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IMDbPro

The Best Offer

Original title: La migliore offerta
  • 20132013
  • RR
  • 2h 11m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
118K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,279
96
Geoffrey Rush and Sylvia Hoeks in The Best Offer (2013)
A master auctioneer becomes obsessed with an extremely reclusive heiress who collects fine art.
Play trailer2:28
2 Videos
75 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
A lonely art expert working for a mysterious and reclusive heiress finds not only her art worth examining.A lonely art expert working for a mysterious and reclusive heiress finds not only her art worth examining.A lonely art expert working for a mysterious and reclusive heiress finds not only her art worth examining.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
118K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,279
96
  • Director
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Writer
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Stars
    • Geoffrey Rush
    • Jim Sturgess
    • Sylvia Hoeks
Top credits
  • Director
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Writer
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Stars
    • Geoffrey Rush
    • Jim Sturgess
    • Sylvia Hoeks
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 243User reviews
    • 147Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 25 wins & 26 nominations

    Videos2

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:28
    Theatrical Trailer
    International Trailer
    Trailer 1:39
    International Trailer

    Photos75

    Jim Sturgess and Giuseppe Tornatore in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, and Giuseppe Tornatore in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush and Giuseppe Tornatore in The Best Offer (2013)
    Sylvia Hoeks in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, and Sylvia Hoeks in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, and Sylvia Hoeks in The Best Offer (2013)
    Geoffrey Rush in The Best Offer (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Geoffrey Rush
    Geoffrey Rush
    • Virgil Oldmanas Virgil Oldman
    Jim Sturgess
    Jim Sturgess
    • Robertas Robert
    Sylvia Hoeks
    Sylvia Hoeks
    • Claire Ibbetsonas Claire Ibbetson
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Billy Whistleras Billy Whistler
    Philip Jackson
    Philip Jackson
    • Fredas Fred
    Dermot Crowley
    Dermot Crowley
    • Lambertas Lambert
    Kiruna Stamell
    Kiruna Stamell
    • Girl in the Baras Girl in the Bar
    Liya Kebede
    Liya Kebede
    • Sarahas Sarah
    Caterina Capodilista
    • Young Womanas Young Woman
    Gen Seto
    Gen Seto
    • Housekeeperas Housekeeper
    Klaus Tauber
    • Virgil's Assistant #1as Virgil's Assistant #1
    Maximilian Dirr
    Maximilian Dirr
    • Virgil's Assistant #2as Virgil's Assistant #2
    Laurence Belgrave
    • Virgil's Assistant #3as Virgil's Assistant #3
    Sean Buchanan
    Sean Buchanan
    • Virgil's Assistant #4as Virgil's Assistant #4
    John Benfield
    John Benfield
    • Barmanas Barman
    Miles Richardson
    Miles Richardson
    • Steirereck Maitreas Steirereck Maitre
    Jim Conway
    • Steirereck Manageras Steirereck Manager
    • (as James Patrick Conway)
    Brigitte Christensen
    Brigitte Christensen
    • First Daughteras First Daughter
    • Director
      • Giuseppe Tornatore
    • Writer
      • Giuseppe Tornatore
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The restaurant in Prague is "Restaurace u milosrdnych" at the crossing of "U Milosrdnych" and "Kozi" in the center of the town
    • Goofs
      As Virgil passes through the glass-pane door of Night and Day café almost at the end of the movie, there is a sticker on the glass pane of the door which read "Pivnice U milosrdných" - the original Czech name of that pub.
    • Quotes

      Billy Whistler: I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. Human emotions are like works of art. They can be forged. They seem just like the original, but they are a forgery.

      Virgil Oldman: Forgery?

      Billy Whistler: Everything can be faked, Virgil. Joy, pain, hate... illness, recovery. Even love.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Zero Listillos: Leonardo Raya: Fargo, Charlot y Casablanca (2013)

    User reviews243

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Intriguing offering
    "The Best Offer" is an unusual, stylish movie with a clever story.

    From the beginning we sense there is a mystery at its heart, and indeed, it keeps you wondering right to the end.

    I wouldn't give away too much of the plot and spoil the enjoyment for anyone discovering it for the first time, however there are other things to enjoy about "The Best Offer" other than the twists and turns of the story.

    Geoffrey Rush plays Virgil Oldman, a successful art connoisseur and auctioneer who is asked to evaluate and sell the estate of Claire Ibbetson (Sylvia Hoeks), a reclusive young heiress who has not left her home for years. Virgil is a man of epicurean taste, who also has some carefully guarded issues regarding his near worship of beautiful women, which has manifested itself in an impressive private collection of paintings of women through the ages.

    As he begins to catalogue the Ibbetson estate, we realise that the artefacts he uncovers and the growing relationship with his strange young client touch not only his vanities but also probe his phobias and fantasies.

    This is a film of many layers. We get an insider view of a world of wealth, privilege and a taste, but we also get an intimate look at Virgil Oldman; we see beyond the aloof, cool exterior to the man of deeply repressed vulnerabilities - it is a thoughtful performance by Geoffrey Rush.

    There is a great deal of artwork shown in the film including a couple of portraits by a fictional artist named Jansky, supposedly of great value, and important to the plot. Paintings that receive great reverence in movies are sometimes a bit of a let down when they appear on the screen, often being simply retouched photos ("Laura") or just badly executed works that show the producers had little taste or knowledge of art.

    That is not the case here, the filmmakers obviously went to some trouble to commission paintings from a very good artist (Russian artist Katerina Panikakova according to one source) and the interesting-looking portraits fit perfectly into the superb look and feel of the whole film.

    "The Best Offer" is an Italian production, and the love of art and beauty lends an Italian sensibility to the whole thing. Adding to the atmosphere is the distinctive Ennio Morricone score.

    Although the Mamet-esque ending brings the drama to a logical enough conclusion, like many films, the journey is the most satisfying aspect of "The Best Offer" - even if, sadly, it only reinforces the notion that there is no fool like an old fool.
    helpful•9
    1
    • tomsview
    • Sep 25, 2015

    FAQ4

    • The renaissance dessert, a confection of Swiss cream and bitter almonds, that Virgil admires but declines to consume: can anyone explain why he did not eat the offering? And what is its significance?
    • Was the automaton authentic?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1, 2014 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Italy)
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kẻ Lập Dị
    • Filming locations
      • Via Guido Corsi, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Paco Cinematografica
      • Warner Bros. Entertainment
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €13,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $100,035
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,595
      • Jan 5, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,919,703
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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