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Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich, Maribel Verdu, Carmen Maura, Klaus Maria Brandauer

On the heels of the self-financed, modestly budgeted 2007 drama Youth Without Youth -- his first directorial outing after a ten-year hiatus -- filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola remains situated in the di... read more read more...rector's chair for this semi-autobiographical family drama concerning an artistic family of immigrants whose fierce rivalries span several generations. Vincent Gallo stars with newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, with Carmen Maura, Maribel Verdú, and Alden Ehrenreich rounding out the cast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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99 critics

R, 2 hr. 7 min.

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date: June 11, 2009

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DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (599)

  • blkbomb
    November 1, 2011
    blkbomb
    Carlo: What has happened to our family? 
    Bennie: Rivalry. 

    "Every family has a past."

    Tetro is a beautifully shot and acted film. It is filmed in black and white against, with Argentina as a setting. The career of Francis Ford Coppola is filled with masterpieces and a couple di... read moresasters, most notably Jack. Tetro is in-between. It is incredibly well made, but comes off as a little overly artsy at times. I enjoyed it, but I can see it being a little off-putting. 

    The story concerns two brothers. Bennie is the youngest, and is sensitive and emotional. The other is Tetro, who is the oldest and seems mean spirited in the beginning, but as we learn the back story it makes more and more sense. The two brothers haven't seen each other in a decade, when Bennie shows up at Tetro's apartment. Tetro had left for a writing sabbatical, leaving a note for Bennie, saying he would come back and get him. That never happened and Bennie is hurt by it. He just wants to be close to his brother, but Tetro left the family a long time ago. They strike up some sort of relationship as we slowly piece together the family's story. It all leads to a plot, I don't want to say twist, but sharp right turn would work.

    Everything about the movie is beautiful. The scenery, the cinematography, the performances from Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehenreich, and Maribel Verdú, and of course Coppola's signature touch. The only real problem I have with the movie is there's about a twenty to thirty minute period in the middle that just dragged. But the beginning and ending are great.

    What you need to know about the movie is that it is extremely slow and relies much more on character, over plot. It could easily come off as boring, but it is always marvelous to look at. Plus Vincent Gallo always keeps the viewer interested.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    September 29, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    When is this fucking picture supposed to take place? 1970's? 1940's? now? judging by Vincent's outfits, it should be 1979, except he dresses like that everyday on and off the sets of movies. i think his mother brought him home from the hospital with women's bell-bottoms and red b... read moreoots on. its pretty funny to watch him in 90% of his scenes with an unlit cigarette in his mouth and it just sits there like a funny hat. he moves it around with his teeth, takes it in and out between words, and the few times you see him light it, no smoke comes out of his mouth. so i think he's trying some of those new toothpicks that are designed to look like cigarettes. he doesn't smoke in real life. as a Vincenzo obsessor, i can say this is one of his best works in terms of just being an italian prick. this is also apparently the first film he had rehearsed for, which shows because you can see the prickiness in his eyes in every shot. and when he lights his cigarettes and doesn't even take the energy to inhale, you can just tell he fucking hates people really hard. Vincent Gallo mumbles the word "asshole" in his sleep.
  • fb576007796
    June 8, 2011
    fb576007796
    Absolutely stunning
  • nelsonpickens
    November 15, 2010
    nelsonpickens
    "Tetro" is unlike any of Francis Ford Coppola's other movies because it comes for a very personal place. Even if this sometimes comes off as pretentious, we are however dealing with very real people who aren't always going to say and do what we would. Vincent Gallo gives a near p... read moreerfect performance and shows that he is a truly amazing actor when given the right script and character. Its greatest accomplishment is creating the setting of 1950's Italy in 2008 Buenos Aires. Whether it was intended or not this is the greatest effort in making a nostalgia Neo-Realism movie, because at some times it feels like its 40 or 50 years old. You can tell that this was a very personal project for Coppola, and its simplistic nature proves that you don't need the deep pockets of Hollywood to make an exceptionally good movie.
  • gor41
    October 13, 2010
    gor41
    Achingly pretensious artsy musings which doesn't earn its overblown melodramatic ending. The black and white cinematography obscures more than it reveals but it has an interesting mix of music. Gallo was made for this sort of thing but merely adds to its rarified air. Avant garde... read more theatre lovers only need see this.
  • DrZeek
    August 11, 2010
    DrZeek
    Tetro: You stay away from me, got it?
    Bennie: Whatever you say, Angie...
    Tetro: Angie is dead. My name is Tetro.

