The Pleasure of Being Robbed (2008)

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

THE PLEASURE OF BEING ROBBED (dir. Joshua Safdie) A brash example of LoFi Mumblecore that presents an unapologetic look at a whimsical sociopath who believes that anything that strikes her fancy is hers for the taking. Elenore swipes everything from kittens to Volvos, and the film's uncomfortable message seems to be that her victims are only being blessed by her wonderfulness. Needless to say, it's nearly impossible for a rational viewer to rally round a character with such an extreme egocentric focus, yet the film might only be a sly cinematic valentine by director Joshua Safdie to articulate his feelings for the star of the film, Eleonore Hendricks.

I've seen a lot of terrible reviews about this movie, and I don't really understand why. It's not a terrible movie for the masses, it fits a select few tastes. If you like Sofia Coppola type films, realistic feel without begin reality or a fake documentary, than you will probably like this one. Don't go into it expecting an amazing plot line, and a twist ending, because than you will be disappointed. I think the cinematography was done beautifully. They got the right, and the wrong angles, in all the right ways. You almost feel as you are following her around and getting a real time look into someone else's life. I don't want to give too much away, but I would give the movie a chance before you decided to hate it. Watch the trailer - so you get the basic idea of what kind of film it is.

She's the only one that takes heart to a man that says "hello, handsome; hello beautiful" to every person he comes into contact with.She meets an acquaintance on the street as she's looking to steal a car. He obliges to help her, and together they go for a random all-night drive to Boston. It's about 20 minutes into the escapade before he says, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while." She sees a man walking a purse as if it's a dog.At the film's climax, she's caught. Except, she doesn't try to run away (which she easily could have done). She says, "I just want to look through it" over and over again. That simple dialogue alone reveals her motivations for what she does but still leaving tons of mystery. She is not a sociopath. A sociopath has no interest in how others feel. She goes as far as to rob other people to know them.And I don't understand the hate that some of these reviews convey. If anything, I would think that some of them have to be jokes. To criticize this movie for having no plot or character development is absurd. It's the moments of this random woman's life (a character you've never seen before... she's seemingly thoughtless, passionate, vivacious) This is such a moving film, with too many beautiful moments to name (I hate that I can't name them all). If these images and moments fail to affect most viewers (and by other reviews, it seems to have done so), then I feel sorry for those people for missing out on so much.Last example: at one point a man is shown filming his son at the playground. The father tells him to fill up his pale with sand and run it down the slide. The son says it's "dumb and weird." The father says it "No, it will be cool for our movie."

I just saw this at a university screening. After reading the reviews here, I wanted to add my response, too.I thought this film was really moving. I think it goes a little way toward helping a viewer recognize the wild grip he or she places on things or expectations, and what's more amazing is that the logic of the film allows it to do this almost solely through humor and with a light touch. Many moments in the film are not that far from Gogol's Dead Souls or Tati's Hulot in their liveliness and scope.At the very least, I'd recommend it to a friend--a thoughtful and surprising film.