On the same August day in 1969 that a crazed hippie ''family'' led by Charles Manson commits five savage murders in the canyons above Los Angeles, a young ex-communicated seminarian, Ike "Vikar" Jerome, arrives with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift - ''the two most beautiful people in the history of the movies'' - tattooed on his head.... (Full plot summary below)
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On the same August day in 1969 that a crazed hippie ''family'' led by Charles Manson commits five savage murders in the canyons above Los Angeles, a young ex-communicated seminarian, Ike "Vikar" Jerome, arrives with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift - ''the two most beautiful people in the history of the movies'' - tattooed on his head.
Leave your thoughts about Zeroville.
| Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzClearly, Zeroville is not a film for everyone. But if you love movies and you’re willing to experiment, it’s an enjoyable trip. |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen RodrickZeroville features a lot of fancy cuts, freeze frames and buried imagery because it is, well, about a film editor. It will either make you feel like you’re having an anxiety attack after overindulging at our country’s legalized cannabis buffet or you can roll with it. Either way, please hydrate. |
| Original-CinThom ErnstFor all its hallowed movie references, and despite the pride Zeroville takes in its weirdness, it just might be a movie too strange for its good. |
| New York PostSara StewartIt’s clear why this indie was shelved for so long: It’s a mess. |
| The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe story's final, intended aha moment falls woefully flat, but capping this flawed valentine to artistic independence is a closing-credits nod to Easy Rider, especially poignant so soon after Peter Fonda's death. |
| Film ThreatHunter LanierPutting it in the kindest possible terms, the movie could be passed off as an exercise in style. Because of this, it does manage to be watchable. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreWhatever its virtues, the film comes together more adroitly than satisfyingly. Think of Zeroville as an artifact, worth looking at as a piece of pre-history that cannot — at present — shed its baggage, and frankly didn’t need that off-screen baggage to be a bust. |
| IndieWireDavid EhrlichAs a book, Zeroville was a profound and intoxicating testament to the mythic power of images. As a movie, Zeroville is a compelling reminder to spend more time reading. |
| The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisA raft of marquee names — including Seth Rogen, James Franco and Will Ferrell — can’t save Zeroville, a maddeningly surreal head trip through Hollywood history and movie-fan insanity. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeFranco has a truly radical streak in him, and considering how poorly the movie functions as a traditional crowdpleaser, he might as well have gone all out and pushed Zeroville to whatever event horizon the deranged project called for. His mistake wasn’t trying to adapt Erickson’s novel at all, but attempting to turn it into a tragic romance between Vikar and Soledad. |
