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Mister Lonely

 Mister Lonely
type
TVTItem
 Mister Lonely
label
Mister Lonely
 Mister Lonely
page
MisterLonely
 Mister Lonely
comment
Mister Lonely is a 2007 Independent Drama written and directed by Harmony Korine. A (comparatively) straightforward outing for the notoriously opaque filmmaker, it tells the story of a lonely Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) living in Paris. Confused, adrift, and terrified of death, he happens to meet the acquaintance of a cheery, idealistic Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton), who invites him back to her castle in the Scottish Highlands, where she and a whole clan of celebrity impersonators live in peace and harmony...mostly.Meanwhile, a priest (played by Korine-regular Werner Herzog) and a handful of Nuns operating in an unnamed Banana Republic discover a peculiarity that just may be Divine Intervention.Boasting Korine's largest budget yet, and the first of his movies to feature his wife, Rachel Korine, Mister Lonely bears little resemblance to anything else in the Writer-Director's filmography. Where he would go next, however...
 Mister Lonely
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2024-04-23T10:15:52Z
 Mister Lonely
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2024-04-23T10:15:52Z
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Dropped link to LetsPutOnAShow: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Mister Lonely
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Dropped link to WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Mister Lonely
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LetsPutOnAShow
 Mister Lonely
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WhateverHappenedToTheMouse
 Mister Lonely
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Mister Lonely / int_18d0a543
type
Title Card
 Mister Lonely / int_18d0a543
comment
Title Card: All of Michael's episodes are titled after a particular Michael Jackson song ("Man in the Mirror", "Thriller", etc.)
 Mister Lonely / int_18d0a543
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1.0
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Mister Lonely / int_18d0a543
 Mister Lonely / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 Mister Lonely / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Two of Korine's idols; Werner Herzog, who'd previously appeared in Julien Donkey-Boy, and Leos Carax, who's Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Korine cited as an inspiration. Also cast is Carax's frequent leading man, Denis Lavant.
 Mister Lonely / int_1b65dfad
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Mister Lonely / int_1b65dfad
 Mister Lonely / int_1dd12556
type
We All Die Someday
 Mister Lonely / int_1dd12556
comment
We All Die Someday: A major theme of the film. At the beginning Michael is performing at a Retirement Home, telling them all that they can live forever if they really believe they can, as if trying to convince himself. Later all the Impersonators react with such horror at the prospect of their entire flock of sheep having to be put down, it's likely it reminds them of their own mortality. And finally, Marilyn's suicide eventually forces Michael to deal with his fear of death head-on, allowing him to overcome it.
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Mister Lonely / int_1dd12556
 Mister Lonely / int_2737c505
type
Shoot the Dog
 Mister Lonely / int_2737c505
comment
Shoot the Dog: In a literal sense - the impersonators's flock of sheep contracts hoof-and-mouth, and lacking the money for any medicine, they're forced to put all of them down.
 Mister Lonely / int_2737c505
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Mister Lonely / int_2737c505
 Mister Lonely / int_2f57a4cb
type
Divine Intervention
 Mister Lonely / int_2f57a4cb
comment
Divine Intervention: The subplot regarding the nuns is based around their experiencing of what appears to be a true miracle: after being sent falling out of a plane without a parachute, a nun prays for her God to not let her die... then lands completely unharmed. When the convent discovers that this is replicable, they see it as validation of their faith, but then proceed to die anticlimactically in a mundane plane crash, so it may or may not be the case.
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Mister Lonely / int_2f57a4cb
 Mister Lonely / int_310ebd59
type
Godwin's Law of Facial Hair
 Mister Lonely / int_310ebd59
comment
Godwin's Law of Facial Hair: Invoked, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator has his wife, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, say that his mustache reminds her of Hitler.
 Mister Lonely / int_310ebd59
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Mister Lonely / int_310ebd59
 Mister Lonely / int_3b79029a
type
Crapsaccharine World
 Mister Lonely / int_3b79029a
comment
Crapsaccharine World: The Highlands Commune. Despite everyone there seeking and finding solidarity together, they do so with the knowledge that they're outcasts struggling to celebrate in their potential greatness, resulting in a somewhat melancholy and bittersweet atmosphere. By the end of the film, the despair over failure takes its toll on Marilyn.
 Mister Lonely / int_3b79029a
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 Mister Lonely / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Mister Lonely / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: The ending for the main plot. Marilyn dies by suicide, and forces Michael to fully confront his fear of death and dissatisfaction with the life he's chosen to capture the glory of for himself. He chooses to leave the convent and his celebrity impersonation job altogether, with the implication that he's finally deciding to live a life that's actually within his grasp: his own.
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Mister Lonely / int_40cc0c7e
 Mister Lonely / int_43b154c9
type
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
 Mister Lonely / int_43b154c9
comment
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Despite donning the images and some general mannerisms of their characters, almost none of the impersonators bother with changing their accents, from Charlie Chaplin's French accent to The Pope's English accent.
