Hideous Kinky (1998)
70%RT Audience Score: 60%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Hideous Kinky is a film that takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of a young girl and her mother as they explore the exotic and mystical land of Morocco. The film’s use of dream sequences and stunning landscapes creates a feverish sense of living on the edge of reality that is both contagious and mesmerizing. Kate Winslet delivers a fine performance as the free-spirited mother, and director Gillies MacKinnon masterfully lets character, mood, and meaning take precedence over story. The film’s subtle commentary on the often-privileged idealism of Westerners seeking enlightenment in “exotic” places is both thought-provoking and quietly devastating. Overall, Hideous Kinky is a picturesque travelogue with substance that is sure to captivate and inspire.
Hideous Kinky is a movie that takes you on a journey to the heart of Africa, where Kate Winslet plays a beautiful hippie in a brilliantly colored caftan. The film’s dream sequences and evocative landscapes make you feel like you’re living at the edge of reality, and Winslet’s performance is unsurprisingly astounding. The movie takes an interesting look at the often-privileged idealism of English people who sought enlightenment in so-called “exotic” places. It’s a picturesque travelogue of some substance, but it seems to please the Baby Boomer generation more than anyone else. Overall, it’s a fun and interesting movie that’s worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique Films,
Distributor
Stratosphere Entertainment
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Marrakech, Morocco
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sexuality and language
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 37m
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Language(s):English, French, Arabic
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Kate Winslet, Said Taghmaoui, Bella Riza, Carrie Mullan, Pierre Clémenti, Sira Stampe, directed by Gillies MacKinnon, written by Esther Freud, Billy MacKinnon, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Lisa Alspector, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Lisa Nesselson, Geoff Andrew, Peter Rainer, Philip Kemp, George Fenwick, Maitland McDonagh, Michael Dequina, Mark Halverson, Jeffrey M Anderson, Cole Smithey, MPAA rating R, Morocco, mother-daughter relationship, financial struggles, surrogate father figures, con artist, European, hippie, 1972, dream sequences, landscapes, feverish, reality, good fortune, new boyfriends, Stratosphere Entertainment, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Worldwide gross: $1,263,279
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,267,621
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,379
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 247,287
US/Canada gross: $1,263,279
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,267,621
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,005
US/Canada opening weekend: $82,431
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $147,966
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,784
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $21,540,335
Production budget ranking: 1,332
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,599,470
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$30,872,184
ROI to date (est.): -93%
ROI ranking: 1,975
Said Taghmaoui – Bilal
Bella Riza – Bea
Carrie Mullan – Lucy
Pierre Clémenti – Santoni
Sira Stampe – Eva
Director – Gillies MacKinnon
Producer – Ann Scott
Writers – Esther Freud, Billy MacKinnon
Director(s)
Gillies MacKinnon
Writer(s)
Esther Freud, Billy MacKinnon
Producer(s)
Ann Scott
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (18)
The fusion of dream sequences and evocative landscapes makes the characters’ feverish sense of living at the edge of reality contagious.
April 27, 2012
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Kate Winslet, luscious in a brilliantly colored caftan and flushed from the heat of an African sun, makes a beautiful hippie, circa 1972, in Hideous Kinky.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Kate Winslet continues an uninterrupted line of fine performances with the modest yet affecting Hideous Kinky.
March 26, 2009
Lisa Nesselson
Variety
TOP CRITIC
MacKinnon draws terrific performances from all involved (Winslet bravely refusing to court our sympathies), lets character, mood and meaning take precedence over story, and assembles a great music track as a bonus. Spot on.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It augurs well for the long-term integrity of her career that Winslet in this movie doesn’t try to ingratiate herself with the audience.
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
Gillies MacKinnon is one of those stimulating film-makers who hates to repeat himself.
March 5, 2002
Philip Kemp
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Winslet is unsurprisingly astounding in the role, which takes an interesting look at the often-privileged idealism of English people who sought enlightenment in so-called “exotic” places.
August 27, 2021
George Fenwick
Stuff.co.nz
The film’s gradual slide into a darker vision of the casual selfishness and presumption that often lay at the heart of Westerners’ mind-bending journeys to the East is subtle and quietly devastating.
April 27, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide
A picturesque travelogue of some substance.
October 11, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
Gillies MacKinnon spins Esther Freud’s autobiographical novel into an intriguing, somewhat muddled tale of escapism and revelation.
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
It seems to please the Baby Boomer generation, but it didn’t please me.
May 26, 2006 | Rating: 2/4
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
February 13, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com…
Plot
Hideous Kinky is the story of two sisters (seven and five years old) traveling with their hippie mother from London to Morocco. They encounter many adventures, new experiences, and interesting culture as they tag along on their mother’s search for freedom and love. It is told through the eyes of the youngest girl, and we learn her observations on life, Mum, and determined sister, Bea.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Kate Winslet’s performance as the self-centered and delusional mother is praised by critics.
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