Baghead poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller, Jett Garner

The Puffy Chair filmmaking duo Jay and Mark Duplass return to the realm of cinema with this tale of a man, a bag, and the strangeness that occurs when the two independently inconsequential factors com... read more read more...e together. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

47% liked it

2,551 ratings

Critics

78% liked it

94 critics

R, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Release Date: June 13, 2008

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

Get It:

Stats: 424 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Baghead
Upload a Photo | View All Baghead Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (424)

  • DrZeek
    March 8, 2009
    DrZeek
    Matt: Hey. What's that?

    An ultra low budget human drama that contains elements of comedy and horror. Its simple, nothing too amazing, but the improved performances make it seem natural, along with some actual tension in parts.

    A group of four struggling filmmakers decide to spe... read morend their weekend up at a cabin to hopefully develop a script and make a movie. The group includes two guys and two girls. One guy is more successful with women. One girl doesn't show the feelings for the other guy who desires her. Basically, there's a handsome guy, a funny guy, a slutty girl, and the cute girl.

    Some mystery ensues when a mysterious figure keeps appearing outside the cabin with a bag over their head. Whether its one of the four or someone else completely is the source of a mystery that begins to run throughout.

    The movie is shot with a digital camera and makes no attempt at having clever visual tricks, its about what its about, and I thought it worked.

    Chad: Goodnight, movie girlfriend.
    Michelle: Goodnight.
  • ceWEBrity
    February 26, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    Worth its weight in gold as a curiosity - kind of a mumblecore Bubble, if Bubble wasn't mumblecore as it is. As a movie about movies, it feels incessantly "filmed," and the viewer never forgets what they're watching. This approach may seem intrusive, but considering that this is ... read morea movie about intrusion on many different levels, the filming is a positive influence more than a detraction. The amateur actors are charmingly shitty, which sort of endears them to you all the more, and the characters they put forth are distinct and unabridged. The plot itself isn't terribly original but the execution is what to watch here - the Duplass brothers do an admirable job spinning a compelling tale from a simple foundation and without spending too much money.

    Nothing here will blow your mind, but it functions adeptly as a lo-fi genre meld, and at only 70 minutes it's not a huge waste of time even if you don't find something worth championing. An inspiring tidbit of indie cinema.
  • hobster1
    January 4, 2009
    hobster1
    Ultra low budget horror comedy about four actors who are terrorized by a mysterious man in the woods while trying to write a screenplay that will make them all stars. Film's reliance on an apparently improvised script and non-professional actors seems unfocused and sloppy at tim... read morees. However this unique film manages to incorporate a tale of personal relationships, independent filmmaking and horror, in a most unusual way.
  • Beefy
    January 4, 2009
    Beefy
    A comedy about low budget horror filmmaking. And relationships. Some nice moments and competently done by all, but nothing terribly compelling or new. It would be helpful if one of the four lead characters was likable.
  • puffchunk
    January 1, 2009
    puffchunk
    Fun for a while. Good job of making realistic awkward conversations.
  • dunmyer
    July 26, 2008
    dunmyer
    [size=3]"Baghead" is a highly clever and unusual film. It's safe to say that there's never been anything like it. I[/size][size=3]t's filled with postmodern self-referentiality and plenty of snarky winks to the smarter and better-educated members of the audience. But it doesn't a... read moredd up to that much. Brilliant set-up, not much pay-off.[/size]

    [size=3][img]http://images.apple.com/moviesxml/s/sony/posters/baghead_l200805121624.jpg[/img][/size]

    [size=3]I had a good time and enjoyed the cleverness. I laughed more during this film than any other film all year, and the humor was the smartest by far of 2008. I also very much appreciated the hand-made quality because it shows that people can make films without $10 million. But "Baghead" ultimately doesn't have anything very significant to say.[/size]

    [size=3]Immediately setting a humorously postmodern tone, "Baghead" opens inside an art-house movie theater. The four protagonists (two men and two women) are sitting together watching an underground film. Right away you are put into an odd situation as if you are watching yourself on screen -- a movie audience watching a movie audience. The film they're watching, which we see bits of, turns out to be hilariously ponderous. Thus "Baghead" opens with a clever send-up of art-house cinema -- in a sense "Baghead" is poking fun at itself.[/size]

    [size=3]But quickly "Baghead" shifts its focus to the film-making as opposed to the film-watching process. The main characters turn out to be actors and filmmakers, possibly stand-ins for [b]Jay[/b] and [b]Mark Duplass[/b], the brothers who created "Baghead." [/size][size=3]Struggling to kick-start their creativity, the four thirtysomethings go out to the woods together to dream up a movie. Their first creative discussion is hilarious. The leader of the gang asks, "OK, so what's the film going to be about?" Everyone stares at him blankly. [/size]

    [img]http://www.aolcdn.com/pmms/productpagemovies/05/07/2664427[/img]

