Cutie And The Boxer (2013)
86%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 wins & 14 nominations total
A beautifully-made documentary that explores the challenges and richness of both marriage and art through the lens of a fascinating and complex couple
Cutie and the Boxer is a documentary that will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the power of love. It follows the story of a Japanese artist couple, Ushio and Noriko Shinohara, and their rocky but enduring relationship. The film interweaves archive footage with contemporary scenes, showcasing the couple’s art and their struggles with alcoholism and poverty. While some critics found the film slow and lacking focus, others praised its authenticity and humanity. Overall, Cutie and the Boxer is a charming and moving portrait of a marriage that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.
Production Company(ies)
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, Moving Pictures, Company,
Distributor
Radius TWC
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for nude art images
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 22m
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Language(s):English, Japanese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 2013 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2014
Genre(s)
Documentary/Biography
Keyword(s)
documentary, biography, marriage, art, Ushio Shinohara, Noriko Shinohara, Zachary Heinzerling, Patrick Burns, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Ezra Edelman, box office, budget, R rating, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Geoffrey Macnab, Donald Clarke, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Sophie Monks Kaufman, Phil Hoad, Jordan M Smith, Ben Nicholson, Mae Abdulbaki, Richard Haridy, directed by Zachary Heinzerling, written by Zachary Heinzerling, produced by Patrick Burns, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Ezra Edelman, Zachary Heinzerling, nudity, Guggenheim, alcoholism, abuse, art scene, New York, struggling artists, love, devotion, hatred, passion, paintings, drawings, filmmaking, animation, found footage, archival footage, art creations, rocky relationship, long term relationships, significance of relationships, significance of art, alcoholism on families, love and creativity, impoverished end of the New York art scene, Cutie and the Boxer
Worldwide gross: $200,036
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $254,115
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,887
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,712
US/Canada gross: $200,036
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $254,115
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,494
US/Canada opening weekend: $21,098
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $26,802
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,405
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
Zachary Heinzerling – Director, Writer
Kiki Miyake – Executive Producer
Patrick Burns – Producer
Lydia Dean Pilcher – Producer
Director(s)
Zachary Heinzerling
Writer(s)
Zachary Heinzerling
Producer(s)
Patrick Burns, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Ezra Edelman, Zachary Heinzerling
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (4)
Charming, funny with a particular fondness that is moving to watch, it is not to be missed.
September 5, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
This charming feature doc offers an anatomy of a marriage.
December 30, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For all its miseries, Cutie and the Boxer – interweaving archive footage with contemporary discontents – ends up arguing strongly for the power of love.
November 1, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
The couple are thriving, but, given what we learn about Alex, the up-beat ending jars.
November 1, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
This doc about a bickering husband-and-wife artist team feels like its drama has been forced by the filmmakers.
October 31, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
Sophie Monks Kaufman
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Bohemianism and marriage are both for life in this alternately rueful and whimsical documentary about expat Japanese artist couple Ushio and Noriko Shinohara.
October 31, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Phil Hoad
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
A visually ravishing and incredibly intimate portrait that speaks on the significance of long term relationships, the meaning of art in relation to a career, and the impact of alcoholism on families with gravity and humor in equal measure.
November 12, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
[An] exceptionally authentic and warm portrait of love and creativity amid the impoverished end of the New York art scene.
March 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Nicholson
CineVue
Heinzerling chooses to focus on the couple and their art, but it unfolds too slowly and at times it feels like the film has a lack of focus, altering between showing us their art creations and their rocky relationship without a balance.
August 14, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/5
Mae Abdulbaki
Punch Drunk Critics
Cutie and the Boxer is an often quiet, almost fragile piece of cinema that presents us with a spiky and unglamorous relationship, still full of love. It’s a beautiful and humane documentary.
May 14, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Haridy
Quickflix
An unexpected but fully welcome treat. It’s a great look at how both relationships and the creative instinct evolve over a long time.
April 8, 2014 | Rating: B
Dan Schindel
Movie Mezzanine
[Heinzerling’s] languorous explorations of the couple’s chaotic home find the details of their sexual and intellectual intimacy in the debris of their relationship, the collected treasures and half finished, discarded fragments of ideas.
March 6, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film…
Plot
Cutie and the Boxer is a documentary that explores the challenges and richness of both marriage and art through the lens of a fascinating and complex couple, Noriko and Ushio Shinohara.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Cutie and the Boxer on Fresh Kernels.
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