Insignificance (1985)
Movie Info
Cast
as Ballplayer
as Senator
as Professor
as Actress
as Elevator Attendant
as Actor
as Japanese Woman
as Driver
as Assistant Director
as Director of Photography
as Technician
as Autograph Hunter
as Gaffer
as Charlie
as Bud
as Bar Drunk
as Ballplayer's Father
as Young Ballplayer
as Prostitute
as Young Professor
as Young Actress
as Actress as a Child
as Theatrical Agent
as Theatrical Agent
as Young Senator
Critic Reviews for Insignificance
All Critics (14) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (4) | DVD (1)
[Insignificance] rolls along gathering momentum like some enigmatic ball, seemingly going nowhere yet arriving everywhere as it explodes in a shower of illumination.
A true oddity even by the filmmaker's standards, it's a minor masterpiece of American counter-mythology, with the most comically apocalyptic finale since Dr. Strangelove.
It's more of an acting and writing tour de force than a statement on sports, politics, sex symbols or relativity.
... it's calculated misdirection with little in the way of greater purpose.
an intriguing, but ultimately slight "what if" fantasy
Reflects Roeg's views of the absurdity of American history and our compulsion to destroy beauty. [Blu-ray]
Audience Reviews for Insignificance
Insignificance is an interesting and talky film: part comical, part intellectual, just a bit tragic. It has some upfront symbolism, which may add value if you get it or may irritate you. While it does not really feel much at all like Bunuel films in terms of vibe, it is reminiscent in that it digests human culture through a comical dream play. The performance of Theresa Russell as "The Actress" stands out, she plays her character with a combination of winking intrigue and stoicism. How much of life is an act? How much is play? How much and what should be taken seriously? The character interactions feel at times authentic (or at least sincere), at times spontaneous, but then falling into stereotype. Anyhow, this is the type of film where your enjoyment of it will be largely based on how much you get it (there is not enough else in the film to be appreciated by itself). For myself, I understood it somewhat and enjoyed it somewhat.
Super Reviewer
I really liked some parts of Insignificance, but there's a forced art house aspect to it that just seems unnecessary and weakens the movie.
Super Reviewer
I'm still trying to work out what it all means, but its possible that there isn't a coherent central theme here, other than placing a few of the defining figures of the 50s in one room to see what happens. I found most of it interesting, especially watching the Marylin Monroe character demonstrate the theory of relativity, and while its admittedly confusing I like that its really trying to grasp for the soul of a distinctive American decade.
Super Reviewer
Insignificance Quotes
| Ballplayer: | I am not stupid. I just enjoy giving the appearance of being stupid. You see from an early age I have reveled in the appearance of stupidity, it has given me a great deal of time to think. |
| Professor: | Knowledge isnt truth. Its just mindless agreement. You agree with me, I agree with someone else - we all have knowledge. We havent come any closer to the truth. You can never understand anything by agreeing, by making definitions. Only by turning over the possibilities. Thats called thinking. If I say I know, I stop thinking. As long as I keep thinking, I come to understand. That way, I might approach some truth. |