This Must Be the Place (2011)

Cheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during WWII.

Director:

Paolo Sorrentino

Writers:

Paolo Sorrentino (story), Paolo Sorrentino (screenplay),

Stars:

Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch

11 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sean Penn	...	Cheyenne
Frances McDormand	...	Jane
Shea Whigham	...	Ernie Ray
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Robert Plath
Judd Hirsch	...	Mordecai Midler
Kerry Condon	...	Rachel
Joyce Van Patten	...	Dorothy Shore
Eve Hewson	...	Mary
David Byrne	...	Himself
Fritz Weaver	...	Cheyenne's Father (voice)
Grant Goodman	...	Tommy
Simon Delaney	...	Jeffery
Seth Adkins	...	Jimmy
Sam Keeley	...	Desmond
Emma Lock	...	Telecommunicator (voice)

Storyline

Cheyenne, a wealthy former rock star (Penn), now bored and jaded in his retirement embarks on a quest to find his father's persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in the U.S. Learning his father is close to death, he travels to New York in the hope of being reconciled with him during his final hours, only to arrive too late. Having been estranged for over 30 years, it is only now in death that he learns the true extent of his father's humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Lange - an event he is determined to avenge. So begins a life-altering journey across the heartland of America to track down and confront his father's nemesis. As his quest unfolds, Cheyenne is reawakened by the people he encounters and his journey is transformed into one of reconciliation and self discovery. As his date with destiny arrives and he tracks down Lange, Cheyenne must finally decide if it is redemption he seeks ....or revenge. Starring two time Academy Award winner ...

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Plot Keywords:

rock | rock star | humiliation | revenge | new york city | 

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Taglines:

Never for money Always for love

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

Italy France Ireland

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

24 August 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

Un lugar donde quedarse

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

€25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$7,754 (USA) (2 November 2012)

Gross:

$142,242 (USA) (14 December 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Medusa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 111 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Cheyenne is talking with David Byrne, he reveals he lives tortured by the suicide of two teens who were fans of him. This is a recreation of a real-life incident that happened in 1985 in Reno, where two young ones called Raymond Belknap and James Vance made a suicide pact after listening to Judas Priest's songs.

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Quotes

Cheyenne: At this particular moment I'm trying to fix up a sad boy and a sad girl, but it's not easy. I suspect that sadness is not compatible with sadness.

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Connections

References Stop Making Sense (1984)

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Soundtracks

"If It Falls It Falls"
(2011)
Written by Will Oldham and Composed by David Byrne
Performed by The Pieces Of Shit

User Reviews

Alternately quirky and affecting, this heartwarming movie with its laid-back charm and deadpan humour is anchored by a virtuoso performance by Sean Penn

Is there a role which eludes Sean Penn? In Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's English-language debut following his 2008 Cannes hit 'Il Divo', the two-time Academy Award winner takes on an unlikely comedic role as an over-the-hill pop star named Cheyenne and pulls it off with aplomb. Indeed, even though the movie never does quite come together as a cohesive whole, Penn's brilliant performance more than anchors the entire film, and you'll find yourself hard-pressed to take your eyes off him.

To say that Penn owns the entire movie is not an overstatement- right from the start, Penn mesmerises with a bizarre get-up consisting of a jet-black fright wig and all-black lipstick and eyeliner even in the comfort of his own sprawling home. As is typical of such characters, Cheyenne suffers from depression, and besides doing the groceries while his fireman of a wife (Frances McDormand) is off at work, spends most of his time in the day hanging out with a spunky teen Mary (Eve Hewson) at a café in a shopping mall.

Purpose is what is lacking in his life- haunted by the suicide of two brothers who said they were inspired by his lyrics, Cheyenne has not been able to return to his music since. For the first half hour, Sorrentino familiarises his audience with the idiosyncrasies of his lead character as well as his marriage with his wife Jane, and thanks to an empathetic performance by Penn, your heart will go out to this lost soul searching for that elusive thing called meaning. It is testament to Penn's flawless performance that you'll still feel the warmth and heart behind his character's eccentricities.

Cheyenne awakens from his stupor when he gets news that his father is dying and promptly makes the travel by cruise- because of his fear of flying- to New York. Unfortunately, he arrives too late, missing the very last opportunity to connect with the father he has not spoken to in years. So when his cousin Richard (Liron Levo) informs him that his dad was obsessed with tracking down a Nazi war criminal at Auschwitz named Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), Cheyenne takes it upon himself to complete his father's mission.

And so begins a road trip across the United States, each pit-stop in Michigan, New Mexico and finally Utah offering memorable encounters with locals that in their own way serve to give him closure and reconciliation. Mirroring Cheyenne's own inner transformation, Sorrentino adopts a measured pace as Cheyenne meets a history teacher (Joyce Van Patten), a war widow (Kerry Condon), his dad's fellow Nazi hunter Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch) and finally of course Lange himself. Less patient viewers will probably be frustrated, but those willing to accept the laid-back tone of the film will find Cheyenne's journey a rather therapeutic one- especially in its closing lesson on the importance of learning to let go of the past.

Sorrentino, who co-wrote the script with Umberto Contrarello, also lightens the mood of the film with some well-placed deadpan humour, delivered with panache by Penn. A scene where Cheyenne meets a gaggle of women in the lift discussing which brand of lipstick is best and finally gives them due advice just to shut them up is sharply hilarious, while his well-meaning attempt at match-making Mary with an earnest shopping mall staff proves sweet and amusing. But through the varying types of humour, it is Penn's unpretentious acting that makes them work- with a recurring gesture of Penn casually blowing a wisp of hair falling across his face perhaps the most consistently delightful narrative device. Among his co-stars, McDormand shines in her role as Cheyenne's wife, and a sequence where she is practising tai-chi in her lawn while distracted by her husband in the upper window one of the best moments in the film.

For rock fans, the participation of David Bryne is no doubt a highlight in itself, and Sorrentino pleases his fans with an extended concert scene that has the rock star performing the title song of the film while a woman in a room that reflects a period setting floats above the crowd. Nonetheless, for us cinephiles, the delight is in watching Sean Penn take on an unlikely comedic role in spite of his dramatic credentials. If it isn't yet apparent, we'll say it again- Penn's flawless performance is good enough reason to visit this place, and it's one that is warm, touching and unexpectedly affecting.

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