Mister Lonely (2007)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Harmony Korine

Writers:

Harmony Korine (written by) &
Avi Korine (written by)

Release Date:

2 February 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson lookalike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin and her daughter, Shirley Temple. |

Plot Keywords:

Shirley Temple | Marilyn Monroe | Charlie Chaplin | Michael Jackson | Commune

Cast

Diego Luna	...	Michael Jackson
Samantha Morton	...	Marilyn Monroe
Denis Lavant	...	Charlie Chaplin
James Fox	...	The Pope
Werner Herzog	...	Father Umbrillo
Leos Carax	...	Renard
Richard Strange	...	Abraham Lincoln
Jason Pennycooke	...	Sammy Davis, Jr.
Anita Pallenberg	...	The Queen
Rachel Korine	...	Little Red Riding Hood
Joseph Morgan	...	James Dean
Melita Morgan	...	Madonna
Daniel Rovai	...	Moe Stooge
Nigel Cooper	...	Curly Stooge
Mal Whiteley	...	Larry Stooge
Esme Creed-Miles	...	Shirley Temple
Michael-Joel David Stuart	...	Buckwheat (as Michael Joel-Stuart)
Cerrlera	...	Man with Flowers
Britta Gartner	...	Nun
Camille De Pazzis	...	Nun 2 (as Camille de Piazzis)
David Blaine	...	Priest 2
Eve Korine	...	Nun
Elina Larrauga	...	Nun
Loreto Barcelo	...	Nun
Gundula Hofer	...	Nun
Sabina Ruiz	...	Nun
Lila Munro	...	Nun
Leslie Aldredge	...	Nun
Louisa Jones	...	Nun
Aralelly Davidson	...	Nun
Anyury Trotman	...	Nun
Mikeysha Calimoke	...	Nun
Sue Clark	...	Nun
Macia Zapata	...	Nun
Eric Cornet	...	Dunce on Paris Bus
Franck Milhan	...	Dunce on Paris Bus (as Franck Milihan)
Alisa Grace Greaves	...	Autograph Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Quentin Grosset	...	Le petit garçon (uncredited)

Directed by
Harmony Korine

Writing credits
Harmony Korine		(written by) &
Avi Korine		(written by)

Produced by
Charles-Marie Anthonioz	....	associate producer
Agnès B.	....	executive producer
Adam Bohling	....	co-producer
Ann Carli	....	associate producer
James Flynn	....	associate producer
Harmony Korine	....	producer
Richard Mansell	....	associate producer
Hengameh Panahi	....	associate producer
David Reid	....	co-producer
Nadja Romain	....	producer
Peter Watson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jason Spaceman
The Sun City Girls

Cinematography by
Marcel Zyskind

Film Editing by
Valdís Óskarsdóttir
Paul Zucker

Casting by
Sarah Crowe

Production Design by
Richard Campling

Art Direction by
Johnny Campling

Costume Design by
Judy Shrewsbury

Makeup Department
Jo Allen	....	hair designer
Jo Allen	....	makeup designer
Mark English	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Dean O'Toole	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sonia Delhaye	....	trainee assistant director
James Hagger	....	first assistant director
Anna Sheldrake	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Robert Crewe	....	construction manager
Josh Fifarek	....	set designer
Alex Raine	....	assistant art director
Lee Whiteman	....	props
Lee Whiteman	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Julie Ankerson	....	foley artist
Vincent Arnardi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tim Barker	....	sound recordist: Panama crew
Thomas Bernard	....	sound recordist
Ben Brazier	....	sound editor
Simon Bysshe	....	playback operator
Simon Bysshe	....	sound assistant
Adam Davidson	....	adr recordist
Jamie Gambell	....	sound mixer
Loïc Gourbe	....	sound recordist
Ben Greaves	....	boom operator
Mathew Knights	....	sound re-recording mixer
Julien Perez	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bruno Seznec	....	mastering
Anna Sulley	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
Paul Beard	....	visual effects line producer
Simon Carr	....	visual effects design: Men-from-Mars
Adam Christopher	....	digital colourist
Emma Clifton	....	digital effects artist
Harriet Donington	....	visual effects producer
Simon Frame	....	visual effects supervisor
Lionel Heath	....	compositor: Men from Mars
Rick Leach	....	rotoscoper
Tom Pegg	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Jens Lund-Larsen	....	best boy
Richard Miles	....	electrician
Jacob Østergaard	....	gaffer
Brent Stewart	....	photographer
Juergen Teller	....	photographer
Simon Tindall	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Cassandra King	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alan Flyng	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Andrew Haigh	....	first assistant editor
Jamie Rogers	....	trainee assistant editor
Matthew Streatfield	....	assistant editor
Alex Panton	....	digital intermediate producer (uncredited)

