Late Fame

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Late Fame

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1h 36m

Comedy

Drama

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93%

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104 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet, works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. Intoxicated by the attention -- and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group's "tragic heroine" -- Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle. This thoughtful, witty film is a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York.

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Critics Consensus

A gentle rumination on art and authenticity, Late Fame's wistful narrative is made lively by Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee's wonderfully complementary performances.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Sep 8, 2026

4/5

It’s Dafoe’s film, in the end. He’s in nearly every frame, quiet and serious, achingly sympathetic. It’s worth watching just for him.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Sep 8, 2026

3/4

The film shows how easy it is to mythologize yourself and others. But reality has this stubborn habit of getting in the way.

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Emily Maskell

Empire Magazine

Sep 4, 2026

4/5

The subtlety of Dafoe’s grounded performance clashes beautifully with Lee’s flirtatious theatricality; she sidesteps Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl cliché with wonderfully sarcastic declarations: "There is nothing more exciting than a rediscovered male genius."

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Katherine McLaughlin

The List

2 days ago

4/5

The characterisation is nuanced and the performances all credible, with Dafoe deftly navigating Saxberger’s apprehensions with emotional and comical panache.

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Chuck Bowen

Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

3 days ago

Sadness, longing, a kindling of hope that grows into ego, Dafoe wears these elements like second skin.

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Lisa Trifone

Third Coast Review

6 days ago

3.5/4

Late Fame proves that our efforts to create art—and our ongoing conversations about it—are of course nothing new; neither is the struggle against ego or the allure of acknowledgment, something to which anyone who's ever created can attest.

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MovieswDan

1 day ago

A very well acted character study that feels very real-life. The pacing is strong and the story moves along nicely. There were some aspects to the plot that I wish were resolved differently, but overall solid film. Greta Lee stole the show and Willem Dafoe is magnificent as always, continuing to prove his case as one of the greatest character actors of all time (if not THE greatest).

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Janelle L

@eloracoffee Sep 10, 2026

Quiet, bittersweet and much more emotional than I expected. It's basically a movie about regret and getting another chance, and Willem Dafoe is fantastic in it.

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Lon W

@LONWOLF1968 Sep 7, 2026

I WENT TO ART COLLEGE IN THE 1970'S AND I KNEW THESE PEOPLE. IF YOU WEREN'T READING A BOOK OR CREATING SOMETHING YOU WERE WASTING TIME. LOVED HOW THE CHARACTERS REACTED TO THAT WORLD. WILLEM DAFOE IS ALWAYS SPOT ON. ONE DAY HE WILL GET A WELL DESERVED OSCAR. NICE TO SEE A SMALL FILM MAKE SUCH A STRONG STATEMENT. GOOD STUFF!!

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virginia S

@Ginny72 Sep 7, 2026

While I enjoyed the downtown nyc setting, I found this movie uncomfortable to watch. How a seemingly wise older man fell for such clearly phony intellectual wanna bees was cringe worthy.

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Tim G

@RT31835340 Sep 7, 2026

It’s just ok. The casting was really bad. It all seemed so fake and oddly over the top. Dafoe is always the same—flat and uninteresting. There was no real emotion to any part of it. Too bad—I was really looking forward to it.

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Belle-Aurore L

@TheMalteseFalcon Sep 6, 2026

Flawless performance by Dafoe. If one likes Salinger, they will find themselves loving the dialogue of this film. We see what it is to be a poet from a lost generation, misplaced in today’s generation of so-called intellectuals. What remains in the end, is the lingering feeling that the authenticity of the past, may no longer be a part of our present. This film reminds us there are some creators who are willing to call out phonies, and this will be lost on anyone who decides to watch this film in clips, versus the art house local theatres you should support. If people see this film, it should at least garnish a best screenplay nom.

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Kent Jones

Director

Willem Dafoe

Actor

Greta Lee

Actor

Edmund Donovan

Actor

Tony Torn

Actor

Jake Lacy

Actor

Late Fame: Trailer 1

2:22

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Synopsis

Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet, works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. Intoxicated by the attention -- and by the alluring presence of Gloria, the group's "tragic heroine" -- Saxberger gradually reckons with the authenticity of his newfound poetic circle. This thoughtful, witty film is a wistful yet unromantic look at a lost idea of downtown New York.

Director: Kent Jones
Producer: Pamela Koffler, Mason Plotts, Christine Vachon, Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji, Jackie Langelier, Taylor Shung, Ethan Lazar
Screenwriter: Samy Burch
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 7, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $473.1K
Runtime: 1h 36m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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