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Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban, Dianne Wiest ... see more see more... , Bobby Cannavale , Martin Freeman , Christine Taylor , Peter Bogdanovich , Amy Sedaris , Catherine Kellner , Christopher Fitzgerald , Jeremy Shamos

Actor Justin Theroux (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Mulholland Dr.) steps behind the camera for his directorial debut with this irreverent romantic comedy. Billy Crudup is Henry, a cynical children... read more read more...'s book writer who holds little more than disdain for his pint-sized target audience. Artist Rudy (Tom Wilkinson) is both Henry's illustrator and the only friend in his miserable life. But when Rudy's health fails, Henry unwittingly finds himself paired with a new illustrator, played by Mandy Moore, who proves to be the oil to his water. Dedication also stars Mia Farrow and Bob Balaban. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Flixster Users

63% liked it

7,172 ratings

Critics

41% liked it

46 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Justin Theroux

Release Date: September 21, 2007

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DVD Release Date: February 12, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (1,049)

  • wildaly14
    January 29, 2011
    wildaly14
    Good rom-com. Not convincing enough for me to give it a higher rating but at least there were no regrets after watching it.
  • stevenecarrier
    November 23, 2010
    stevenecarrier
    I really enjoy Justin Theroux's "Dedication", it's an affecting film with an oddball romance in the middle. While the film is certainly stylish, it is also deeply human. Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore are wonderful here, inhabiting complicated characters with ease. Tom Wilkinson is... read more just as great and his scenes with Crudup are standouts. Accompanied by a soundtrack that supports the narrative as much as the performances and dialogue do, "Dedication" is a "indie" film that never seems pretentious and has real, contagious emotion.
  • aliceinpunderland
    July 17, 2008
    aliceinpunderland
    Crudup is nutty, disturbed, and endearing as Henry Roth. There's something I can't pinpoint about Mandy Moore's performance. I wouldn't say she was phoning it in, not even that; it's as if she was texting, faxing, and bluetoothing it in. Trying so hard but nothing coming out. ... read more In the end, I have to say it's Henry's story. Lucy had no personality at all and because she had no likable or unlikable qualities, the arc of the romance went too fast.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    May 13, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    This was a surprise. I bought this film expecting an average love story with clichéd scenarios and cheesy dialogue. Well, it turns out I loved this film a lot and I can't believe I'm saying this, Mandy Moore was great in this. I'm kinda partial with singers turning into actors so... read more I'm not really a fan of the thing but Mandy Moore in this film is an exception. She was great, I love her. She's not like those other singer-turned-actors who has only one expression in their face and it never changes throughout the film. Like Norah Jones in 'Blueberry Nights' and all those rappers in gangster films. She was pretty good here. Her leading man is Billy Crudup. I can describe him in one word: Phenomenal. He plays Henry Roth (50 First Dates homage?) a neurotic, eccentric, crazy, wacky children's books author who dislikes driving a car and likes to get his chest splotched by a stack of books. He reminds me of Woody Allen's character in "Annie Hall" They are very much similar. They're both neurotic, they both look like they'll break down in a jiffy and they both dislike driving. Fantastic.

    This is the director's excellent directorial debut. The dialogue was great it contains some very memorable lines, the chemistry between Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup sticks with you like super glue, the acting is superb (Tom Wilkinson huzzah) and the cinematography is better than awesome. The editing: magnifique.

    "Dedication" is a 4.5/5
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    March 19, 2008
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Well it's a decent movie, but I liked it very much, I felt a very good acting portrayal by Billy Crudup. Henry Roth is messed up. A New York children's book author who tells kids that Santa doesn't exist, he hates sleeping with and next to- anyone, including his girlfriend and m... read moreust lay on the floor, usually with heavy objects on top of him just to feel safe. His motto is "Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief." "Dedication," a modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book series is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative collaborator passes away marks the directorial debut of Justin Theroux. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that maybe all it takes is a little dedication.
  • dunmyer
    August 31, 2007
    dunmyer
    [size=3]"Dedication" stars [b]Billy Crudup[/b], one of my favorite actors. I'm still astonished that he doesn't have more of a reputation. His co-star is [b]Mandy Moore[/b], who is striving to be taken more seriously, which I'm not sure she deserves.[/size]

    [img]http://www.cult... read moreure-cafe.net/images/medium_dedication.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]The director is [b]Justin Theroux[/b], whose performance in "Mulholland Drive" (as a film director no less) I still see in my mind's eye from time to time. Theroux here is making his directorial debut. Let's just say that I'm certain he'll be remembered more as an actor than a director. He seems to have two sides: one is a sharp, intense, original artist, and one is a purveyor of mainstream trifles for the multiplex crowd.[/size]

    [size=3]One could say that the casting choices emblematize this bifurcation. Crudup was cast from the artist side of Theroux's mind, and Moore was selected by the side that enjoys the David Letterman Show (and probably yearns to be a guest on it).[/size]

