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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Lions Gate
Salesrank: 14593
Released: February 17, 2004 |
| Our Price: $1.99 |
| Used Price: $1.64 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
An aspiring singer in a dysfunctional household finds her niche in yiddish music while her friend tries to make it as a ventriloquist saddled with a dummy who embodies his inner doubts. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/14/2004 Starring: Adrien Brody Ileana Douglas Run time: 91 minutes Rating: R
Description of Dummy:
Oscar®-winner Adrien Brody has a nifty role in Dummy as a shy loser whose life is transformed by... ventriloquism. Living with his parents and his caustic sister (Illeana Douglas in good form), tongue-tied Steven can't hold a conversation to save his life--until he sits a wooden dummy on his knee. Others find this kind of creepy, but Steven parlays his newfound voice into a date with his pretty lady at the unemployment office (she's played by Vera Farmiga, from 15 Minutes, a soulful actress destined for big things). Writer-director Greg Pritikin doesn't oversell this modest premise, instead nicely filling in the corners with sly comedy and character bits. Milla Jovovich plays Steven's punk-rock buddy, and Jessica Walter and Ron Leibman are his parents--it's a surprisingly strong cast for an indie effort. Dummy won a release when Brody got the Oscar for The Pianist, but this is a worthy and entertaining picture all on its own. --Robert Horton
Dummy Reviews:
Pass 
2008-04-20 - Adrian Brody is a good actor, but he isn't given much to work with here. A lot of forced quirkiness in this movie. Very bizarre equivalence worked out between Brody's character and his dummy, and his love interest with her child. Weird. Milo Janovich is probably an acquired taste but you kind of seek a pillow to bury your head in during her scenes. Can't really recommend it.
What a loving movie!!! 
2008-04-09 - I just bought the movie from a former rental for $4.99. What a loving movie! Adrien Brody make a loving act as Steven, a shy wimp with a heart of gold. He lives with his crazed parents and his sour hearted sister Heidi (Ileana Douglas). Steven (Brody) hates his job and his boss reminds me of Meryl Streep in The Devils Wears Prada. So in a impulse, he bought a wooden dummy that becomes his alter ego and his concience. While he learns to talk without moving his lips, Steven is talking to the dummy and the dummy answers him back in a psycologic point of view. It seams that the dummy wants to help Steven using foul language and harsh love. Or is Steven talking to himself? And then the dummy began to talk the words that Steven doesn't dare to say to anybody!! That moves his job couselor, Lorena (Vera Farmiga) that seams to have issues by her own. Milla Jojovich is Steven best friend, did a great job as a real nut case, hard punk rocker who sings lovely in yiddish at the end of the movie. While this is low budget movie, it has a touching but deep simplicity that lacks multi-million motion pictures. Just follow your bliss and buy this movie. I'm glad I did!
Love Adrien Brody 
2007-11-28 - I really like the actor and see movies that he is in. This is a funny movie with family drama.
Don't be a dummy, watch this wonderful film . . .
2007-09-27 - Trust me, you'll like it, you really will. "Dummy" is a small comic gem that you've probably never even heard of. I hadn't--until I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the DVD one day. The basic story is about a young man (played to comic perfection by Adrien Brody) who decides to fulfill his dream of becoming a ventriloquist. No, the movie doesn't turn into an Anthony Hopkins' killer dummy fright fest like the film "Magic". Thank God. Instead "Dummy" is a hysterically funny and very touching movie with wonderful performances by Illeana Douglas (who plays Adrien's sister--and is a pretty good singer--and any film that Ms. Douglas is in, I will watch because she's such a great actress), Jessica "Arrested Development" Walter (who plays Adrien's mother), Vera Farmiga (who plays the girl Adrien falls for) and Milla Jovovich (who plays Adrien's wacky best friend--and steals every scene that she is in). "Dummy" is delightful. You'll laugh your socks off. You'll bust a gut. And at the end of the film you'll thank me for recommending it. Trust me, you will.
The Jewish "my big fat greek wedding" 
2007-08-27 - Very funny film. I laughed very hard along with my parents. There is a lot of Jewish humor in the film so it may not be so funny to those not exposed to it. Four letter words are what makes this film inappropriate for children.
