The Pleasure of Being Robbed (2008) Reviews

• It's not for everyone

  edge5472016-12-02

  Not much happens in this movie. It's merely a glimpse into the life of a young woman living in New York, walking around somewhat aimlessly and stealing people's purses and car keys, out of boredom if for no other reason. I like the idea of a film giving us a close-up view of an unfamiliar character's life in that kind of manner. It's different from the same old high-concept stories we're used to seeing. And here it is done in such a great way and wonderfully edited to the point that I thoroughly enjoyed it and never found it boring. However, it's not for everyone. I know a lot of people will hate this film for the exact reasons that I loved it, because not much happens. The acting, in particular, is very good. It feels like these are professional actors with years of experience, despite the film's obviously tiny budget. I would say that it is the most well-acted film of such a low budget. It doesn't even feel like they're acting. It feels like they're real people, perhaps in a documentary but unaware that they're being filmed or followed. At one point in the movie, the lead character visits a zoo and gets close to a polar bear. When she's near the bear, it is clearly fake, as safety concerns would not allow her to be unprotected within feet of a dangerous animal. The fake bear is not at all well-done. I got the idea that they were trying to make it look real, but eventually gave up and accepted the fact that it was clearly a puppet and didn't even try to fix it. They just went with it. It felt like they should have cut that scene but perhaps decided that it was more charming. In any case, it certainly doesn't ruin the movie, especially considering that it is kind of a dreamlike scene that wasn't supposed to be real life. Another thing I liked about the film was its length at just over an hour. I felt like that was perfect for the story it was telling and I feel like a lot more films would be better if they had similar running times, as opposed to trying to squeeze an extra twenty minutes into a movie for the mere sake of making it longer because someone decided a long time ago that all feature films, regardless of their story, should be between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half hours long. I liked this movie quite a bit, but I know many will disagree with my assessment. But if you want to risk it and find out if it's the film for you, it's a pretty safe wager, because even if you hate it, you will have wasted just a little more than an hour of your time.

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• Beautiful Film (or, what's with all the vicious reviews?) Possible Spoilers

  jackn602010-03-11

  She's the only one that takes heart to a man that says "hello, handsome; hello beautiful" to every person he comes into contact with. She meets an acquaintance on the street as she's looking to steal a car. He obliges to help her, and together they go for a random all-night drive to Boston. It's about 20 minutes into the escapade before he says, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while." She sees a man walking a purse as if it's a dog. At the film's climax, she's caught. Except, she doesn't try to run away (which she easily could have done). She says, "I just want to look through it" over and over again. That simple dialogue alone reveals her motivations for what she does but still leaving tons of mystery. She is not a sociopath. A sociopath has no interest in how others feel. She goes as far as to rob other people to know them. And I don't understand the hate that some of these reviews convey. If anything, I would think that some of them have to be jokes. To criticize this movie for having no plot or character development is absurd. It's the moments of this random woman's life (a character you've never seen before... she's seemingly thoughtless, passionate, vivacious) This is such a moving film, with too many beautiful moments to name (I hate that I can't name them all). If these images and moments fail to affect most viewers (and by other reviews, it seems to have done so), then I feel sorry for those people for missing out on so much. Last example: at one point a man is shown filming his son at the playground. The father tells him to fill up his pale with sand and run it down the slide. The son says it's "dumb and weird." The father says it "No, it will be cool for our movie."

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• I enjoyed it

  aeriexane2011-05-18

  I've seen a lot of terrible reviews about this movie, and I don't really understand why. It's not a terrible movie for the masses, it fits a select few tastes. If you like Sofia Coppola type films, realistic feel without begin reality or a fake documentary, than you will probably like this one. Don't go into it expecting an amazing plot line, and a twist ending, because than you will be disappointed. I think the cinematography was done beautifully. They got the right, and the wrong angles, in all the right ways. You almost feel as you are following her around and getting a real time look into someone else's life. I don't want to give too much away, but I would give the movie a chance before you decided to hate it. Watch the trailer - so you get the basic idea of what kind of film it is.

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• For Fans of Slacker

  gabrilliant1232008-10-04

  Seemingly unaware of itself, The Pleasure of Being Robbed, floats along each frame in a similar fashion that Eleonore does. Not for a second is the film pretentious as one may think after reading a brief description; there is no judgment on Eleonore. We follow and watch her as she goes through her day, stealing smiles, hugs, and kittens from strangers. It is intriguing and (seemingly) unconscious in the same ways Richard Linklater's Slacker is, and with this said, it is likely those who did not find Slacker appealing would not be interested in The Pleasure of Being Robbed. (This review is coming from someone who is in love with Slacker so...) But it is more intimate than Slacker is; in Slacker, we only get a couple of minutes with each character; with The Pleasure of Being Robbed, we get 71 minutes. With this said, it is not a continuation of Slacker; it stands on its' own as a piece of art. Eleonore is essentially a child. She tip-toes around (literally, in some instances), looking as though she is singing something in her head and giggles and smiles to herself. She has little inhibition and thus, feels the right to steal from people in order to peak into their lives and create another self. In the spirit of Arthur Rimbaud, "I is someone else," for her. And just the way people love children for not restraining themselves with certain actions, they know it is also selfish. Her character is both beautiful and sad; both distant and relate-able. I saw this film at the IFC in New York City and the director and the woman who played Eleonore were there after (along with the other makers of the film) answering questions. I was pleasantly surprised at how honest Josh Safdie (the director) was in his answers. He was completely genuine and modest, and seemed excited, going on digressions. It was a nice change in a place that is often overwhelmed by pretentious, arrogant, aspiring filmmakers.

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• A different reading. Actual pleasure.

  benspecial2008-06-29

  I saw this film at Cannes twice and I can't seem to either get away from it or get it out of my mind. I keep thinking about the surface nature of the main character Eleonore in the beginning and throughout. But what is crazy is she knows it. It is not that she is annoying. I Think it is sad to see someone hide their true emotions. She smiles and you wonder why is she smiling, It is uncomfortable to be in the room. These are negative qualities and that is why they are on film (and yes beautiful 16 mm, finally!). They are just an exaggerated type of personality that forces us to see what we all sometimes fall victim too, too big a self-conscience. She is a great thief, but she is not really stealing. She just wants to learn more about people because she is afraid, or unwilling, to say hello in a genuine way. At times I didn't like her but so what? Film is not about feeling comfortable, it is about thinking about how you can change parts of yourself. When I didn't like her or what she is doing, I asked myself why? And that is what I liked. I liked also seeing the other people in New york who don't have her problem. Heck, there is a guy walking around saying how beautiful everything is. And wait, here we see her wonder what that life might be like. Also, when she listens to the trumpet playing, I Thought how sad, she realizes her faults. Sometimes you can't change them (Having been in therapy I should know, haha). Thanks for showing me the pains of holding back, and the beauty of letting it out.

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