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PlayTime

PlayTime

Comedy · 1967

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Movie details

PlayTime

“An incomparable spectacle.”

1967 Comedy 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.7 / 10

Community rating

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over PlayTime?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Phantom of Liberty

The Phantom of Liberty

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This Surrealist film, with a title referencing the Communist Manifesto, strings together short incidents based on the life of director Luis Buñuel. Presented as chance encounters, these loosely related, intersecting situations, all without a consistent protagonist, reach from the 19th century to the 1970s. Touching briefly on subjects such as execution, pedophilia, incest, and sex, the film features an array of characters, including a sick father and incompetent police officers.

Mon Oncle

Mon Oncle

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Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs. Their house is an ultra-modern nightmare, which Hulot only visits for the sake of stealing away his rambunctious young nephew. Hulot's sister, however, wants to win him over to her new way of life, and conspires to set him up with a wife and job.

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

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Family Resemblances

Family Resemblances

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What's in a Name

What's in a Name

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Vincent, a wealthy real estate agent, is invited to dinner by his sister Elizabeth and her husband Peter, both professors in Paris. Claude, a childhood friend and trombonist in a symphony orchestra, is also present. Vincent brings news from the prenatal examination of his and his wife Anna's unborn son. The name chosen by the soon-to-be parents strongly offends the others for many reasons. The dispute between the guests quickly escalates and before long the resurgence of old grudges and hidden secrets is unavoidable...

The Wing or the Thigh?

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Jour de Fête

Jour de Fête

Comedy · 1949

Jour de Fête tells the story of an inept and easily-distracted French mailman who frequently interrupts his duties to converse with the local inhabitants, as well as inspect the traveling fair that has come to his small community. Influenced by too much wine and a newsreel account of rapid transportation methods used by the United States postal system, he goes to hilarious lengths to speed the delivery of mail while aboard his bicycle.

Cycle of Time

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In 1950s France, Helene and Michel lead a simple life until a freak accident in 2025 leads to Helene becoming a bank executive and Michel struggling with unemployment and depression. Their children grow up in a technology-dominated world.

OSS 117: Lost in Rio

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In 1967, OSS 117 is sent to Brazil in order to retrieve a microfilm list of French Nazi sympathizers, only to once again unknowingly set foot into a bigger international intrigue.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jacques Tati

Written by

Jacques Lagrange · Jacques Tati · Art Buchwald

Jacques Tati

Jacques Tati

Monsieur Hulot

Barbara Dennek

Barbara Dennek

Young Tourist

Rita Maiden

Rita Maiden

Mr. Schultz's Companion

France Rumilly

France Rumilly

Woman Selling Eyeglasses

France Delahalle

France Delahalle

Shopper in Department Store

V

Valérie Camille

Mr. Lacs's Secretary

E

Erika Dentzler

Mme. Giffard

Court is in session

Put PlayTime on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.