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Mister Lonely / int_43b154c9
 Mister Lonely / int_46290b93
type
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
 Mister Lonely / int_46290b93
comment
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Marilyn for Michael, to Charlie's jealous consternation.
 Mister Lonely / int_46290b93
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Mister Lonely / int_46290b93
 Mister Lonely / int_49d59be9
type
Scenery Porn
 Mister Lonely / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: The Highlands and the unnamed nation the Nuns work in.
 Mister Lonely / int_49d59be9
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Mister Lonely / int_49d59be9
 Mister Lonely / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Mister Lonely / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: The ending of the nun subplot. After being seemingly vindicated about their faith after miraculously surviving an assuredly fatal fall from the sky, the nuns board a plane to the Vatican... and then they die in a crash.
 Mister Lonely / int_4e3d253b
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Mister Lonely / int_4e3d253b
 Mister Lonely / int_4e7f703c
type
Wham Shot
 Mister Lonely / int_4e7f703c
comment
Wham Shot: As the gang decides to wander out into the night and sing "Cheek to Cheek" together, a light shines in the darkness, revealing Marilyn hanging from a tree.
 Mister Lonely / int_4e7f703c
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Mister Lonely / int_4e7f703c
 Mister Lonely / int_58ee8b0d
type
Celebrity Impersonator
 Mister Lonely / int_58ee8b0d
comment
Celebrity Impersonator: The main plot centers around an entire convent of celebrity impersonators who are so deep in their work that they effectively are their identities — aside from Michael and Marilyn, there's Charlie Chaplin (Denis Lavant), Madonna (Melita Morgan), Little Red Riding Hood (Rachel Korine), Abraham Lincoln (Richard Strange), Shirley Temple (Esme Creed-Miles), and others. Thematically, the movie examines obsession over identity, especially celebrity identity in its most literal definition of "people who are celebrated."
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Mister Lonely / int_58ee8b0d
 Mister Lonely / int_5f5e2d37
type
Shirley Template
 Mister Lonely / int_5f5e2d37
comment
Shirley Template: Marilyn's daughter, who is playing the part of Shirley Temple in the troupe.
 Mister Lonely / int_5f5e2d37
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Mister Lonely / int_5f5e2d37
 Mister Lonely / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Mister Lonely / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide: Marilyn. One of the more shocking examples of the trope, as there's absolutely no warning.
 Mister Lonely / int_6d332aea
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 Mister Lonely / int_6d332aea
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Mister Lonely / int_6d332aea
 Mister Lonely / int_766de4dc
type
To Absent Friends
 Mister Lonely / int_766de4dc
comment
To Soon-To-Be Absent Friends: "And so, tonight, my friends, I propose that we should get drunk on behalf of our fallen comrades in the pastures, whose lives shall soon cease". Bear in mind they are, in fact, talking about their sheep.
 Mister Lonely / int_766de4dc
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Mister Lonely / int_766de4dc
 Mister Lonely / int_83a903f6
type
Stepford Smiler
 Mister Lonely / int_83a903f6
comment
Stepford Smiler: Marilyn is doing her best to put on a happy face, but behind it she's a slowly collapsing wreck. The failure of the show finishes the collapse.
 Mister Lonely / int_83a903f6
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1.0
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Mister Lonely / int_83a903f6
 Mister Lonely / int_8ae880f7
type
Deconstruction
 Mister Lonely / int_8ae880f7
comment
Deconstruction: The film ends up deconstructing the concept of Celebrity Impersonation to an extent, mostly of the existential heights the concept implies. The characters are wrapped in the pursuit of trying to be people larger than their normal, unsatisfied lives (in this case, celebrities) and even go so far as to abandon their true identities... but it crumbles because despite their efforts, they are not the famous people they want to replicate, and thus the insecurities of their real lives continue to linger. The failure of their show shatters the illusion and sends the group into a depression, and for Marilyn in particular, it's too much to bear.
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Mister Lonely / int_8ae880f7
 Mister Lonely / int_8fd7af48
type
Sir Swears-a-Lot
 Mister Lonely / int_8fd7af48
comment
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Abe Fucking Lincoln. Also Charlie.
 Mister Lonely / int_8fd7af48
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1.0
 Mister Lonely / int_8fd7af48
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Mister Lonely / int_8fd7af48
 Mister Lonely / int_9bca83eb
type
Death by Irony
 Mister Lonely / int_9bca83eb
comment
Death by Irony: After all those times jumping out of planes without a parachute, it's a plane crash that kills all the Nuns.
 Mister Lonely / int_9bca83eb
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1.0
 Mister Lonely / int_9bca83eb
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Mister Lonely / int_9bca83eb
 Mister Lonely / int_a7850fbf
type
Only Known by Their Nickname
 Mister Lonely / int_a7850fbf
comment
Only Known by Their Nickname: None of the impersonators ever reveal their given names, almost as if they've abandoned them, and are as such exclusively referred to as their subjects.
