Smithereens

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Jared H @RT25450323 Jul 12, 2026 Look, this is a terrible movie by any normal standards: wooden acting, barely there plot, cliche ridden script. It's like a film student's first attempt at a film, which is probably what it was. But it's pure gold as a time capsule into what the East Village was like in 1982: bombed out blocks, classic tenements, old New York flavor. This was the post-punk/new wave era, and the the background of all of this is the real star of this film. I kept thinking that 90% of any art form is sweat and hard work. Just get out there and make a film; you don't have to be good at it! And reader, they were not good at it. But they did it anyway. Which, come to think of it, is the true punk ethos. See more Mason M @RT73597940 Apr 19, 2025 Smithereens is definitely a gritty and low production look at New York City, and many of the characters aren't all too likable, but it still remains to be a great film. One of this films main strengths was its wonderful soundtrack, which suits the film perfectly. And even though nothing much really happens here, the film still manages to contain plenty of laughs through its kooky characters, and has a surprising amount of intellectual and poetic themes in the moments between. Smithereens may be a very small picture, but it still succeeded to keep me entertained and invested in its world. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Mar 10, 2023 Too slow to really engage. See more Ęxçëşș M @ExcessMale Nov 20, 2021 Some of the acting is fairly amateur and it's story is lacking the coherence it needs to really work but this is a fun enough and energetic punk rocker tale from the 80s. See more s r @ScottR Mar 2, 2020 Some great clips of early punk culture, but the plot was so simple and the direction so poor that I struggled to stay interested. See more Feb 28, 2017 A specific moment in NYC history, captures both time and place that doesn't exist any more. I had such a soft spot for Brad Rijn's "Paul", he was a really great guy. Too bad Wren couldn't see it, but that is part of the paradox, girls never want nice guys until they have already had their fun and by then it's too late. See more Read all reviews

Smithereens

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