    [size=3]"Dedication" is at heart a very conventional love story. The structure of the story is the same old formula of Boy is Lonely, Boy Meets Girl, Boy Scares Girl Away, Boy Wins Girl Back. Yawn. What makes it slightly different here is that the protagonists are artistic intellectuals of the bohemian sort and not part of the multiplex culture whatsoever. But it's almost like Theroux is designing a new world at Disney Land, which will be called Bohemian New York World. Oh, look kids, there's a cafe; let's order a cappucino. Oh, look, there's someone reading Dostoyevsky! It's so New York![/size]

    [size=3]Moore's character is getting a doctorate in Literature and her boyfriend is a renowned expert on Romanticism. Crudup plays a writer of children's books who is intensely cynical and nearly vomits whenever he gets close to any of his readers. He's also petrified of riding in cars and can only sleep on floors because beds cause him too much anxiety. I was pleased that Crudup plays this anxiety-drenched soul rather intensely. He definitely plays it for laughs from time to time, but there is also a serious undertone. A couple of times it's hinted that he was savagely beaten by his mother as a child. There's certainly no humor in that. [/size]

    [size=3]But every time the film gets serious or deep, it quickly comes to its senses and gets back to a level of shallowness appropriate for the multiplex crowd. There are a few scenes with rapier-like, philosophically sophisticated repartee between Crudup and his best friend, played by [b]Tom Wilkinson[/b]. But these scenes stand in stark contrast to most of the dialogue in the film.[/size]

    [size=3]I don't understand this abiding tendency toward superficiality and mainstream acceptability. What was Theroux hoping, that this would be 2007's "Little Miss Sunshine"? Perhaps. But "Dedication" doesn't have enough freshness and spark to compete with "Little Miss Sunshine."[/size]
    [size=3][/size]
    [size=3]"Dedication" is not a bad film, but it could have been so much better if it had not wanted to be liked so much by the wrong people.[/size]
  • mrbicklethepickle
    December 11, 2009
    mrbicklethepickle
    I honestly found the film a bit boring. It's a slow paced movie. I just kept expecting something exciting or different to happen. I don't think the script or directing was phenomenal. Not bad, a bit cute at times.

    I think Billy Crudup did a very well job. He's really convincing ... read moreas a person with OCD. Although I wasn't rooting for him in the beginning, because he was just so horrible to everyone. I liked how you see a change in him at the ending.

    Mandy Moore was also good in this. I like how shes stepping into new and different roles, and getting away from that all american girl persona she usually plays.

    That's all I really have to say. There wasn't much that interested me or made me think. It had it's moments, I liked the acting, and thats why I am giving it 3 stars.
  • Parannoyed
    January 26, 2009
    Parannoyed
    Love the style.
    Excellent role for Crudup! He brings meaning to this film.
  • divinetrash
    November 10, 2008
    divinetrash
    This film fails at everything it wants to be: comedy, romance and a character study. Billy Crudup's character is too fucked up to handle, understand, believe and care for. Still, there are a few laughs and very good performances from everyone involved.
  • ileo
    February 17, 2008
    ileo
    An interesting movie by Justin Theroux! Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore are great in this, and the storyplot is fascinating. Great direction of an amazing character played by Crudup. Great music.

View All Dedication Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joshua Katzman
October 5, 2007
Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

Actor Justin Theroux makes an impressive directorial debut, aided by David Bromberg's mordantly funny dialogue. Full Review

Dana Stevens
September 25, 2007
Dana Stevens, Slate

It leaves you wishing the oddball couple well. Full Review

Walter V. Addiego
September 21, 2007
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

[Director Theroux] has a tendency to overplay things, with self-consciously arty direction and an intrusive soundtrack. Full Review

Tom Long
September 21, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News

Directed by actor Justin Theroux with a surprisingly saccharine hand, the film is neither believable nor novel. Full Review

Roger Ebert
September 21, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore are immensely likable. We like them so much we regret having to see them in this story. Full Review

Wesley Morris
September 21, 2007
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Theroux brings none of the electric surprise or intensity of his acting to bear on the movie. He seems unhappy with the assignment. Full Review

Sid Smith
September 20, 2007
Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune

Dedication is engaging for a while, but flits from style to style, from dark to loopy comedy, only to settle on gooey romance. Full Review

Hank Stuever
September 20, 2007
Hank Stuever, Washington Post

Gratingly hip, joyless, small-budget Dedication is just another example of what New Yorker magazine recently identified as the 'slacker-striver' trope in today's romances. Full Review

Richard Roeper
September 4, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

A film that subjects us to one of the more irritating and unlikable leading men in recent romantic comedy history.

Joanne Kaufman
August 24, 2007
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal

You can see where all this is going -- author meets illustrator, crazy person meets sane person, withholding person meets giving person -- but there isn't one interesting thing about the journey. Full Review

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Dedication Trivia

  • Which actor was the character slimer created in dedication to in the film GhostBusters?  Answer »
  • Kirsten Dunst. Which movie does she NOT appear in?  Answer »
  • wich actor starred in these movies? liscence to wed a walk to remember chasing liberty because i said so dedication american dreamz  Answer »
  • This film sheds light on the harrowing histories and tireless dedication of several janitors who toil in obscurity at America's top universities.  Answer »
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