Rent Restless (2011)
3.4 of 5 from 74 ratings
1h 27min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Restless is a love story between a young man (Henry Hopper) who has given up on life and a beautiful, charming voting girl (Mia Wasikowska) who possesses a deep-felt love of life d the natural world. When these two outsiders chance to meet at funeral they find an unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world.
- Actors:
- Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper, Ryô Kase, Schuyler Fisk, Lusia Strus, Jane Adams, Paul Parson, Thomas Lauderdale, Christopher D. Harder, Morgan Lee, Kenneth L. Peterson, William J. Eggleston, Chin Han, Jhon Goodwin, Kelleen Crawford, Meg Chamberlain, Sotirios Bakouros, Victor Morris, Strider Schmidt, Colton Lasater
- Directors:
- Gus Van Sant
- Producers:
- Brian Grazer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard
- Writers:
- Jason Lew
- Studio:
- Sony
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- The Instant Expert's Guide to Ron Howard
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Reviews (1) of Restless
Restless by Gus Van Sant - Restless review by JA
I loved this film about two people who do not seem to fit into society. They frequent funerals of people they do not know, each for their own reasons. He needs to come to terms with the death of his parents and she needs to face her own demise very soon, owing to she has a terminal illness. As the film progresses, their feelings for one another grow and they learn from each other, so becoming more rounded characters.
It is beautifully filmed and paced. We are not told what to feel but can make up our own minds. The acting is superb. A really great watch! I’d give this film full marks.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Restless review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso
A terminally ill teenage girl falls in love with a boy who is obsessed with attending funerals. Together this strange couple encounter the ghost of a Japanese Kamikaze pilot from World War Two.
Starring Alice in Wonderland (Mia Wasikowska) and the late Dennis Hopper’s son (Henry Hopper) Restless is a rather quiet romantic drama which seems to exist solely to allow Waskiowska and Hopper Jr the chance to showcase their talents.
Their performances are fairly impressive but unfortunately the movie isn’t really anything to write home about and as such the pair doesn’t get that great an opportunity to stretch their romantic muscles. It’s not a bad movie but it doesn’t achieve the tragedy and poignancy it was going for; instead it seems to have fallen in the inevitable trap of romantic dramas, the cliché and you wind up with a fairly standard indie romance.
The inclusion of the ghost character (played by Ryo Kase) was an interesting idea but doesn’t fulfil its purpose: being the thing that makes Restless stand out from the crowd. Instead it’s just a bit gimmicky and obvious; everyone learns their lessons from one another and it’s all terribly sad because she’s got this incurable disease that means they’ll never truly be able to reach the beautiful perfection that their relationship promises.
It’s not like that though, instead there’s this sick girl and a boy with a problem with morbidity and they kind of hit it off for an hour or so. I had high hopes when I read the synopsis of this movie but it just doesn’t sparkle the way it ought to and as such isn’t really worth the time.