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Simple Men

Simple Men

Crime · Drama · Romance · 1992

Two diametrically opposite brothers set off on a journey to reunite with their estranged father but when their motorcycle breaks down while passing through a small town, they become entangled in local life.

Movie details

Simple Men

“They're good boys with bad attitude!”

1992 Crime · Drama · Romance 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

Two diametrically opposite brothers set off on a journey to reunite with their estranged father but when their motorcycle breaks down while passing through a small town, they become entangled in local life.

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 Simple Men?

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

Hal Hartley

Written by

Hal Hartley

Robert John Burke

Robert John Burke

Bill McCabe

Bill Sage

Bill Sage

Dennis McCabe

Karen Sillas

Karen Sillas

Kate

Elina Löwensohn

Elina Löwensohn

Elina

Martin Donovan

Martin Donovan

Martin

Mark Chandler Bailey

Mark Chandler Bailey

Mike

Chris Cooke

Chris Cooke

Vic

Court is in session

Put Simple Men 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 Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

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