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Stranger Than Paradise

Stranger Than Paradise

Comedy · Drama · 1984

New York layabout Willie forms an unexpected bond with his young Hungarian cousin Eva when she pays him a surprise visit. Later, Eva moves in with their aunt in Cleveland, and Willie takes his best friend Eddie to see her—a visit that culminates in a strange, eventful trip to Florida.

Movie details

Stranger Than Paradise

“A new American film”

1984 Comedy · Drama 1h 30m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

New York layabout Willie forms an unexpected bond with his young Hungarian cousin Eva when she pays him a surprise visit. Later, Eva moves in with their aunt in Cleveland, and Willie takes his best friend Eddie to see her—a visit that culminates in a strange, eventful trip to Florida.

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 Stranger Than Paradise?

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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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jim Jarmusch

Written by

Jim Jarmusch

John Lurie

John Lurie

Willie

Eszter Balint

Eszter Balint

Eva

Richard Edson

Richard Edson

Eddie

C

Cecillia Stark

Aunt Lotte

D

Danny Rosen

Billy

Rammellzee

Rammellzee

Man with money

Tom DiCillo

Tom DiCillo

Airline Agent

Court is in session

Put Stranger Than Paradise on trial.

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

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

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

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

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