Music Department
Liz Gallacher	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Freya Beales	....	production assistant
Laure Bregevin	....	script supervisor: UK and France
Catia Di Giorgio	....	production coordinator
Samantha Gardner	....	production secretary
Paul Harris	....	choreographer
Richard Lormand	....	unit publicist
Richard McNeill	....	production accountant
Sylvia Parker	....	script supervisor
Manuel Pouet	....	location scout
Tracey Taylor	....	assistant post-production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Abner Benaim	....	special thanks
Laura De Casto	....	very special thanks
Joshua Elrod	....	special thanks (as Elbone)
Alainée Kent	....	special thanks
Alexandra Stone	....	thanks

Production Companies

• GAGA (in association with) (as GAGA)
• Film4 (in association with)
• Love Streams Productions (in co-production with)
• Agnès b. Productions (in co-production with)
• Recorded Picture Company (RPC) (in co-production with)
• arte France Cinéma (in co-production with)
• O' Salvation (as An O'SALVATION Production)
• Fuzzy Bunny Films (I)

Distributors

• Kino Bez Granits (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Shellac Distribution (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Canana Films (2009) (Mexico) (all media)

Other Companies

• Fuji Photo Film  motion picture film supplied by
• MJ Knights Military Effects  armourer
• Malde & Co.  financial consultants
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK | France | Ireland | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | Australia:M | Mexico:B15 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Bocas del Toro, Panama

Company:

GAGA

Trivia:

In an interview with a newspaper in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn., Harmony Korine stated that he made several trips to Iceland to scout locations for the film. He ended up ditching that idea altogether and shooting the film in Scotland and France.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The shape of the nuns' parachutes are visible as they are falling from the plane.

Quotes:

The Pope: Do they not know that their little arms are too short to box with God?

Bright Moments in a Patchy Film

MISTER LONELY is that sort of film that pleads to be loved. It has an original concept for a plot, it takes many visual and surreal chances, and it is populated with a lovable cast who seem to be having fun with the process. Harmony Korine both wrote (with Avi Korine) and directed this pastiche about people who, frustrated with reality, live their lives as impersonators of famous people. When it works it is delightful: when it gets bogged down with a self-conscious script it falls flat.

'Mister Lonely' (beautifully depicted in the opening sequences under the credits as a child who cannot be what he is told to be) is a young man who takes on the persona of Michael Jackson (Diego Luna), performing dance movements on the streets of Paris as a busker. He encounters a like person who lives impersonating Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton) and before long the two are off to a Highlands commune in Scotland, populated with full time impersonators such as a foul-mouthed Abraham Lincoln (Richard Strange), Charlie Chaplin (Denis Lavant), The Pope (James Fox), Father Umbrillo (Werner Herzog), Sammy Davis, Jr. (Jason Pennycooke), the current Queen Elizabeth (Anita Palenberg), Little Red Riding Hood (Rachel Korine), James Dean (Joseph Morgan), Madonna (Melita Morgan), and flying nuns among others. The story is less a plot than a celebration touched with a bit a angst of how the unnoticed people in the world find a source of belonging by embracing imagination.

The film is choppy and loses some of its potential allure from the editing. The cinematography by Marcel Zyskind captures some truly beautiful moments and the musical score by Jason Spaceman with the Sun City Girls adds a lyrical air to this surreal romp. For lovers of Harmony Korine this movie will please. For viewers with limited attention spans (running time is 112 minutes) the film begs indulgence. Grady Harp