Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd are perfectly cast in this romcom, based on Nick Hornby’s novel about an indie rock obsession that leads to romance.
A winsome screwball love story that grows on you and takes you somewhere charming… It leaves you completely happy you met the people in it.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2018
Juliet, Naked 2018
Annie (Rose Byrne) has long tolerated her partner Duncan’s (Chris O’Dowd) obsession with the obscure rocker Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), but she’s reaching the end of her tether. Crowe had a following in the 1990s, but he disappeared after a mid-show breakdown, to become the subject of rumour and legend ever since – at least to those who care.
No one cares more than Duncan, who runs a fan forum for similar obsessives around the world. When a previously unknown demo of a Crowe album emerges after 25 years, Annie finally takes to Duncan’s forum with a withering review. Amongst the startled readers there’s one Tucker Crowe. Perfectly cast, Jesse Peretz’s film nails Hornby’s smart, pop culture obsessed, emotionally stunted characters. Juliet, Naked is a witty, niftily constructed and sneakily romantic film – with a great soundtrack, of course.
“The Sundance audience was buzzing after the premiere of Juliet, Naked, not because it moves the boundary posts but because it’s everything a mainstream rom-com should be but no longer is – literate, unpredictable, full of bustling tangents.” — David Edelstein, Vulture