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Daniel Hendler, Jazmín Stuart, Walter Jakob, Martín Feldman, Miguel Dedovich

A loser with a successful friend discovers his luck might change as long as he doesn't mind betraying his buddy in this edgy comedy from Argentina. Luciano (Daniel Hendler) is a neurotic and accident-... read more read more...prone children's entertainer who is struggling to launch a career as a screenwriter when he's not fretting about his health. After Luciano accidentally puts his performing partner, Sherman (Martin Feldman), in the hospital, he's unable to do shows for a few weeks and is wondering what to do when his old friend Manuel (Walter Jakob) returns to Buenos Aires for a visit. Manuel is the star of a popular television show in Spain, and he's dating a beautiful woman, Sophia (Jazmin Stuart), who comes along for the ride. Manuel helps Luciano land a writing assignment, but it's uncomfortably obvious he's only helping his pal out of a sense of obligation and doesn't believe in his talent. As Luciano struggles to meet his deadline, Manuel is called away on business for a few days, and Sophia, a stranger in town, spends some time with Luciano while her boyfriend is away. Sophia finds Luciano's eccentricities endearing rather than annoying, and he soon realizes he has the opportunity to steal his friend's lover away. Los Paranoicos (aka The Paranoids) was an official entry at the 2008 Buenos Aires Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

291 ratings

Critics

36% liked it

11 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Gabriel Medina

Release Date: September 5, 2008

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DVD Release Date: May 1, 2010

Stats: 42 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (42)

  • sjeunette
    April 20, 2010
    sjeunette
    Gabriel Medina's wonderfully crafted debut feature is a fresh, visually innovative, and often hilarious glimpse into the lives of some very offbeat, yet human, characters.

    Thirty-something Luciano Gauna is odd. A failing screenwriter in Buenos Aires, Luciano lives in an almost i... read morentense state of paranoia, afraid of everything from STDs to even his doorman. When his childhood friend Manuel, a very successful TV producer, returns from Madrid with his stunning new girlfriend Sofia, his world is thrown into a near desperate funk. He discovers that Manuel has unflatteringly modeled him as the lead character on a successful Spanish TV show called THE PARANOIDS, which Manuel is now bringing to Argentina.

    When Manuel leaves on a business trip to Chile, Lucian's remaining grip on reality unravels when he's left alone with Sofia and her alluring charm.
  • kyjeunette
    April 20, 2010
    kyjeunette
    Gabriel Medina's wonderfully crafted debut feature is a fresh, visually innovative, and often hilarious glimpse into the lives of some very offbeat, yet human, characters.

    Thirty-something Luciano Gauna is odd. A failing screenwriter in Buenos Aires, Luciano lives in an almost i... read morentense state of paranoia, afraid of everything from STDs to even his doorman. When his childhood friend Manuel, a very successful TV producer, returns from Madrid with his stunning new girlfriend Sofia, his world is thrown into a near desperate funk. He discovers that Manuel has unflatteringly modeled him as the lead character on a successful Spanish TV show called THE PARANOIDS, which Manuel is now bringing to Argentina.

    When Manuel leaves on a business trip to Chile, Lucian's remaining grip on reality unravels when he's left alone with Sofia and her alluring charm.
  • sergei272
    March 10, 2010
    sergei272
    Oh, so much better than most of what's showing up in theaters these days. What a refreshing change of pace after Scorcese's over-funded self indulgence in Shutter Island and Polanski's lifeless Ghost Writer. Step aside, old men! I'll look forward to seeing more from Mr. Medi... read morena. And I completely agree about Daniel Hendler as well. Great perfomance.

    Danny themoviegoer-danny.blogspot.com

View All Los Paranoicos (The Paranoids) Reviews

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto
January 22, 2010
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Medina has taken a series of vignettes and fashioned them into a feature film as aimless as Luciano's life. Full Review

Stephen Holden
January 22, 2010
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Plays like a dawdling sitcom that strings together small incidents into not very much.

Frank Scheck
January 22, 2010
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

Wan Argentine comedy proves that not all slackers are inherently interesting. Full Review

Aaron Hillis
January 19, 2010
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice

Writer-director Gabriel Medina's chokingly offbeat debut is as aimless and confused as its prototypical slacker-comedy hero, who seems to have wandered into a glum dramedy with a hazy noirish aesthetic. Full Review

Kent Turner
January 27, 2010
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

Most of the time, this Argentinean film's pace and tone fall into a despondent, desultory state Full Review

Avi Offer
January 24, 2010
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

A somewhat meandering, but nonetheless engaging, refreshing and character-driven drama with just the right touch of offbeat comedy. Full Review

Steve Ramos
January 22, 2010
Steve Ramos, Boxoffice Magazine

The latest standout drama from the vibrant New Latino Cinema. Full Review

Ryan Stewart
January 22, 2010
Ryan Stewart, Slant Magazine

A frustratingly underdeveloped Argentinian dramedy about the perils of emotional retreat. Full Review

Scott Tobias
January 21, 2010
Scott Tobias, AV Club

With his feature debut, writer-director Gabriel Medina stops blessedly short of making a big generational statement, but The Paranoids does a fine job of evoking youth culture and attitudes in Buenos ... Full Review

David Fear
January 20, 2010
David Fear, Time Out New York

Medina is simply content to let the film's sub-Jarmusch vignettes slow-fizzle to their finishes. Full Review

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