Language Lessons (2021)
90%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 5 nominations
Language Lessons extols the value of friendship with a simple story rendered all the more effective by its pure spirit and the chemistry between its leads.
Language Lessons is the perfect movie for anyone who’s ever had a Zoom call that lasted longer than it should have. The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable, and the film’s exploration of platonic love is both heartwarming and refreshing. Plus, it’s a great reminder that even in the age of screens, human connection is still possible. So grab some popcorn, log onto your next video call, and settle in for a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even appreciate your coworkers a little bit more.
Production Company(ies)
Animal Kingdom, Traction Media,
Distributor
SHOUT! STUDIOS
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 31m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 10, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 25, 2021
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Mark Duplass, Natalie Morales, Desean Terry, Christine Quesada, directed by Natalie Morales, written by Mark Duplass, Natalie Morales, comedy, drama, $73.3K box office, reviewed by Callie Petch, Allison Shoemaker, Roxana Hadadi, Christy Lemire, Peter Rainer, Yolanda Machado, Calum Baker, Javier Ocaña, Brenda Medel, Dan Bayer, Patrick McDonald, produced by Mel Eslyn, MPAA rating, platonic love, Spanish lessons, tragedy, emotional bond, friendship, Zoom meeting, technology, human relationships, connection
Worldwide gross: $75,627
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $82,252
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,043
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,970
US/Canada gross: $73,257
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $79,675
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,690
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,255
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $28,555
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,380
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Natalie Morales – Cariño (also Director)
Desean Terry – Will
Christine Quesada – Cariño’s Cousin
Mark Duplass – Screenwriter
Mel Eslyn – Producer
Director(s)
Natalie Morales
Writer(s)
Mark Duplass, Natalie Morales
Producer(s)
Mel Eslyn
Film Festivals
Berlin, South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (4)
Morales’ assured direction, and the Zoom meeting conceit, really enhances the material.
October 19, 2021
Callie Petch
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The odd contrivance here and there can’t diminish the potency of this deeply empathetic, entirely platonic rom-com.
September 16, 2021
Allison Shoemaker
Fox 10 Phoenix
TOP CRITIC
Language Lessons is an alternately comforting and challenging watch … making plain the winsome appeal of films about platonic love.
September 11, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Roxana Hadadi
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
It’s charming, they have incredible chemistry with each other… It’s [also] a really inventive way to use the technology to get to the heart of what can be good and what can be bad about [the technology].
September 10, 2021
Christy Lemire
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
It’s really terrific.
September 10, 2021
Peter Rainer
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
A warm, lovely film about platonic affection and the human need for connection.
September 10, 2021
Yolanda Machado
TheWrap
TOP CRITIC
Rather than getting bogged down in grim realities, Morales and Duplass have crafted a sweet ode to the benefits of connectivity and the joy of friendship.
June 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Calum Baker
Radio Times
A modest story of a personal connection through technology, armed with simplicity and charisma… [Full review in Spanish}
June 14, 2022
Javier Ocaña
El Pais (Spain)
A moving story about friendship and human relationships in the age of screens.
[Full review in Spanish]
May 13, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Brenda Medel
Cine Premiere
Essential viewing, a miniature masterpiece of humanism that beautifully distills a whole year’s worth of love, loss, introspection, and empathy into an hour and a half. It’s impossible not to fall in love with it.
May 10, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Dan Bayer
Next Best Picture
A short 90 minutes, and some gaps in the narrative arent properly explored, and the principal actors don’t generate chemistry. Duplass not gay in real life felt like a hetero dude trying to interpret a gay man … the tone and emotion wasn’t there.
March 14, 2022 | Rating: 2/5
Patrick McDonald
HollywoodChicago.com
If the world of Zoom, and virtual interactions we’ve been forced into, have us tired, this film will show what can be achieved when we let creativity flow. Full review in Spanish
March 9, 2022
Gisela Savdie
Letra Urbana…
Plot
A Spanish teacher and her student develop an unexpected friendship.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mark Duplass, who plays Adam in Language Lessons, also co-wrote the screenplay with director Natalie Morales.
Natalie-Morales.jpg
