this afternoon. Nice interview with Hawke on the podcast FILMSPOTTING. Also looking forward to BLAZE. He is about my favorite actor of the moment.
Patti, you’ll enjoy JULIET, NAKED. I’m surprised at the range of roles Ethan Hawke plays.
This sounds incredibly boring and silly.
Rick, many of Nick Hornby’s novels are silly. But they’re funny, too!
A movie has the ability to transport me in ways even a good book never can. It engages all my senses. It gets me out of the house. (I am not a homebody by any stretch of the imagination). I love books but I love a good movie more. When the lights go down, I am always expecting the best. The smell of popcorn, the sticky floor, the company of strangers…I love it.
Patti, I find myself drawn into Good Movies, too. When we go to the movies with other couples, they walk out complaining about someone using an iPhone or some kid kicking their seats. I’m so lost in the movie experience I just don’t notice that stuff.