    [size=3]As drunkenness sets in, strong romantic and sexual entanglements tying this foursome together start to surface. These are explored to great comic effect. You will laugh many times in the first half of "Baghead." The Duplass brothers have a very good eye for comedy, and the actors bring the romantic yearnings to life in such an authentic way that you wonder if you're watching a documentary. This is another odd aspect of "Baghead," and it's one of the numerous ways that the film resembles "Blair Witch Project." (Other similarities are the constant use of hand-held cameras, the absence of costuming and make-up, the apparent use of improvised dialogue, and an ultra-remote setting.)[/size]

    [img]http://www.firstshowing.net/img/indiegems-baghead.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]Abruptly there's a shift to horror, which is also very effective. A person with a paper bag over his or her head starts appearing and standing silently in a menacing way. The big question: is it a psycho stalking them, or is one of the foursome playing a practical joke on the others? This uncertainty is manipulated very well. My eagerness to find out the answer operated on two levels. The obvious one is at the level of plot resolution. The whole point of the mystery genre is to get answers. [/size]

    [size=3]But more interestingly, I was intrigued to find out where this unusual film was going to go. What would a postmodern horror-comedy become? A horror or a comedy? Or something else? I had no idea, and I wondered if somehow the resolution would yield fascinating insights. But alas, when all the questions are answered, one isn't left with much. "Baghead" is a fun brain-teaser with a lot of humor and some good horror moments, but ultimately it's no more meaningful [/size][size=3]than "Blair Witch Project." [/size]

    [size=3]One could think of "Baghead" as a love letter to cinema itself, a celebration of and also poking fun at the creative impulse that drives people to make films, act in them, and watch them. But the cinematic impulse to me is not in and of itself very interesting. The fact that people pick up cameras and record things isn't inherently intriguing. It's only interesting when something worthwhile is recorded. And in that case, it's not the recording process that's interesting, but the thing being recorded.[/size]

    [size=3]In this case, the Duplass brothers didn't dream up something very interesting to record, but they had great fun along the way.[/size]
  • fb720603734
    August 6, 2008
    fb720603734
    While pleasantly surprised by the performances, there really isn't much to say about this film. It is kinda funny, kinda scary, kinda good. It's very "meta"...and if I could put "meta" in more quotes, it would look like this """M-E-T-A""". Nuff said.
  • wbgoose13
    April 14, 2008
    wbgoose13
    A most curious psychological dramedy; call it "mumblecor-ror".
  • DrStrangeblog
    May 5, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    Welcome to Amateur Hour: filmed for about $137.89 (cabin rental for a day), this relationship drama masquerading as a horror movie starkly shows the difference between a poorly executed cheapie and 'The Blair Witch Project.' Manages to generate two scares, the rest of the time w... read moreasted lingering over the characters' shallow connections to each other. Writer/actor Matt and aspiring starlet Michelle (whose delivery resembles the next Darryl Hannah) have some screen charisma, but the other pair of this foursome are plain lousy. Hangdog Chad we're told by Matt is "the funniest guy I know" but never once tells a joke and is supposed to generate sympathy for his unrequited love for Michelle, but is such a meek douchebag that he doesn't really deserve any. Material for a 40-minute short stretched (barely) to a feature-length 75, including a tortuous 10-minute denouement before you can finally do something you'd rather be doing. Like weed the garden, take out the garbage, or care for your cousin's incontinent cats.
  • ileo
    January 19, 2009
    ileo
    Here's an interesting movie about a group of friends wanting to make a successful movie. They decide to go out to a friend's Big Bear getaway when interests start to conflict when an idea becomes more than real. Worth seeing.

View All Baghead Reviews

Critic Reviews

Bill Goodykoontz
September 18, 2008
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

The truth eventually comes out, as it must, and it's not exactly a stunner. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
August 21, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Baghead is at its best when it captures the subtleties of romantic machinations, macho power plays and the indignity of women aging in Hollywood. Full Review

Roger Moore
August 15, 2008
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

The coda, even if it doesn't wholly work, should have some sobering lessons for would-be filmmakers who see this. Kids, try this at home. Full Review

Peter Howell
August 8, 2008
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

he brothers Duplass have a knack for the to-and-fro of modern relationships. Their horror sense is less acute, but at least they understand that when the budget is low, it's best to keep the villain i... Full Review

Colin Covert
August 8, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

When the origami model of the plot finally unfolds, and the well-justified surprises are disclosed, there are still a couple of revelations up the Duplass brothers' sleeves. Full Review

Steven Rea
August 8, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Even in the spookiest woods in the dead of night, there will be no difficulty figuring this one out. Full Review

Jennie Punter
August 8, 2008
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

Although the final act telegraphs the endgame a little too obviously, Baghead is nevertheless a late summer treat. Full Review

James Berardinelli
August 5, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The problem with Baghead isn't that it's cheaply made but that it's sloppily composed. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
August 1, 2008
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Keep your eyes open, and there are lots of other, subtler things going on. Full Review

Ty Burr
August 1, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The movie's cheap, it's clever -- it's even a little scary in places. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • A Horrible Way to Die
    A Horrible Way to Die (100%)

More Movies like Baghead

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Baghead : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Baghead. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Baghead Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Baghead to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Baghead News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?