    A beautifully shot drama about two people struggling to remain a family. Fantastic cinematography accompanies this wonderfully personal film from director Francis Fo... read morerd Coppola, who has crafted a film complete with great characters and a rich setting, and some dream sequences not withstanding.

    The week of his 18th birthday, Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich), who's a waiter on a cruise ship, has a layover in Buenos Aires. He seeks out his older brother, Tetro (Vincent Gallo), whom he hasn't seen in years. Tetro, who lives with Miranda (Maribel Verdu), is a burned-out case; he's hot and cold toward his brother, introducing him as a "friend," refusing to talk about their family, telling Bennie not to tell Miranda who their father is. Thoughts of their father cast a shadow over both brothers. Who is he, and what past has Tetro left behind? Bennie finds pages of Tetro's unfinished novel, and he pushes both to know his own history and to become a part of his brother's life again.

    Tetro: Why'd you find me?
    Bennie: Everything I've loved or been interested in has been because of you. You disappeared, without even an explanation...

    So this is in fact the first original film that Coppola has made since back in 1974, when he made The Conversation. I find Coppola to be a very interesting individual. Besides the 90s, where he was literally taking on films for the money (Jack), as his studio has had trouble, Coppola is one of the very few big name filmmakers who only makes films that he has a passion for and does so completely independently. He once again does so here, with a non-star name cast, little production values (besides some special effects for dreams), and a small scale and personal story. Despite the fact that the events occurring in this film didn't necessarily happen to him, its the kind of story that certainly reflects his state of mind in a sense, which becomes apparent in the story. (Hope that makes sense, essentially, Coppola has made a personal story out of non personal events).

    Casting Vincent Gallo as the lead was an interesting choice, but despite his actual persona, his work as an actor is still very good. Gallo works wonderfully here, as the brother who has chosen to become a lost soul, within the confines of this story, which feels like a Greek tragedy. Eherenreich as Bennie is equally good, and Verdu (who I loved in Pan's Labyrinth) also brings skill to the proceedings.

    The star of this film is really the cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. who shoots the film is gorgeous black and white photography, within the land of Buenos Aires, and provides some richly colorful sequences via flashbacks and dreams. The photography in this film is truly great, but it certainly helps that the story is quite good as well.

    As the film mainly deals with a family's struggle, the whole thing stretches on a bit without much being at stake here. It's deliberately paced, but still went on over 2 hours. This is a minor quibble however, as I was really drawn into this film do to its performances and the look especially.

    Bennie: [referring to Tetro's play] So what was it about?
    Tetro: Rivalry.
    Bennie: You're writing the story of our father...
  • dunmyer
    July 6, 2009
    dunmyer
    "Tetro," the new film from cinema legend Francis Copppola, is immensely creative visually, but the story is not that interesting. Coppola seems to be more interested in cinematography these days than in stories. This weakness in story development also marred his last film, "Youth... read more Without Youth," which was a visual masterpiece.

    "Tetro" is about a family of artists and musicians plagued with egotism and dysfunction. The main character (Vincent Gallo) goes by the nickname Tetro, which is a shortened version of his last name. His father, a world-famous orchestra conductor played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, is a narcissistic nutcase bent on devouring his children, particularly his eldest son (Gallo).

    Tetro's teenage half-brother (played by a talented and spectacularly beautiful newcomer, Alden Ehrenreich) travels from New York to Buenos Aires to find his estranged brother, whom he idolizes. The film focuses most of its attention on the reunion of these two brothers in Buenos Aires. Occasional flashbacks give the audience more information about the family's severe problems.

    A major twist at the end throws into question the paternity of some of the characters. But by then I was so irritated by most members of the family, that I wanted to wash my hands of them rather than learn more about them. I felt quite exasperated by their petty feuds. But it still was a pleasure to watch a cinema master like Coppola at work.
  • hypathio7
    September 8, 2009
    hypathio7
    Life imitates Art imitates Life imitates Art imitates Life... or something like that in this vaguely autobiographical work. Maybe I've got that backwards!

    Coppola draws explicit inspiration from Powell's and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffman. I think he also rips a shot (invo... read morelving a puzzling ax) from his own Dementia 13 that he did for Roger Corman. Though he transplants his artistic family's Italian heritage to the Argentinian art scene, the movie still feels very European. With the use of black and white photography for the present plot developments mixed with fanciful dance scenes telling Tetro's story, the movie seemed inspired by Fellini too. And Bennie Tetrocini has a surprise connection with Luke Skywalker.

