‎Synecdoche, New York (2008) directed by Charlie Kaufman • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Synecdoche, New York

2008 Directed by Charlie Kaufman

A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Samantha Morton Jennifer Jason Leigh Michelle Williams Catherine Keener Emily Watson Tom Noonan Sadie Goldstein Hope Davis Dianne Wiest Kristen Bush Alice Drummond Amy Wright Deirdre O'Connell Elizabeth Marvel Charles Techman Tom Greer Josh Pais Lynn Cohen Daisy Tahan

124 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Adam Cook ★★★★★ 33

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

**NOTE: This is less a review and more a rough analysis of the film so please do not read if you have yet to see the film.**

I think this will be Kaufman's Eyes Wide Shut in that it won't get the recognition it truly deserves for at least ten years. Synecdoche, New York is pure cinema. No other medium could possibly attempt to tell this story. It would be largely incomprehensible as a novel and too bogged down in detail to have any real emotional resonance. Whilst no theatre could do justice to the scale the story demands or unfold in such a unique time frame.

I appreciate that the film won’t be for everyone but I just fell…
Review by Arielrocks5 ★★★★★ 78

Charlie Kaufman is a man who understands the idea of the human existence in a way that won't be fully be able to accepted among the rest of the world because we all believe that the idea of life is that we just simply have to make the most of it for our own needs and sometimes the needs of others. When in actuality life is a giant stage for us to preform the pain, happiness, laughter, sadness, and pure angry towards our own existence.

And the audience is in the distant future, waiting for our stories to be finished only to then fade into the rest of the unknown entity that is death who is the director and stage…
Review by DirkH ★★★★★ 31

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This is Charlie Kaufman's crowning achievement. It is not only his best film to date, it is one of the best films I have ever seen.

I rarely come across films anymore that manage to ensnare me in a narrative so disjointed, yet so enthralling I cannot help but be absorbed by it wholly. This film stretches the medium to its limits in a non-obfuscating way that is refreshing, unique and despite the deep layers it possesses, accessible in so far that there is an appealing and universal truth at the surface of it all.

Creation is art is life.

Kaufman's story has to be a film. It was created purposefully for it and he understands the medium so well.…
Review by Lucy ★★★★★ 4

someone, eventually: why do u like this movie so much
me: i have depression
Review by Evan ★★★★★ 5

Synecdoche, New York is a film that must be experienced by everyone. If you have yet to see this movie, I suggest you stop what you're doing and watch it now. Philip Seymour Hoffman truly was one of, if not the best actor of this generation. You're presence will forever be missed, RIP.
Review by YI JIAN ★★★★★ 23

Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Weeks lost in one cut, years lost between scenes, lives lost in a blink of an eye. Time is slipping through our fingers. You may mind your own problems, sort your own miseries as if they are the only thing in this world worthy of your attention. You may play pretend; pretend you are a fairy, or an actor, or an actor playing an actor playing an actor. Set a daily routine for yourself as a distraction from the fact that we are all hurtling towards death. Still, before you know it, reality will catch up with you. You will suddenly wake up on what soon to be your own deathbed and realize…

Recent reviews

Review by Tim ★★★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

when i was watching this, i was only focused on caden’s life, not really focusing on any other details being thrown out by either news reports, newpapers, or characters in the background who reappear in an important role later. it wasn’t until after the film was over that truman said that there were so many little details, like how the world was basically ending if you listened closely to the news reports. the passage of time that goes through in this movie is unique as you can’t really tell when it happens, unless its really obvious when it does. the first scene alone jumps through like 2 months and thats only in like 5 minutes. in 2 hours we see…
Review by truman segal ★★★★★

we out here sad as fuck on a monday morning
Review by CompleteMadnessJW ★★★★★

There are so many lines from this movie that could be taken out of context for joke reviews, but the whole thing is so fucking depressing that I just can’t bring myself to post anything like that.
Review by Ron Rick ★★★★

hmm.
Review by Kate B. ★★★★

Well, second "conceptual" film in two days. (I saw Madeline's Madeline yesterday.) I thought this one would make more sense because it's a filmmaker I trust more (Kaufman), but I shouldn't have expected that. Clearly. Amazing film. But frustratingly difficult to follow, especially the last 20-30 minutes or so. It just more and more complicated and confusing, to the point where I had no idea who the lady was that he rested his head against in the final shot. Definitely think that seeing this movie again would give me a stronger grasp of what's happening, but...not sure when that rewatch is going to happen.
Review by Alex Sennett ★★★★★

This is the kind of film that one either turns off halfway through or remembers for the rest of their life. Such an achievement in storytelling by Kaufman here is absolutely unprecedented and astounding. Hoffman is magnificent. A true 1000 page novel of a film - in 2 hours it does more than what would take most films 20. The few films I have seen in my life that inspire me to be a better person and live more intentionally are the ones I cherish the most, and this is one of them already.
Review by Evan Colten ★★★★★

“Our creations become cancers of our own mind. We justify sadness by assuming it to be profound, and that’s what makes loving so much harder.”
Review by Nicholas Cassol ★★★★★

A film that completely changes the way you view the world.
Review by Jimi Agboola ★★★★★

I have no words for this film, I’m feeling so many things after seeing this, sadness, anger, pity, confusion.

I know all movies are meant to make the audience see themselves in the characters but I’ve never seen a film that’s made be confront myself as much as this.

There ha so much talk about this film being depressing, but it’s simply harsh truth and we must all face it.

This has instantly become one of the best films I’ve seen simply because in one hand I know what I have justwatched but on the other I’m absolutely clueless.

This makes so much sense to be Charlie Kaufman directorial debut! His screenplays are so unique and I don’t see any other director apart from him achieving the vision of what he wrote.

I’ve thinkin about this film all day. I’ll write a proper review after seeing it 3 or 4 more times.