Being Claudine is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by I-fan Quirk. The film follows the hapless love life of its central character, fledgling New York City actress Claudine Bloomberg, played by Justine Lichtman. Being Claudine began life as a student film; it was director I-fan Quirk's thesis project for New York University. The film made its public debut at the Fort Worth Film Festival in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 21, 2000. It was given a limited theatrical release in New York City on July 19, 2002, where it received negative reviews from critics.

Being Claudine
Directed byI-fan Quirk
Written byI-fan Quirk
Justine Lichtman
Produced byI-fan Quirk (producer)
Jackie Stolfi (co-producer)
Robin Berla Meyers (line producer)
StarringJustine Lichtman
Musashi Alexander
Rose Arrick
James Bowman
Jordan Cael
Randall Ehrmann
Heidi Horst
Russ Vigilante
Reg Wyns
CinematographyMatthew C. Brookman
Edited byMary M. Torras
Music byChristopher McGlumphy
Production
company
First Generation Productions
Release dates
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Reception

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Critical reception to Being Claudine was overwhelmingly negative. The film received a rating of 17 out of 100 on review aggregate Metacritic, indicating "Universal dislike or disgust" from critics.[1] The Village Voice stated that "Savaging wooden, graceless, derivative student films is, admittedly, like punting a three-legged puppy, but that's what Quirk and his breed get for so stupidly undervaluing filmgoers' time."[2] The New York Post described the film as a "feeble shot at a screwball comedy".[3] The New York Times described Being Claudine as a "good-natured but amateurish film".[4] The A.V. Club stated that the film "grinds through a shopworn plot" and derided I-fan Quirk's direction, opining that "Quirk provides nothing to get excited about; even when he cuts frames to speed conversations along, his pacing stumbles, and his dialogue isn't worth suffering through all the awkward pauses."[5] Variety stated: "Though competently shot (on film, no less) and framed by helmer I-Fan Quirk, pic is quickly overtaken by an urge to let its sincere but dull characters chat away endlessly."[6] The Chicago Reader described Being Claudine as "no more memorable than an episode of Caroline in the City."[7] One of the film's only positive reviews came from Film Threat, which stated that "Justine Lichtman is consistently funny and watchable even when she's doing nothing."[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Being Claudine (2002)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2004-12-23. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Michael Atkinson. "village voice > film > Green Dragon; Being Claudine by Michael Atkinson". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Megan Turner (July 19, 2002). "NYPOST.COM Movie Reviews: THE UNBEARABLE NOTHING OF 'BEING' By MEGAN TURNER". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2005-03-27. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Dave Kehr (July 19, 2002). "FILM REVIEW; Overlooking a Shy Mr. Right Until It's Almost Too Late - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Noel Murray (July 29, 2002). "Being Claudine". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Robert Koehler (July 18, 2002). "Being Claudine". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Ted Shen (26 October 1985). "Being Claudine - Chicago Reader". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Chris Gore (July 19, 2002). "BEING CLAUDINE Reviews, Uncategorized Film Threat". Film Threat. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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