← Back to results
The Man from Elysian Fields
2001 106 min United States of America R 18+
★6.4
Drama, Romance
Director: George Hickenlooper
Trailers
Description
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
Budget:
$6.5M
US Gross:
$1.44M
Worldwide:
$2.01M
Starring
Andy Garcia
Actor
Mick Jagger
Actor
Julianna Margulies
Actor
Key opinion
The Man from Elysian Fields is a character-driven drama that resonates with viewers for its philosophical exploration of integrity and the struggle for success in a market-obsessed society. While the central performances are widely praised, the film suffers from unfocused subplots and a pacing that feels uneven due to unnecessary padding.
| Acting | Andy Garcia delivers a departure from his usual tough-guy roles, portraying the struggling writer with an unusually gentle and nuanced vulnerability. | |
| Acting | James Coburn anchors the central love triangle with a rugged, compelling performance that elevates the film's dramatic tension. | |
| The film offers a poignant examination of the ethical cost of abandoning intellectual and moral standards to survive in a society that fetishizes material success. | ||
| Pacing | The runtime feels bloated, as the director includes extraneous subplots and screen time for secondary characters that distract from the core narrative. | |
| Ending | While some viewers appreciate the character-focused exploration of the protagonist's descent, others find the shift toward a sappy, conventional ending to be a disappointment. |