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Dedication

Dedication

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 2007

A modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.

Movie details

Dedication

“Life is a thin line between love and fate.”

2007 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.

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 Dedication?

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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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Justin Theroux

Written by

David Bromberg

Billy Crudup

Billy Crudup

Henry Roth

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore

Lucy Reilly

Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson

Rudy Holt

Dianne Wiest

Dianne Wiest

Carol

Martin Freeman

Martin Freeman

Jeremy

Bob Balaban

Bob Balaban

Arthur Planck

Christine Taylor

Christine Taylor

Allison

Court is in session

Put Dedication on trial.

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

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.