1987. Denver, Co. One crazy night in the life of four friends reeling from the sudden demise of iconic British band The Smiths, while the local airwaves are hijacked at gunpoint by an impassioned Smiths fan.... (Full plot summary below)
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1987. Denver, Co. One crazy night in the life of four friends reeling from the sudden demise of iconic British band The Smiths, while the local airwaves are hijacked at gunpoint by an impassioned Smiths fan.
Leave your thoughts about Shoplifters of the World.
| Original-CinKim HughesAs a valentine to influential 80s alt-rockers The Smiths, Shoplifters of the World is unbeatable, propelled by original Smiths music along with archival footage of band interviews and performances, vintage posters, magazine covers, album sleeves and just about every other bit of era-specific ephemera you can name. |
| Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshShoplifters of the World, in fact, belongs to Cleo, not just because Howard is such a dizzyingly charismatic actress but because her story, which unfolds parallel to Dean’s, is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama that perfectly embodies the youthful angst, ennui and romantic longing expressed so well in the music of the Smiths. |
| The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThis sweetly nostalgic look at lost boys and lonely girls feels like it comes straight from the heart. |
| The Film StageJared MobarakThe result is imperfect (the acting can be uneven outside of Howard’s innate talent to demand the undivided attention of everyone on-screen and off), but its messaging and execution is a lot more resonant than I expected going in—a less successful sibling to Blinded By the Light. |
| Slant MagazineDavid RobbThe film lacks for the empathy, curiosity, and sense of humor that are the defining characteristics of the Smiths’s music. |
| IndieWireDavid EhrlichThe rare moments when Shoplifters of the World isn’t tripping over its own cutesy fan service reveal a movie that’s listening for the real and mysterious friction that has always transmuted suicidal music into its own kind of salvation. |
| The A.V. ClubJosh ModellShoplifters Of The World seems intended as a love letter to The Smiths, but in trying to convey the British band’s importance, it comes across more like fan fiction—too reference-heavy for a general audience, too shallow for those already in the know. |
| RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloIt’s unfortunate that the finished tribute doesn’t quite come together, and the tension between needing a compelling narrative and paying respects to bands whose music changes our lives never gets resolved. |
| Screen RantMae AbdulbakiThe lack of a strong narrative and characters, paired with pacing issues, turn the film from an intriguing premise to a boring, hollow, and overall tedious watch. |
| User ReviewthemajorcgeSuch an enjoyable movie if you’re a fan of The Smiths and 80s alternative. Highly recommend. |
