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Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, Dave Jensen, Mike Malone, David Jensen ... see more see more... , Eddie Jemison , Katherine La Nasa , Liann Pattison , Scott Allen , Silas Cooper

After years of making movies in the fringes of the Hollywood system after his debut success sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh made Schizopolis as, in his own words, an artistic "wak... read more read more...e-up call to himself." The result is a discombobulated, irreverent, comedic meta-movie, a cinematic hall of mirrors nearly impossible to describe. Soderbergh wrote, directed, photographed, edited, and even stars in the film as Fletcher Munson, a disillusioned paper-pusher assigned to write a deliberately meaningless speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters, an L. Ron Hubbard-esque self-help guru whose new book Eventualism is a bestseller. His heart isn't in it, however, so he spends most of his time either masturbating in the employee bathroom, avoiding calls from people who want to hire him as a company spy, or listening to the paranoid delusions of his office chum, Nameless Numberhead Man. Intertwined with Munson's attempt to write glib diatribes are numerous asides and subplots. Best of all is the story of Elmo Oxygen: an orange-jumpsuit wearing bug exterminator who appears to be sleeping with several of his customers, including T. Azimuth Schwitters' wife. At one point, Elmo is coerced into leaving Schizopolis, mid-scene, to join another movie. Convoluted and playful as the movie is, there is some method to Soderbergh's madness. The various plot threads, though loosely wound to the core, do in fact lead to some understanding of the disorders, communication problems, and frustrations at the heart of contemporary life. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi

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79% liked it

4,697 ratings

Critics

59% liked it

17 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: December 31, 1996

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DVD Release Date: October 30, 2003

Stats: 301 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (301)

  • 366weirdmovies
    February 26, 2012
    366weirdmovies
    Basically a series of absurd sketches, like a feature film made by a TV comedy troupe, with a thin organizing plot thread involving a man straining to write a big speech for a cultlike figure modeled on L. Ron Hubbard. Full of ideas that are usually more clever than funny---e.g.,... read more the running joke satirizing lack of communication between men and women by having the characters speak jibberish, generic phrases, or different languages---but it should prove interesting and inventive enough to keep smart people watching to the end. Director Steven Soderbergh comes onscreen before the story starts and tells us, "In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything." So, you've been warned.
  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A truly strange film, it makes no sense and makes total sense all at the same time. Steven Soderbergh, at the top of his game, handles directing, editing, scoring, camerawork and the lead role in this comedic oddity.
  • FrizzDrop
    January 19, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    A satire towards films that lean towards the pretentious; Schizopolis is a mishmash of a knowing of all things narrator, several different roles all portrayed by Steven Soderbergh, dubbing in three languages, bottomless elderly men, and a start and finish that will have you in pe... read moreals of laughter. Mostly great for the humor, and artistic value, where you could find it, this basically unknown film is a treat to watch.
  • kenstachnik
    June 25, 2008
    kenstachnik
    The closest thing I can compare this too is Monty Python, but as if filtered through David Lynch and Jean Luc Godard.

    Really funny parts, really odd in others.
  • Stinger839
    February 26, 2008
    Stinger839
    Love this film. Met the sound engineer, and Soderbergh's regular sound guy since sex lies & videotape, Larry Blake. This is an out-there movie for people who love image, symbolism, montage, and astounding sound mixing. Slightly inexplicable in terms of its plot, but basically eve... read morerything builds around an important man making an important speech and makes some damn amazing detours on the way. My favorite scene involves people's dialog slipping in and out of different languages, in different chronological order, speaking backwards, all kinds of great stuff. Plus some great send-ups to the pop videography of the early 90s with the bug exterminator's segments.
  • timandterrybarker
    February 14, 2007
    timandterrybarker
    This movie defies description. It's great fun to watch, even if you don't understand what's going on.
  • mattsigur1
    June 23, 2010
    mattsigur1
    It has its moments, but most of this is just throwing material on the wall and seeing what sticks. For me, a lot of it was annoying and didn't stick. Kudos to Soderbergh. His performances were the saving grace of this otherwise thin film.
  • threefolddado
    March 22, 2008
    threefolddado
    A one of a kind comedy about communication from Steven Soderbergh. To quote the movie: "If you don't get it, it's your fault. You should watch it over and over again until you do."
  • cacutshaw
    January 28, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Stephen Soderbergh's second first fillm is the best he's ever done and one of the best movies ever made.
  • muesli2005
    February 4, 2012
    muesli2005
    i give it 4 because it could have been so much worse. I think what I like the most is that this film doesn't even attempt to entertain in a conventional way. It's so personal, it feels like we're eavesdropping on S. Soderbergh's thoughts.

View All Schizopolis Reviews

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Exasperating as it is, Schizopolis has a deliberateness almost interesting enough to offset its sophomoric streak. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Schizopolis represents a minor act of self-indulgence on the part of the sometimes eccentric Steven Soderbergh but results in major tedium for the viewer. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's fresh, unexpected and goofy. It's not a smart career move, just a film that its director wanted to make for some crazy reason, and he made it. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
July 4, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Though funny and observant at times, it still comes across as a strained juvenile guerilla movie whose bizarre antics never caught fire. Full Review

Jay Antani
September 3, 2010
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer

a filmmaking exercise from someone eager to stretch his legs, do something goofy, and experiment, all of which Soderbergh does without losing his audience Full Review

Emanuel Levy
November 29, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Soderbergh's "smallest" film is also one of his most personal and original, a biting satire of modern life and marriage that he wrote, directed, lensed, and starred in; though fractured and uneven, it... Full Review

Dan Jardine
August 22, 2004
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide

Taken as a whole, the film fails to maintain the consistent absurd tone it is aiming for. Full Review

Dan Jardine
June 23, 2004
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

At once an astute study of the banality of modern life and a banal student film wrapped around a series of inside jokes. Full Review

Chris Barsanti
November 10, 2003
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com

moderately funny and seriously skewed Full Review

Nick Davis
January 10, 2003
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

Schizopolis is by no means an epochal event, but it's clever and offbeat, well worth appreciating on its own proper terms. Full Review

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