Shine (1996)
90%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
46 wins & 52 nominations total
Shine is a cinematic masterpiece that illuminates the life of David Helfgott with a compassionate and unsentimental touch. The film’s emotionally piercing story is brought to life by the exceptional performances of the three actors who play Helfgott at different stages of his life. Director Scott Hicks’ biopic is fresh and stirring without being cliched or overwrought, and the intense and gripping mental-illness music drama is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Geoffrey Rush’s performance as Helfgott is a big piece of ham in an Oscar sandwich, and the film earns its big emotions honorably. Shine is inspiring, memorable cinema that beams with warmth, sensitivity, and fine taste.
Shine” is a movie that will make you feel all the feels. It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions, but instead of loops and drops, it’s all about the music. Geoffrey Rush is the star of the show, and he shines brighter than a disco ball. The story of David Helfgott is inspiring and heart-wrenching, and the movie does a great job of capturing that. It’s definitely worth a watch, but make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
Igor Film Casbah Film
Distributor
Fine Line Features
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for nudity/sensuality and intense thematic elements
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English, Yiddish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 21, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 22, 1997
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Geoffrey Rush, directed by Scott Hicks, written by Scott Hicks and Jan Sardi, biography, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Lisa Schwarzbaum, David Stratton, Trevor Johnston, Desson Thomson, Kenneth Turan, Dennis Schwartz, Charles Cassady, Emanuel Levy, Rob Gonsalves, Michael Dequina, PG-13, piano prodigy, mental illness, London, musical scholarship, classical pianist, schizophrenia, mental institutions, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Lynn Redgrave, Sonia Todd, Justin Braine, MPAA rating, Fine Line Features, Jane Scott, surround sound, Paris, Texas, The Hustler, Rebel Without a Cause, Network, Ordinary People, Tony, Sylvia, Peter, Gillian, David as an Adult, David as an Adolescent, reviewed by Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Time Out, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews, Common Sense Media, EmanuelLevy.Com, eFilmCritic.com, Reeling Reviews, rated and reviewed by audience, mentally ill, mentally unstable, piano, classical music, father-son relationship, childhood trauma, emotional sensitivity, inspirational story, strong performance, cheap sentimentality, compelling story, big emotions, romantic repertoire, stirring, emotionally piercing story, memorable note, mental-illness music drama, emotionally stirring, sentimental, cliched, fresh, uneven pacing, undercooked, dragging, questionable storytelling formula, repetitious, lacking in extensive depth, aimless, unrealized momentum, meandering, misfortune, respect, fall from grace, musical abilities, classical soundtrack, layered dramatic story, genuine heart, cold spells, genuine heart, emotional sensitivity, transformative commitment, mentally ill portrayal, manic relationship, tyrannical father, wounded artist, complex picture, Hollywood fashion, George Lucas, Phantom Menace
Worldwide gross: $35,999,081
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $67,105,198
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,209
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,317,906
US/Canada gross: $35,892,330
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $66,906,205
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 944
US/Canada opening weekend: $162,179
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $302,315
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,542
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,252,445
Production budget ranking: 1,656
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,520,941
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $51,331,812
ROI to date (est.): 325%
ROI ranking: 429
Justin Braine – Tony
Sonia Todd – Sylvia
Armin Mueller-Stahl – Peter
Noah Taylor – David as an Adolescent
Lynn Redgrave – Gillian
Director(s)
Scott Hicks
Writer(s)
Scott Hicks, Jan Sardi
Producer(s)
Jane Scott
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
46 wins & 52 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (4)
As befits the subject, with his taste for the romantic repertoire, Shine’ is not afraid of stirring up big emotions. It earns them honorably.
February 26, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Shine beams with warmth, sensitivity, and fine taste, but some of that illumination is the work of our own reflector lamps.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
[Helfgott’s] extraordinary life is intelligently charted here, and the three actors who play him at different stages are all exceptional.
October 18, 2008
David Stratton
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Compassionate, deft, unsentimental, inspirational.
June 24, 2006
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Inspired by the real story of classical pianist David Helfgott, “Shine” re-creates that emotionally piercing story, note by memorable note.
January 22, 2002 | Rating: 4.5/5
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
February 14, 2001 | Rating: 5/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Inspired by the true story of the Australian classical pianist prodigy David Helfgott.
October 28, 2015 | Rating: B-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Intense, gripping mental-illness music drama.
February 1, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Charles Cassady
Common Sense Media
With the exception of a few overwrought scenes, Hicks’ Australian biopic of pianist David Helfgott, which caused a bidding war at the 1996 Sundance Fest, is fresh and emotionally stirring without being sentimental or cliched.
December 25, 2007 | Rating: A-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
The movie is really an Oscar sandwich — stale bread surrounding a big piece of ham: Geoffrey Rush.
September 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Inspiring, memorable cinema.
September 11, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
I declare “Shine” to be the best film of the year!
April 9, 2005
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews…
Plot
As a child piano prodigy, David Helfgott’s musical ambitions generate friction with his overbearing father, Peter. When Helfgott travels to London on a musical scholarship, his career as a pianist blossoms. However, the pressures of his newfound fame, coupled with the echoes of his tumultuous childhood, conspire to bring Helfgott’s latent schizophrenia boiling to the surface, and he spends years in and out of various mental institutions.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Geoffrey Rush’s performance in Shine is described as “revelatory” and “a powerhouse” that drives the film’s most effective moments.
Scott-Hicks.jpg
