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IMDbPro

This Must Be the Place

  • 20112011
  • RR
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,709
363
Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
Cheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during WWII.
Play trailer2:08
3 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureComedyDrama
Cheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.I... Read allCheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.Cheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,709
363
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Paolo Sorrentino
    • Writers
      • Paolo Sorrentino(screenplay)
      • Umberto Contarello(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Sean Penn
      • Frances McDormand
      • Judd Hirsch
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Paolo Sorrentino
    • Writers
      • Paolo Sorrentino(screenplay)
      • Umberto Contarello(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Sean Penn
      • Frances McDormand
      • Judd Hirsch
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 97User reviews
    • 205Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
    • Awards
      • 19 wins & 17 nominations

    Videos3

    U.S. Version -- #1
    Trailer 2:08
    U.S. Version -- #1
    U.K. Version
    Trailer 2:33
    U.K. Version
    "Mick Jagger Sang with Me"
    Clip 1:09
    "Mick Jagger Sang with Me"

    Photos120

    Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Frances McDormand and Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Frances McDormand and Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Eve Hewson in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    David Byrne in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Frances McDormand in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    David Byrne in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Sean Penn and Eve Hewson in This Must Be the Place (2011)
    Sean Penn in This Must Be the Place (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • Cheyenne
    Frances McDormand
    Frances McDormand
    • Jane
    Judd Hirsch
    Judd Hirsch
    • Mordecai Midler
    Eve Hewson
    Eve Hewson
    • Mary
    Olwen Fouéré
    Olwen Fouéré
    • Mary's Mother
    Johnny Ward
    Johnny Ward
    • Steven
    Sam Keeley
    Sam Keeley
    • Desmond
    Danielle O'Brien
    • Supermarket Girl #1
    Margaret O'Reilly
    • Supermarket Girl #2
    Mairin O'Donovan
    • Old Lady in Bank
    Simon Delaney
    Simon Delaney
    • Jeffrey
    Jer O'Leary
    Jer O'Leary
    • Old Man in Cemetary
    Master Deng
    • Chinese Tai Chi Teacher
    Jane Myers
    • Jeffrey's Girlfriend
    Heather Fedyk
    • Elevator Woman #1
    Iris Frank
    • Elevator Woman #2
    Andrea Mellos
    • Elevator Woman #3
    Sarab Kamoo
    Sarab Kamoo
    • Elevator Woman #4
    • (as Sara Kamoo)
    • Director
      • Paolo Sorrentino
    • Writers
      • Paolo Sorrentino(screenplay) (story)
      • Umberto Contarello(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Cheyenne is talking with David Byrne, he reveals he lives tortured by the suicide of two teens who were fans of him. This is a recreation of a real-life incident that happened in 1985 in Reno, where two young ones called Raymond Belknap and James Vance made a suicide pact after listening to Judas Priest's songs.
    • Goofs
      Cheyenne refers to the band as "The Talking Heads". David Byrne and group went so far as to name an album "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads" to help people drop the "the".
    • Quotes

      Rachel: No shit! Now I remember you. You sang with Mick Jagger once.

      Cheyenne: I know him. He's a good singer, I like the way he dances.

      Rachel: Listen your cheeseburger is a bit too well done. You don't mind do ya? Unfortunately, that's life!

      Cheyenne: You know what the problem is... Rachel?

      Rachel: What?

      Cheyenne: Without realizing it, we go from an age where we say: "My life will be that" to an age where we say: "That's life."

    • Alternate versions
      The international version is approximately 7-minute shorter than the version screened at the Cannes Film Festival and released in Italy.
    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Sean Penn Performances (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
      Written by David Byrne (as D. Byrne), Tina Weymouth (as T. Weymouth), Jerry Harrison (as J. Harrison), Chris Frantz (as C. Franz)

      Performed by David Byrne

      (c) Warner Bros. Music Inc. / Index Music Inc.

      Licensed by Warner Bros. Music Italy S.r.l.

