The Cleanse (2016) User Reviews (48)

If you watched the trailer, you've (practically) seen it all

[VinnieRattolle · 5/10 · 6 May 2018]

Paul has recently been dumped by his fiancée and fired from his job, so when he sees a commercial on TV for a retreat, he thinks this may be the jump-start he needs to turn his life around.

To say much more about the plot is to spoil the story, which is precisely the problem with this movie. Running a scant 70 minutes (with almost 10 full minutes of end credits), there's not time to get to know any of the characters aside from the lead and the story feels overwhelmingly underdeveloped, leaving a great many lingering questions. Frankly, it feels like a student film or a padded short populated by recognizable actors and complete with a pretentious ending. The performances are solid across the board (though everyone but Johnny Galecki and Anna Friel have little to do), there's a nice atmospheric mood in cinematography, music and direction, and the FX aren't bad.

I saw the trailer a few months ago and have been stoked for an offbeat oddity ever since. Unfortunately, the trailer played like an abridged version of the movie, leaving out only the resolution. For what it was, it's an okay movie, but it had the potential to be so much more.

It got less interesting as it progressed

[bazookamouth-221-898097 · 4/10 · 24 December 2021]

Loses its way around the time the creatures are introduced around midway and descends into nothingness. A decent cast and well acted but all in all this is saved from being completely terrible by the cast. Angelica Houston literally had nothing to do though.

A good short Sci-fi story trying to be a feature when it's not.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 12 May 2018]

When was the last time I saw Angelica Houston in a project?

It's a lot better than what I was expecting. It's not the best movie but a very interesting one which seem to try hard to stretch a short story into a feature, but it did not have enough meat on it.

When I read the synopsis about a group of people going to a retreat to do an experimental cleansing process which is "more than they realize" I was honestly expecting a horror film, but horror was not one of the genres listed and I thought that's either a mistake and if it's not, it can't be good outside of that genre.

Not sure if I was wrong but, I'm defiantly not completely right. I did like that the visual effects seem to have been done on camera instead of CGI, which made the Sci-fi warmer and realistic.

It was better than what I thought. I think it's biggest mishap was trying to be a feature when it was not.

Entertaining but Ultimately Never Lands

[referencegirl · 4/10 · 19 January 2019]

This isn't a terrible movie, it's even mildly entertaining. It's well acted and well shot. However, the story never really hits a satisfying arc or finish.

Can I touch yours?

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 21 April 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes, it's just difficult to know how to describe or discuss a movie. This happens more frequently at film festivals where the most creative and risky films often find their only audience. This first feature film from writer/director Bobby Miller isn't really a comedy – though there are some uneasy laughs; and it isn't really a horror film – though isolated cabins in the woods and creepy little creatures give the impression that it could go that way.

Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory") stars as Paul, a down-on-his-luck nice guy who hasn't recovered emotionally from being dumped at the altar by his fiancé. One night he's dozing on the sofa when a TV ad captures his attention … it's a spiritual retreat for the downtrodden! The timing couldn't be better.

He's joined at the isolated retreat by struggling actress Maggie (Anna Friel), a young couple, Eric (Kyle Gallner) and Lily (Diana Bang) working through relationship issues, and a quasi-caretaker and holdover client played by Kevin J O'Connor. The on-site leader is played in full-bellow mode by the great Angelica Huston.

Day one is the juice cleanse, and the participants have to force down a disgusting concoction designed to "eliminate" … the step preceding "termination". Elimination is pretty easy to figure out, as our new friends expel from both ends (fortunately this is mostly implied, not shown). While that part might be expected, the surprise comes in the form of the eliminated creatures unique to each of our players … little critters representing the emotional baggage we all carry inside.

In the midst of misery, the retreaters are told that the movement (no pun intended) leader (Oliver Platt) will be arriving soon. He's kind of a cult-like figure without the expected pretentiousness. In fact, he's a pretty nice guy that seems to really care. Of course, that would be a pretty boring story, so plenty of things go awry during the process.

