Elegy (2008)
76%RT Audience Score: 66%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 33 nominations total
Elegy, directed by Isabel Coixet, is a film that delicately balances the themes of lust, mortality, and the human psyche. While some critics have criticized Coixet’s softening of Roth’s misanthropic depiction of Kepesh, I found the film to be a rare treat – a serious work that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ben Kingsley’s fierce and impeccable craft brings David’s tortured psyche to life, while Penelope Cruz shines in a role that could have easily been a lame male fantasy. Smart and devastatingly sad, Elegy is a finely crafted and intelligently written work that will leave you pondering the many ways we try to protect ourselves from the inevitable certainty of death.
Elegy is a film that takes itself seriously, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun with it. With Ben Kingsley’s impeccable acting and Penelope Cruz’s outstanding performance, it’s a shame that the rest of the film falls a bit flat. But hey, at least we get to see Kingsley’s tortured, preening, desperate psyche, right? And who doesn’t love a good male fantasy? Overall, Elegy is a smart and devastatingly sad film that reminds us of the many ways we try to protect ourselves from the inevitable certainty of death. But if you’re looking for a pick-me-up, this might not be the movie for you.
Production Company(ies)
Screen Gems Jerry Bruckheimer Films, L Star Capital
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Middletown, Ohio, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout, drug content and some violence
Year of Release
2020
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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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): Aug 8, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper, Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson, Deborah Harry, directed by Isabel Coixet, written by Nicholas Meyer, drama, romance, R rating, Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Andre Lamal produced, $3.6M box office, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Sandra Hall, Jonathan F Richards, Ray Bennett, Leslie Felperin, Bill Goodykoontz, Bárbara Escamilla, Felicia Feaster, Mattie Lucas, Kelly Jane Torrance, Philip Roth adaptation, lustful flings, student-teacher relationship, age difference, breast cancer diagnosis, emotional attachment, regrets, failings, losses
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
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
Ben Kingsley – David Kepesh
Dennis Hopper – George O’Hearn
Peter Sarsgaard – Kenneth Kepesh
Patricia Clarkson – Carolyn
Deborah Harry – Amy
Director(s)
Isabel Coixet
Writer(s)
Nicholas Meyer
Producer(s)
Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Andre Lamal
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 33 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (123) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (31)
The stillness of the performances combined with Coixet’s direction, which takes it time, and that bloody piano tinkling and tinkling away make it all rather heavy going; makes you feel as if you’ve just swum uphill through treacle.
August 23, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
Coixet has blunted the impact of the novel’s ending just as she has softened Roth’s misanthropic depiction of Kepesh and, as a result, she’s taken flak for being over-polite. I didn’t care.
April 10, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
With his fierce, impeccable craft Kingsley shows us around David’s tortured, preening, desperate psyche.
November 10, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Penelope Cruz is outstanding in an otherwise lame male fantasy.
October 18, 2008
Ray Bennett
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Sparse, low-budget drama, helmed by Spaniard Isabel Coixet, intelligently translates Roth’s meditation on lust and mortality without soft-pedaling its narrator’s brutally honest, unabashedly sexist views.
October 18, 2008
Leslie Felperin
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Elegy is a rare treat: a serious film that, thanks to Kingsley and the rest, doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.
September 4, 2008 | Rating: 4.5/5
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
A sincere and careful but unexpectedly subdued film. [Full review in Spanish]
November 6, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Bárbara Escamilla
Cinemanía (Spain)
Smart and devastatingly sad, Elegy is at heart a film about the many damned-to-fail ways we try to protect ourselves from the inevitable certainty of death.
January 27, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
A finely crafted, intelligently written work, featuring some exceptional performances by Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz.
July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
As far as it goes, it’s enjoyable enough.
December 13, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
Will not disappoint those who are able to enjoy [director Isabel Coixet’s] unique rhythm. [Full review in Spanish]
March 19, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine
My main disappointment is that it takes a predictable, tragic turn in the third act, which drags out the pathos and gives the romance more credence than it deserves. But in art, as in love, two acts out of three ain’t bad.
December 16, 2017
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine…
Plot
Renowned professor David Kepesh prefers lustful flings with women, but when he meets student Consuela Castillo, he begins to feel that their relationship may become serious, despite personal reservations that may doom the affair.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The bewitching Penelope Cruz spends a lot of time topless.
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