Bright Leaves (2004)
82%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 9 nominations
Bright Leaves is a film that takes the viewer on a meandering journey through the history of tobacco and its impact on the filmmaker’s family and community. Ross McElwee’s style is reminiscent of a smart, sardonic personal essay, with a touch of quirky humor that makes the serious subject matter more palatable. While some may find the film too scattered and repetitive, McElwee’s ability to blend the personal and political in his native North Carolina is a testament to his skill as a filmmaker. Overall, Bright Leaves is a beguiling and gently provocative film that is sure to leave a lasting impression on its audience.
Bright Leaves is like hanging out with that one friend who always has a story to tell, even if it’s not always the most exciting one. Ross McElwee takes us on a journey through his personal history with tobacco, and while it’s not the most informative documentary out there, it’s definitely got its charm. Plus, who doesn’t love a good sardonic sense of humor? Just don’t expect to come out of it with a newfound hatred for smoking.
Production Company(ies)
Large Lab
Distributor
Rézo Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Durham, North Carolina, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 47m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 2003 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2005
Genre(s)
Keyword(s)
Bright Leaves, Documentary, Ross McElwee, Gary Cooper, tobacco industry, Bull Durham, lung cancer, cigarettes, industry insiders, English, Rézo Films, 2003, May 23, Jun 21, $77.9K, 1h 47m, directed by Ross McElwee, written by Ross McElwee, produced by Ross McElwee, reviewed by Manuel Mendoza, Carrie Rickey, Michael Wilmington, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper, Louis Proyect, Ron Reed, Frank Swietek, Cherryl Dawson, Leigh Ann Palone, Ethan Alter, Documentary genre, MPAA rating N/A, actor Ross McElwee, actress Charleen Swansea, cinematographer Ross McElwee, producer Ross McElwee, box office performance, budget N/A, tobacco industry history, personal journey, smoking, motion pictures, preservation of life experiences
Worldwide gross: $77,888
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,867
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,006
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,399
US/Canada gross: $77,888
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,867
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,634
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,485
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,075
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,768
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
Charleen Swansea – Self
Director(s)
Ross McElwee
Writer(s)
Ross McElwee
Producer(s)
Ross McElwee
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
9 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (8)
Bright Leaves is not the kind of film that thetruth.com would use in its anti-smoking campaign.
April 28, 2005 | Rating: B+
Manuel Mendoza
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
A gently provocative film diary about tobacco and its mixed legacy.
February 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Bright Leaves is a beguiling film. Watching it is like spending time with an old, somewhat chatty but endearing friend.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
McElwee’s best film since Sherman’s March.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It’s a meandering visit by a curious man with a quiet sense of humor.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
The mysteries McElwee sets out to solve aren’t very involving, and his meandering style, while charming first and literate, becomes repetitive and yes, even a little dull.
November 30, 2004
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
TOP CRITIC
Classic McElwee blending together the personal and the political in his native North Carolina, to which he something of the same ambivalent relation that Faulkner, another son of the South, had to Mississippi.
May 4, 2009
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews
This is a highly personal journey, reminiscent of a smart, sardonic personal essay you might find in Harper’s magazine or a quirky, savvy radio piece on NPR’s ‘This American Life.’
September 8, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Ron Reed
Christianity Today
Touches on serious matters with a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor that makes receiving its messages a pleasure rather than a chore.
May 2, 2005 | Rating: B+
Frank Swietek
One Guy’s Opinion
Ross McElwee ambles through one tobacco-related subject after another… it’s too scattered all over the place to be truly informative.
April 29, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
March 5, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic
A meandering riff on the dangerous allure of smoking, and more interestingly a meditation on the way motion pictures can preserve our life experiences– but only to a point.
March 5, 2005
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly…
Plot
Bright Leaves is a documentary that explores the controversial and profitable tobacco industry, using the 1950 film “Bright Leaf” as a starting point, and includes interviews with people impacted by tobacco.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film on Fresh Kernels.
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