"Let's Get Pure" is the name for the retreat, and the idea of physically removing our negative energy and emotional baggage does make some sense. Director Miller seems to blend the worlds of early David Cronenberg and "Gremlins" to deliver an odd little film that could develop a cult following of its own. It's a serious message conveyed in a not so serious way. Galecki and Friel do a nice job of keeping us grounded and giving us some peeps to pull for. Just watch that final step … termination can be brutal.

Throw up your pain

[andylev-40916 · 2/10 · 6 December 2021]

Use 4 large jars of gunk, throw it up to produce a ridiculous rubber cabbage patch doll which is the embodiment of all your negativity which you need to murder.

Or to put it another way., this film.

No comedy at all.

No horror.

Dire anamatronics. So ridiculous that maybe that's the comedy element.

I kept waiting for something, anything to happen, but no, it didn't. Yawn.

Please, why was the treatment free? What happens if you don't kill your negativity muppet thing? It eats you. Ok. Obvious. Like the plot. Tiny plot hole. The thingy that is the characters negative stuff has no legs. The entire threat is negated by walking away briskly.

Non sensical up-chuck worth walking away from. Honestly it doesn't get better at the end.

A simple idea executed well

[foxtografo · 6/10 · 23 June 2020]

It's really a simple story, with a peculiar metaphor for people's problems. It's only fault, I guess, is to fall too simple in the end, it really feels like this was one more of the director's idea for a short film (apparently he has quite a few in his filmography) that he didn't know how to develop into something more complex for a full length movie. I'ts still well executed, with good cinematography and acting, and old school SFX, I quite enjoyed it, very straight forward and easy to understand, not at all confusing as I've read in some reviews... It's also quite short, which makes it easier to get through. Definitely worth a watch with no high expectations.

HAD POTENTIAL

[lanaliliya · 2/10 · 8 December 2019]

What a strange movie... and not in a good way. I think this movie had potential. They could've made a way better ending. It just ended with no other mention of what happened after the cleanse and if they were actually happier.

I guess this is what philosophy major is for

[ansirahka · 6/10 · 28 June 2022]

I do get and like the whole "cleanse" yourself angle, that the only way to overcome trauma, negativity within yourself is just as hard as to unalive oneself.

The Cleanse

[ari-j · 1/10 · 30 June 2020]

I thought I had already seen everything, but yes this is the worst movie I have ever seen. Houston alone will not save this, one star is too much.

Very good and simple to understand

[butkutesea · 9/10 · 7 February 2019]

The movie was obviously how your ego can kill you if you keep on feeding it. It's not big at first but will get big and in your way to being unhappy

An Interesting Pop Culture Fable

[njm0923 · 6/10 · 2 October 2018]

Traditionally, a fable is a story created to illuminate some type of moral exhortation. In this case, the obvious moral of the story is: If you refuse to kill your own demons, they will eventually eat you alive. I found the metaphor of a cleanse to be an interesting one. Doing a, so-called, cleanse has become somewhat of a pop culture thing. It promises that if you drink some kind of nasty concoction & feel like crap for a few days, you will emerge brighter, lighter & more radiant than ever! All of the bad stuff (toxins; etc.) will be, quite literally, flushed from your body into the eternal abyss of your sewage system! So, what if one could purge their inner demons just as easily? But there's a bit of a catch, you can't just flush these down the toilet & keep on movin'. Unlike what comes out of you in a traditional cleanse, these little demons aren't so easily discarded. They have big, pleading eyes, they have mannerisms that mimic your own; they'll even nosh on your favorite junk food with you... for a while... Although I do feel, as many other reviewers have stated, the movie ended very abruptly - the primary conflict is barely resolved & then, BOOM, it's over - I still found the idea to be creative & somewhat compelling. My advice? Don't pay just to see this movie, you will probably feel as though you've been robbed at the end. However, it's totally Netflix & chill worthy, so put on your comfy clothes, grab your popcorn & take it for what it's worth, it does make a very valid point.