    I thought the camera work was very artsy. Right up until the last 5 or 10 minutes I thought the story was well developed. It left me feeling unsatisfied in those last moments. The performances were strong across the board. Gallo plays a writer who has distanced himself from his family and taken on the nickname Tetro. He has some dark troubling memories that he attempts to therapeutically turn into a script, but he will not publish the work, so the demons of his family stay closed up inside him as the script stays closed up inside some suitcases. Ehrenreich (his face will likely remind you of a couple other actors) plays Bennie. Bennie comes to visit his brother Tetro, whom he wants to emulate, and to uncover the family history that caused Tetro to leave. It is Bennie who finds Tetro's coded script in a suitcase. Verdu was wonderfully strong and nurturing as Tetro's girlfriend (practically wife), Miranda. Miranda fills a motherly role to both men. Brandauer is properly intimidating and sympathetic (in a dual role) as the patriarch of the family, Carlo Tetrocini, and his brother, Alfie Tetrocini. Lastly I'd like to mention Maura plays the snooty and mysterious critic, Alone, well too.

    The plot involves Bennie slowly learning about Tetro's life in the present and the past. On the surface, it's a coming of age adventure for Bennie. But there's more than that. When Bennie reads Tetro's script the movie shifts to flashbacks in color and often ballet sequences that illustrate the conflicts and loves of the Tetrocini family past. The story involves three major male relationships: the brothers, Alfie and Carlo; father and son, Carlo and Tetro; and the "brothers," Tetro and Bennie. The movie is really about how the relationships parallel in interesting ways. In each relationship, one man has stolen something from the other. In the most developed and troubled relationship between Tetro and his father, both men steal things of extreme value from each other. It is all very intriguing to uncover this family mystery and see if history will repeat itself yet again. I expected something more explosive to happen at the end, but it surprisingly never materialized, so the movie felt a little unfulfilled. Still there were many excellent things about it.
  • gator681
    July 5, 2009
    gator681
    "Tetro" starts simply enough with Bennie(Alden Ehrenreich), 2 days short of his eighteenth birthday and working on a cruise ship as a bus boy, making an impromptu visit to his older half-brother Tetro, ne Angelo(Vincent Gallo), in Buenos Aires. Tetro lives with Miranda(Mirabel V... read moreerdu) who rescued him off the scrap heap of a mental institution where in his madness he was writing a roman a clef about his father(Klaus Maria Brandauer), a famous conductor. Nowadays, he does not want to talk about his family, having ambiguous feelings about Bennie's visit. On the other hand, Bennie wants desperately to know why Tetro did not fulfill his promise to return to rescue him.

    While not making movies that are ambitious in scale anymore, Francis Ford Coppola is still making ones that are ambitious in thought. His previous "Youth without Youth" was concerned with mortality and what we are able to accomplish in our lifetimes. "Tetro" is about what family means, especially in the shadow of a famous person(Tetro's father reminds him in a flashback that there can only be one genius in a family) and what is left behind in one's wake. As strikingly constructed as the film is with the present day in black and white and the past in color, honoring classic technicolor films like "The Red Shoes," the story also has more than its share of contrivances. However, Vincent Gallo finally gives a performance very much worth noting.
  • xas5
    January 3, 2011
    xas5
    Vincent Gallo is easily one of my favorite new actor discoveries. His performance in "Tetro" is masterful! Coppola continues his brilliant directing to this day and I have a feeling Gallo and Coppola were inspirational together. I will eventually need to own this film.

View All Tetro Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips
July 6, 2010
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Unabashedly theatrical and richly cinematic, even when it's falling apart... Full Review

Stephen Cole
August 14, 2009
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

While Coppola seems revitalized by quoting from movies he studied at UCLA film school, what ultimately makes Tetro so compelling is the filmmaker's return to the motifs that made his 1970s films power... Full Review

Peter Howell
August 14, 2009
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

What makes it eminently watchable is the craft. Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. films in luscious widescreen monochrome that looks almost wet. Osvaldo Golijov's score is another pleasure. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
July 31, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

It is interesting. Better, it is quite possibly great. Full Review

Colin Covert
July 16, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tetro percolates with energy and bawdy knockabout humor. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
July 10, 2009
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Visually inventive, narratively edgy, and unlike anything else. Full Review

Peter Rainer
June 19, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Coppola has made some of the greatest films ever made in traditional narrative mode, but whenever he goes into his indie-outsider dance, he stumbles badly. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 19, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The movie is alive from beginning to end, and it's a pleasure to see at least one big-name director get out of the prison of his own reputation. Full Review

Wesley Morris
June 18, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Coppola is still very much alive. Full Review

John Anderson
June 18, 2009
John Anderson, Washington Post

Tetro has no internal tension and should have been a comedy. Full Review

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