    User reviews97

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Alternately quirky and affecting, this heartwarming movie with its laid-back charm and deadpan humour is anchored by a virtuoso performance by Sean Penn
    Is there a role which eludes Sean Penn? In Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's English-language debut following his 2008 Cannes hit 'Il Divo', the two-time Academy Award winner takes on an unlikely comedic role as an over-the-hill pop star named Cheyenne and pulls it off with aplomb. Indeed, even though the movie never does quite come together as a cohesive whole, Penn's brilliant performance more than anchors the entire film, and you'll find yourself hard-pressed to take your eyes off him.

    To say that Penn owns the entire movie is not an overstatement- right from the start, Penn mesmerises with a bizarre get-up consisting of a jet-black fright wig and all-black lipstick and eyeliner even in the comfort of his own sprawling home. As is typical of such characters, Cheyenne suffers from depression, and besides doing the groceries while his fireman of a wife (Frances McDormand) is off at work, spends most of his time in the day hanging out with a spunky teen Mary (Eve Hewson) at a café in a shopping mall.

    Purpose is what is lacking in his life- haunted by the suicide of two brothers who said they were inspired by his lyrics, Cheyenne has not been able to return to his music since. For the first half hour, Sorrentino familiarises his audience with the idiosyncrasies of his lead character as well as his marriage with his wife Jane, and thanks to an empathetic performance by Penn, your heart will go out to this lost soul searching for that elusive thing called meaning. It is testament to Penn's flawless performance that you'll still feel the warmth and heart behind his character's eccentricities.

    Cheyenne awakens from his stupor when he gets news that his father is dying and promptly makes the travel by cruise- because of his fear of flying- to New York. Unfortunately, he arrives too late, missing the very last opportunity to connect with the father he has not spoken to in years. So when his cousin Richard (Liron Levo) informs him that his dad was obsessed with tracking down a Nazi war criminal at Auschwitz named Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), Cheyenne takes it upon himself to complete his father's mission.

    And so begins a road trip across the United States, each pit-stop in Michigan, New Mexico and finally Utah offering memorable encounters with locals that in their own way serve to give him closure and reconciliation. Mirroring Cheyenne's own inner transformation, Sorrentino adopts a measured pace as Cheyenne meets a history teacher (Joyce Van Patten), a war widow (Kerry Condon), his dad's fellow Nazi hunter Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch) and finally of course Lange himself. Less patient viewers will probably be frustrated, but those willing to accept the laid-back tone of the film will find Cheyenne's journey a rather therapeutic one- especially in its closing lesson on the importance of learning to let go of the past.

    Sorrentino, who co-wrote the script with Umberto Contrarello, also lightens the mood of the film with some well-placed deadpan humour, delivered with panache by Penn. A scene where Cheyenne meets a gaggle of women in the lift discussing which brand of lipstick is best and finally gives them due advice just to shut them up is sharply hilarious, while his well-meaning attempt at match-making Mary with an earnest shopping mall staff proves sweet and amusing. But through the varying types of humour, it is Penn's unpretentious acting that makes them work- with a recurring gesture of Penn casually blowing a wisp of hair falling across his face perhaps the most consistently delightful narrative device. Among his co-stars, McDormand shines in her role as Cheyenne's wife, and a sequence where she is practising tai-chi in her lawn while distracted by her husband in the upper window one of the best moments in the film.

    For rock fans, the participation of David Bryne is no doubt a highlight in itself, and Sorrentino pleases his fans with an extended concert scene that has the rock star performing the title song of the film while a woman in a room that reflects a period setting floats above the crowd. Nonetheless, for us cinephiles, the delight is in watching Sean Penn take on an unlikely comedic role in spite of his dramatic credentials. If it isn't yet apparent, we'll say it again- Penn's flawless performance is good enough reason to visit this place, and it's one that is warm, touching and unexpectedly affecting.

    • www.moviexclusive.com
    helpful•71
    19
    • moviexclusive
    • Mar 31, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 24, 2011 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
      • Ireland
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Este debe ser el lugar
    • Filming locations
      • Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
    • Production companies
      • Indigo Film
      • Lucky Red
      • Medusa Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $143,979
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,754
      • Nov 4, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,928,909
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Datasat
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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