Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film)

{{short description|2009 film by John Krasinski}}

{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

| image = Brief interviews poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = John Krasinski

| producer = John Krasinski
Kevin Patrick Connors
Thomas Fatone
Chris Hayes

| screenplay = John Krasinski

| based_on = {{based on|Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|David Foster Wallace}}

| starring = Julianne Nicholson

| music = Billy Mohler
Nate Wood

| cinematography = John Bailey

| editing = Zene Baker
Rich Fox

| studio = Sunday Night Productions

| distributor = IFC Films

| released = {{Film date|2009|1|19|Sundance}}

| runtime = 80 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $27,935

}}

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski, in his directorial debut. The film is based on short stories from the collection of the same name by David Foster Wallace.

Plot

Sara Quinn copes with a recent breakup by interviewing men as part of her graduate studies. Her intellectual endeavor has emotional consequences as the men’s twisted and revealing stories are juxtaposed against the backdrop of her own experience. As she begins to listen closely to the men around her, Sara must ultimately reconcile herself to the darkness that lies below the surface of human interactions.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in studios in Brooklyn, New York and exterior filming took place in Staten Island, New York, and on the campuses of Columbia University and Brooklyn College.{{cite web|title=John Bailey, ASC: Exploring the aesthetics |url=http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/johnBailey.pdf |website=Motion.kodak.com |accessdate=August 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019142713/http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/johnBailey.pdf |archivedate=October 19, 2013}}

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40% based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 5.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Ambitious but uneven, John Krasinski's adaptation of David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men tries hard but doesn't match the depth of the book."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brief_interviews_with_hideous_men/|title=Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=October 23, 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409125259/http://www.rottentomatoes.com:80/m/brief_interviews_with_hideous_men/ |archive-date=2009-04-09 }} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/brief-interviews-with-hideous-men|title=Brief Interviews with Hideous Men|website=Metacritic|access-date=May 5, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819075531/http://www.metacritic.com:80/movie/brief-interviews-with-hideous-men |archive-date=2010-08-19 }} The film was selected for the US Dramatic Competition in the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web|url=http://festival.sundance.org/2009/press_industry/releases/2009_sundance_film_festival_announces_films_in_competition/ |title=2009 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films In Competition |date=December 3, 2008 |website=sundance.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311005140/http://festival.sundance.org/2009/press_industry/releases/2009_sundance_film_festival_announces_films_in_competition |archive-date=2009-03-11 |url-status=dead}}

References

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