This Must Be the Place | Rotten Tomatoes

This Must Be the Place

R

Released Nov 2, 2012

1 hr. 58 min.

Drama

List

66%

88 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

At 50 years of age, former rock star Cheyenne (Sean Penn) still dresses the part and lives in Ireland off the royalties and dividends from smart investments. The death of his estranged father brings Cheyenne back to New York, where he discovers the old man had one obsession: to hunt down a Nazi war criminal (Heinz Lieven). Cheyenne decides to pick up the quest where his late father left off, and sets out at his own pace on a journey across America.

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Critics Consensus

This Must Be the Place may feature too many wayward detours to satisfy some passengers, but Sean Penn's beguiling performance and Paolo Sorrentino's scenic visuals make this a road trip worth following.

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isla s

This is a very quirky film, with an oddball as the main character (known as Cheyenne). He is very guarded and quiet, as unlikely as that may seem given his outwardly extrovert appearance but I liked how he seemed to open up, slowly, to particular people. When he talks, he has an almost spooky or ghoulish muted tone to his voice, which of course is in contrast, as I say, to his goth rock look. He is quite philosophical in the way he views situations he comes across, everyday or not. There is some very poignant dialogue and I loved the cinematography present, with some beautiful sunset shots. Music wise, there is quite nomadic/quiet (low tempo) folk type music played in the background at times. It'd be fair to say that Sean Penn has played some quite challenging characters in his career to date and this is very much one of them - most certainly not your overly represented average joe type persona. Of course thats no bad thing and I commend him for playing different roles. To start with, this seemed, if anything, too bizarre a film, with no obvious/clear plot direction and I couldn't help but wonder what the point was in what I was watching but as Cheyenne starts to uncover truths and embarks on his journey, it became more decidedly more meaningful. Its not the sort of film thats especially easy to understand/'get' entirely but I certainly enjoyed aspects of it and I feel it was a very quirky and arty film that is worth a watch. I admired it, even though its not at all perfect as such, its certainly a solid and different kind of a film - one I'd recommend.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I can understand the apprehension of some: this isn't the fast-paced extrovert of a movie most Americans are used to being spoon fed--but I think too many have been blind to the rewards of going along (on this albeit relatively far-fetched road trip) with an open mind and let the movie show itself to you on its own terms rather than judge it harshly for not wowing you on yours. Penn's performance is discernibly restrained, still yielding some remarkable moments. Another review began by calling this movie "Meandering and episodic" as if disappointed to realize that's exactly the point.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There were deeper aspects of this that totally worked for me even if the framework or overall concept felt somewhat convoluted at times. This film, with me thinking the title was simply a coincidence, heavily featured a favorite song by a favorite band. David Byrne was also the composer and had a decent bit part appearing as himself. I always get a kick when I realize two seemingly unconnected authors or artists that I deeply appreciate, in this case Sorrentino and Byrne, appear to share the same respect for each other. Really debated between a 3* or 3.5* here but David Byrne will usually give anything a bump for me. 6.5/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Absolutely incredible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A dir poco folle, coraggioso nella costruzione di un personaggio che si muove a ritmi compassati all'inverosimile, ed ancor più coraggioso nel lasciargli tutto lo spazio necessario (che piaccia o no), per esprimersi nella totalità delle sue movenze; grazie ovviamente ad un ottimo Sean Penn. Il film ha al suo interno una sequenza infinita di messaggi intrinsechi, specialmente nel finale, che rendono bene l'idea del percorso di Cheyenne. Ottima colonna sonora e buona fotografia.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved this movie from beginning to end. While at least one plot-line seemed unresolved to me, I still really enjoyed the film. Sean Penn was quite believable in his role, and Bono's daughter did a great job as well. Give it a watch. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

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Paolo Sorrentino

Director

Sean Penn

Cheyenne

Frances McDormand

Jane

Judd Hirsch

Mordecai Midler

Eve Hewson

Mary

Kerry Condon

Rachel

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Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

The conceit of showing a pop-culture figure's life out of the limelight is beyond hackneyed, but the film's incongruous visual splendor and Penn's all-or-nothing commitment keep Sorrentino's unabashed folly afloat for a while.

Jun 28, 2013

Full Review

Scott Foundas

Film Comment Magazine

Sorrentino's aggressively life-affirming movie has wormed its way into the hearts of a surprising number of usually sensible, discerning critics.

Jun 20, 2013

Full Review

Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Penn has created a colorful tour guide, but in "This Must Be the Place," there's no there there.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 21, 2012

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Penn's performance as the rockstar offers slight moments of eccentricity, but his road trip turns dull and loses substance when it stops to interrogate the platitudes of loneliness, old age, and the need for self-discovery. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Jun 27, 2023

Full Review

Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

In tragicomic and pompous tone, Sorrentino once again gloats over the pathos of his characters. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5.5/10

Oct 4, 2022

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

It elicits a form of emotional rapture that is either the story's themes subtly catching up on the viewer or Sorrentino's shamanistic direction papering over the film's cracks

Rated: 3/5

Apr 27, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

At 50 years of age, former rock star Cheyenne (Sean Penn) still dresses the part and lives in Ireland off the royalties and dividends from smart investments. The death of his estranged father brings Cheyenne back to New York, where he discovers the old man had one obsession: to hunt down a Nazi war criminal (Heinz Lieven). Cheyenne decides to pick up the quest where his late father left off, and sets out at his own pace on a journey across America.

Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Executive Producer: Viola Prestieri, Ronald M. Bozman
Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Lucky Red, Medusa Film, Indigo Films
Rating: R (Language|Brief Disturbing Images|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $142.2K

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