SHOP SINGING...
IMDb >
The Singing Detective (2003)
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglinestrailers and videospostersphoto galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Singing Detective (2003)
| Photos (see all 8 | slideshow) | Videos |
Overview
Tagline:
When it comes to murder, seduction and betrayal he wrote the book. Now he's living it!Plot:
From his hospital bed, a writer suffering from a skin disease hallucinates musical numbers and paranoid plots. full summary | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreAwards:
1 win & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Gibson "To Launch Legal Action" Against New York Post (From WENN. 26 November 2003)
Robert Downey Jr. Free of Drug Temptations (From WENN. 15 October 2003)
User Comments:
Great Cast and Direction Drive Compelling Update of Dennis Potter's Classic moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Robert Downey Jr. | ... | Dan Dark | |
| Robin Wright Penn | ... | Nicola / Nina / Blonde | |
| Mel Gibson | ... | Dr. Gibbon | |
| Jeremy Northam | ... | Mark Binney | |
| Katie Holmes | ... | Nurse Mills | |
| Adrien Brody | ... | First Hood | |
| Jon Polito | ... | Second Hood | |
| Carla Gugino | ... | Betty Dark / Hooker | |
| Saul Rubinek | ... | Skin Specialist | |
| Alfre Woodard | ... | Chief of Staff | |
| Amy Aquino | ... | Nurse Nozhki | |
| David Dorfman | ... | Young Dan Dark | |
| Eddie Jones | ... | Moonglow Bartender | |
| Lily Knight | ... | Woman Physiotherapist | |
| Clyde Kusatsu | ... | Visiting Japanese Doctor |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some violence.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
109 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Finland:K-15 | Spain:18 | Germany:12 | Brazil:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:RFilming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USAMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Keith Gordon and Robert Downey Jr. previously worked together in the 1986 movie Back to School (1986). At the time, Keith Gordon was acting not directing. moreGoofs:
Continuity: The position of Dark's gun hand when he chases the goons into the street after they try to kill him in the nightclub. moreSoundtrack:
Important Words moreFAQ
A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERSmore
more
Message Boards
Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for The Singing Detective (2003) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| Basic Instinct | Tenebre | The Godfather | Little Miss Sunshine | Betty Fisher et autres histoires |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
















The 2003 film version of THE SINGING DETECTIVE is by turns funny, scathing, and poignant, a woefully underrated look into a writer's psyche. If you don't have time to watch Dennis Potter's landmark TV miniseries (also available on home video), Potter's screenplay for this movie version (written 2 years before his untimely death) does a great job of condensing the story of novelist Dan Dark's (Robert Downey Jr.) battle with severe chronic psoriasis and personal demons. Throughout the movie, the bitter, suffering Dark weaves in and out of reality and delirious re-imaginings of the people and events in his life as they'd appear in the titular novel starring Dark's tough private eye alter ego. Actor-turned-director Keith Gordon stages this wild ride through Dark's mind with a style that owes as much to David Lynch and the Coen Brothers as it does to Potter. The British miniseries' lip-synched 1940s musical set pieces are retooled as American 1950s rock 'n' roll numbers -- call me a Philistine, but I think the updating works even better than the original (and believe me, I loved the original)! As a writer, I found THE SINGING DETECTIVE to be a fine example of how one's life and experiences creep into one's writing no matter what genre you write in. Each and every member of the stellar cast is letter-perfect, with particularly good, sharp chemistry between Downey and, respectively, Robin Wright Penn (I've always loved her name; it's especially appropriate for someone playing a writer's wife :-), and producer Mel Gibson (as Dark's seemingly goofy but astute and compassionate therapist, Gibson is all but unrecognizable in bald drag; Greg Cannom's F/X makeup serves both Gibson and Downey well). It's a shame THE SINGING DETECTIVE didn't do better with critics or at the box office, or Downey probably would've been a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. I could empathize with Downey as the bitter, clever, pain-racked (physically and emotionally) Dan Dark even when he wasn't acting particularly likable. The versatile Downey could be a Bogart for the Aughties if he could keep his own personal demons under control. I also enjoyed seeing our household fave Adrien Brody in a relatively lighthearted (for this film :-) role as one of a pair of Dark's fictional hoods with a bumbling streak. Jon Polito completes the pair; he and Brody are like an amoral Abbott & Costello. Their repartee cracked me up, especially their "Patti Page" exchange early in the film. Give this new SINGING DETECTIVE a try next time you're in the video store and in the mood for something different. If you rent the DVD and like it, watch it again with Keith Gordon's commentary track on; he has lots of intriguing and entertaining things to say about the making of the film, particularly about the cast and how he and his crew got those great surreal effects on a low budget.