 Mister Lonely / int_a7850fbf
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1.0
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Mister Lonely / int_a7850fbf
 Mister Lonely / int_b2f26025
type
Genki Girl
 Mister Lonely / int_b2f26025
comment
Genki Girl: Marilyn. This is a carefully constructed pose.
 Mister Lonely / int_b2f26025
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1.0
 Mister Lonely / int_b2f26025
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Mister Lonely / int_b2f26025
 Mister Lonely / int_bb5513e5
type
Charlie Chaplin Shout-Out
 Mister Lonely / int_bb5513e5
comment
Charlie Chaplin Shout-Out: One of the main impersonators is dressed up like Chaplin, and is married to Marilyn. He's a bit of a piece of work against Michael.
 Mister Lonely / int_bb5513e5
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 Mister Lonely / int_bb5513e5
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Mister Lonely / int_bb5513e5
 Mister Lonely / int_bf74d357
type
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
 Mister Lonely / int_bf74d357
comment
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: As you might expect, Charlie and Marilyn. This causes some tension when Marilyn begins to get attracted to Michael.
 Mister Lonely / int_bf74d357
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Mister Lonely / int_bf74d357
 Mister Lonely / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Mister Lonely / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: All are depressed after the near-disastrous show, and then they all start to burst into song with "Cheek to Cheek". ...And then they find Marilyn's body.
 Mister Lonely / int_c3c18143
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Mister Lonely / int_c3c18143
 Mister Lonely / int_c3fbac64
type
Bestiality Is Depraved
 Mister Lonely / int_c3fbac64
comment
Bestiality Is Depraved: Buckwheat seems malignly obsessed with chickens...
 Mister Lonely / int_c3fbac64
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Mister Lonely / int_c3fbac64
 Mister Lonely / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Mister Lonely / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Unusually for Korine, after the show there is a single shot of the camera spinning around the bitter and annoyed Impersonators that is obviously an homage to This is Spın̈al Tap. Also, Roger Ebert says that there is a shot of a plane taking off "which you will have to be very, very familiar" with the filmography of Werner Herzog to notice.
 Mister Lonely / int_c75df49a
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Mister Lonely / int_c75df49a
 Mister Lonely / int_ce6555f0
type
Lighter and Softer
 Mister Lonely / int_ce6555f0
comment
Lighter and Softer: Compared to Korine's previous work, and ESPECIALLY compared to the subsequent Trash Humpers. The subject matter is still based around strange outcasts, but it's not crass or vulgar, and it's presented in a much more straightforward and comprehensible manner compared to Korine's more notoriously obtuse oeuvre.
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Mister Lonely / int_ce6555f0
 Mister Lonely / int_d44ea142
type
You Are Not Alone
 Mister Lonely / int_d44ea142
comment
You Are Not Alone: The name of the last Title Card, after the Michael Jackson song of the same name. Arguably the other major theme of the film.
 Mister Lonely / int_d44ea142
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Mister Lonely / int_d44ea142
 Mister Lonely / int_d848560f
type
Unusual Euphemism
 Mister Lonely / int_d848560f
comment
Unusual Euphemism: To "Do it to" women, Father Umbrillo's term for sex.
 Mister Lonely / int_d848560f
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Mister Lonely / int_d848560f
 Mister Lonely / int_dda99fa8
type
Despair Event Horizon
 Mister Lonely / int_dda99fa8
comment
Despair Event Horizon: Marilyn spends most of the movie teetering on the edge of this. When the show is a flop, she loses what little motivation to go on she had left and hangs herself.
 Mister Lonely / int_dda99fa8
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Mister Lonely / int_dda99fa8
 Mister Lonely / int_e42e91b4
type
Godwin's Law
 Mister Lonely / int_e42e91b4
comment
Godwin's Law: "Y'know, Charlie, sometimes when I look at you, you seem more like Adolf Hitler than Charlie Chaplin."
 Mister Lonely / int_e42e91b4
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Mister Lonely / int_e42e91b4
 Mister Lonely / int_e8dcd1c0
type
Four Lines, All Waiting
 Mister Lonely / int_e8dcd1c0
comment
Four Lines, All Waiting: Unusual in that there are only two parallel storylines, but the A-Plot involving the Celebrity Impersonator commune and the B-Plot involving the Skydiving Nuns are cut-between so evenly there's a bit of waiting for both of them.
 Mister Lonely / int_e8dcd1c0
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Mister Lonely

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Mister Lonely
hasFeature
Celebrity Impersonator / int_ce376d0b
 Mister Lonely
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Divine Intervention / int_ce376d0b
 Mister Lonely
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Four Lines, All Waiting / int_ce376d0b
 Mister Lonely
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Godwin's Law of Facial Hair / int_ce376d0b
 Mister Lonely
hasFeature
Hey, Let's Put on a Show / int_ce376d0b
 Mister Lonely
hasFeature
Shirley Template / int_ce376d0b