Mutual Appreciation (2006)
82%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 3 nominations
Director Bujalski continues to give cinematic voice to awkward, literate twentysomethings with noteworthy smarts and tenderness
Mutual Appreciation is like a quirky indie band that you either love or hate. Some critics think it’s a masterpiece, while others think it’s a hot mess. Personally, I found it to be a charming and relatable slice-of-life film that captures the awkwardness and uncertainty of young adulthood. Sure, it’s not the most visually stunning movie out there, but it’s got heart and humor in spades. Plus, any movie that can make me feel nostalgic for my early 20s (despite the cringe-worthy fashion choices) deserves some credit. So, if you’re in the mood for a low-key, character-driven film that’s a little rough around the edges, give Mutual Appreciation a shot. Who knows, you might just appreciate it.
Production Company(ies)
Cristaldifilm Les Films, Ariane Rai 3
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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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): Sep 1, 2006 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 13, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Justin Rice, Rachel Clift, Andrew Bujalski, Seung-Min Lee, Pamela Corkey, Kevin Micka, directed by Andrew Bujalski, written by Andrew Bujalski, comedy, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Richard Brody, Amy Taubin, Derek Malcolm, Tim Robey, Steve Rose, Tom Dawson, Kathy Fennessy, Eileen Jones, Nick Pinkerton, Tom Charity, Film4 Staff, young musician, breakup, Boston, New York, career path, friends, romantic overtures, radio disc jockey, indie rock, Jim Jarmusch, John Cassavetes, love triangle, Waldorf education, low budget, naturalistic, struggling musician, relationships, New York on film
Worldwide gross: $121,292
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $173,759
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,953
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 18,949
US/Canada gross: $103,509
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $148,284
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,596
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,141
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,825
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,533
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
Rachel Clift – Ellie
Andrew Bujalski – Lawrence
Seung-Min Lee – Sara
Pamela Corkey – Patricia
Kevin Micka – Dennis
Director(s)
Andrew Bujalski
Writer(s)
Andrew Bujalski
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (8)
Bujalski has a logical eye for parsing casually unfolding events with visual coherence, and his dryly satirical view of grownups’ fatuities doesn’t lose sight of the charming vanity of youthful illusions.
December 21, 2020
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
I bet Andrew Bujalski is sick of reading that he’s the voice of his generation, when most of that neo-slacker demographic has never had the opportunity to see his films.
March 20, 2018
Amy Taubin
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
You’ll either be bored or fascinated by the Cassavetes-like reality of it all.
May 4, 2007 | Rating: 2/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Every scene in Bujalski’s films is a little awkward, and just right.
May 4, 2007
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Bujalski perfectly skewers what you might call the “sort-of” generation: educated, mid-20s white Americans hemmed in by their own non-committal uncertainty.
May 4, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Steve Rose
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Bujalski is a shrewd comic observer, and astute enough a director to get the most of his engaging actors.
May 4, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Tom Dawson
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
As much as Mutual Appreciation is like indie rock, it’s even more like real life.
February 6, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kathy Fennessy
Seattle Film Blog
Mutual Appreciation is a crappy-looking film in a tame, undistinctive, messy black-and-white way.
January 28, 2019
Eileen Jones
The eXile
If much of what I dislike in Bujalski’s filmmaking must be accounted for by my objection to the milieu his films travel in, this shouldn’t suggest that the filmmaking itself is anything close to competent.
August 24, 2017
Nick Pinkerton
Stop Smiling
The focus is narrow, but its scrutiny is absolutely unerring.
May 4, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Tom Charity
Total Film
Indebted to the films of Jim Jarmusch and John Cassavetes, Bujalski invests this love triangle with real empathy for his bumbling, hyper-articulate characters, and a sly, edgy humour.
May 4, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
Film4 Staff
Film4
The dark side of a Waldorf education.
January 18, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central…
Plot
A young musician from Boston navigates his way through the New York music scene and his personal relationships after the breakup of his band in “Mutual Appreciation.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Mutual Appreciation on Fresh Kernels.
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