Playtime

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Henry R @xanadu2300 Mar 31 Wow! There is no real plot to speak of. It is more of a day-in-the-life movie that follows various characters through 24 hours in 1960's Paris. The scenes are complex and you have to choose which character or action to follow at any given moment. Most of the time, the background is far more interesting than what may appear to be the focus of the scene. Visually stunning and amazingly choreographed! There is so much going on in every single frame of this movie that you could not possibly catch everything in one viewing. I am looking forward to revisiting this already. See more Lasse L @RT62932725 Mar 1 A different approach to film with so much emphasis on space and sound. Perhaps not exactly what I was looking for, but the effort that went into this is undeniable - I know there are a thousand things I missed. See more Man Z. @armanrezi Oct 30 What a genius movies See more Tom F @RT55173143 Aug 22 I greatly appreciate the dedication to elaborate extended gags and Tati’s deadpan reaction to modern Paris, but not all of it resonates to me in 2025 and most of the prolonged bits lose me after a while. See more Allan C @RT15713161 07/18/2025 A bomb financially and critically upon its initial release, this film has grown in reputation over the years. Director/star Jaques Tati crafted a film that is a perfect example of pure cinema. What I mean by that is it’s a cinematic experience that could not be told in any other medium. It would not work as a book, or a graphic novel, or any other art form. It only works on celluloid and is an absolute visual marvel, telling its story with moving images in a way that is pure movie magic! As with Tati’s prior films, MON UNCLE and MR. HULOT’S HOLIDAY, this film is primarily visual comedy that is not concerned with narrative storytelling and is basically a series of loosely connected visual set-pieces. The film has Tati’s Monsieur Hulot character struggling to navigate the ultra-modern 1960s Paris office buildings. It’s essentially a silent comedy that’s a thematic update of Chaplin’s MODERN TIMES, where the individual is lost amongst the means of production, which is no longer Chaplin’s factory assembly line, but is now the brutalist architecture, endless cubicles, and efficiencies that are not really efficient, which populate this nightmare of modernity. The film’s production design is a marvel, as is the photography. Tati literally built his own city blocks on the outskirts of Paris, nicknamed by the crew “Tativille,” complete with roads and multiple buildings. The film is in vivid color, even if the color scheme is primarily a monochromatic series of black, grey, and whites, but the visuals absolutely pop! The images on the screen are endlessly watchable, and you cannot take your eyes off what you’re seeing before you! The visuals are striking right up to the last frame. It’s a film I wish I were able to see in the theater on the big screen, but I’m not sure that’ll ever happen. While a good number of critics consider this film amongst the greatest films ever made, I’m not a huge fan of French comedies, so the comic bits were hit or miss for me. Some of them work marvelously and equal the best gags of Keaton, Lloyd, or Chaplin. I laughed out loud multiple times, even though I watched the film by myself.  However, other bits were tedious, dragged on for too long, and were just not all that funny. Comedy is subjective, so for me, the film was not consistently funny throughout, as are the best comedies (that would be SOME LIKE IT HOT, SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS, RAISING ARIZONA, and DAZED & CONFUSED). Still, despite not every bit working as well as others, the film is a masterpiece that is a must-see for anyone who considers themselves a cinephile.  AI CAPSULE REVIEW: A dazzling visual masterpiece that redefines what cinema can be, PlayTime is a stunning, meticulously crafted experience—though its abstract comedy may not land for everyone. Even when the laughs are uneven, the film’s breathtaking imagery and ambition make it essential viewing for serious film lovers. See more Ruth A @RT96111915 07/12/2025 Unique! Fascinating film, with minimal conversation - a sort of very sophisticated slapstick. I've really never seen anything like it. Despite minimal conversation and no clear plot, every scene held my interest. It is a little longer than it needs to be (for example the restaurant scenes) for this kind of film, but that's a minor complaint. The "choreography" of up to 35 or 40 people onscreen at once is amazing! I highly recommend it, especially for people who would like to see a highly unusual film. See more Read all reviews

Playtime

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