Good stars bad movie

[hollymareedunning · 2/10 · 2 December 2021]

I feel like I lost an hour and a half of my life and the ending ???? I was left feeling very disappointed to be honest but I guess some one will like it.

Sad

[davidde-37476 · 2/10 · 27 January 2020]

Sad that they bothered making it in the first place. Don't bother watching!!!

No conclusion only confusion

[markthomassintek · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

REVIEW - THE CLEANSE

Let's imagine that all the bad, the negative, the little monster we hide inside is actually real.

So this monster lives inside us and is a part of us whether we like it or not and this monster basically makes us who we are and how we interact with people and deal with situations.

What if you could literally take the monster away.

Nice premise for the film but this does get lost in the journey, especially at the end which was disappointing because from the trailer I had great hopes for this silly, go nowhere story with no conclusion only confusion.

Honestly if this is on TV this is your last resort, it's either this or........ And after sitting through this I'd rather be doing the or.

One film I wish was better but it wasn't.

5 out of 10

Captivating

[Gordon-11 · 20 December 2020]

The story is quite bizarre, but it captivates me from start to finish. It has suspense and you just can't guess what will happen next.

Shame on you Johnny Galecki and Angelica Houston...

[nickchia-366-813782 · 3/10 · 6 January 2020]

Shame on you Johnny Galecki and Angelica Houston... Given the possible potential of a decent storyline, this one really missed the mark.

Weird hidden gem

[garnermcculloch · 7/10 · 20 May 2018]

I'll keep this short and sweet. It was very heart warming, strange and in the end a nice simple movie that I enjoyed quite a bit.

What just happened?

[lblackburnii · 1/10 · 12 April 2020]

This is exactly 1 hr and 21mins, that I will never get back. I tried so hard and just let myself down. I hope these actors got paid before they released the film. I feel ridiculous that I was so excited to watch.

Dealing with your pain, the literal metaphoric way.

[AristarchosTheArchivist · 7/10 · 5 December 2021]

"The Cleanse" is a simple, effective, and far-out movie about a therapeutic retreat that is not what it seems.

The practical effects are nicely done, and the actors are doing a fine job.

The subtle and well-composed music deserves special praise.

If you don't get the metaphor, the movie may be even more important for you to watch again.

It's not really a comedy, though it's quirky. Don't expect a gory horror romp.

When you get it, the ending is really satisfying and leaves no questions open.

Really???? WTF!!!

[nljs · 1/10 · 4 February 2020]

This is my first review on this site. I felt compelled to warn others to not waste their precious time watching this movie.

All I can say is what a load of rubbish!!!!

Mine's bigger than yours

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 15 April 2017]

Also: I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. A very weird movie, I knew nothing about when I saw it at a Festival. I went through a bunch of emotions during the screening. Happy, sad, afraid and so forth. The movie really puts you out there with the actors and you wonder where it's all going.

It's really best if you don't read too much about it. The mystery that builds while watching it, is amazing. Also the make-up effects are nice if you like old school (not CGI). It really conveys a lot of emotions and it has a perfect ending too. A nice little gem, that not many will have the opportunity to watch.

Good premise

[joycemicol · 6/10 · 8 June 2022]

The cast was good, the acting although not steller was watchable. The premise was interesting and well thought out, but the outcome was just dropped. I was left thinking 'and?'.

Weird, disturbing and strangely engrossing.

[Gothamite1 · 5/10 · 19 February 2020]

That was a strange movie. Doesn't really go anywhere. Just meanders without any real conflict. Kind if a WTf ending too. Strange.

Waste of time

[patchway-29769 · 2/10 · 24 May 2021]

This movie is labelled under "Comedy", but in all honesty this is FAR from it. It is so stupid, and people who would find this movie funny in an unironic way will probably be people who think that The Room by Tommy W. Is a great film in an unironic way. Don't waste your time with this garbage.