Permanent Vacation

Empty, dull and tedious. Oh wait, that was the whole point.

not my type of movie,but had a lot to say!

Awesome Lower East Side location work, New York as a post armageddon interzone full of junkie squalor crazies, which is handy, as the film itself is boring small scale wanderlust.

Always found JJ to be sort of obnoxiously mediocre and pretty stupid, but, goddamn, this was incredible. Some great films are simply commanded by and built entirely around a singularly interesting person, and Jarmusch is at least smart enough to let his scrawny, weirdo anti-hero do precisely that. His acting traditionally speaking is abysmal, but this riff on "Seul contre tous"/"Taxi Driver"-esque urban sociopath character studies is mesmerizing. The doppler effect joke was brilliant.

Worth seeing for the tour of the Lower East Side, and a few beautifully Hopper-esque scenes, but it feels most like a messy workbench.

Jarmusch’s debut showcases what would come to be some of his lesser impulses, presenting a impenetrable and opaque story and characters that rather frustratingly seem to stagnate and ruminate in a kind of adolescent arrested development – there’s the feeling of Jarmusch coming to grips with major issues and hang-ups with this work, but not quite having the language (cinematic or otherwise) to properly communicate them. Does create a convincingly seedy and evocative feel of 70s/80s New York.

Jim Jarmusch #1

I don't think Jim knew how to turn his nothing into something yet, so a lot of the scenes come off as boring and pretentious rather than captivating. This is apparently Parker's first time acting and it definitely shows. He has the look down but nothing else about him works. There are a few good moments though: The dance, the movie theater, John Lurie with a saxophone!

Some good characters and a sign of Jarmusch's later style but it's quite meaningless and boring.

Jarmusch's debut is a mood piece about urban dislocation. It's often acclaimed for its late 70's/early 80's NY atmosphere, but it often feels totally disconnected from that time, existing in its own hermetically sealed world. It has its moments, but Jarmusch had yet to find his own voice, especially with dialogue, and even at 75 minutes it is overextended because it's essentially a short padded out to feature length.

Dull proto-mumblecore stuff, points are mainly for the NY ruinporn

cool little movie. mega bonus points for young police commissioner burrell!

I'm a pretty big fan of many of Jarmusch's later works but being a student with no cash is not an excuse for foisting this on the world. Technically inept, boring, desperately slow at barely an hour... there was one moment, somewhere in the middle, where it seemed about to splutter to life but nope, laid right back down and died again.

simple but telling something. besides good views of backstreet New York.

seems like a pretty chill dude

very difficult to score. it could be awful, but it's tonally very unusual - i've never seen a film so lethargic and listless. and that's what it's about - those listless, restless people who are unable to settle down. it's a very bare plot, following a guy who's beyond hipster around the city as he looks to make money to leave new york. along the way, he meets some strange, often wretched characters. i think i like it a lot, but i dunno.

Jim Jarmusch naturally express loneliness, aimless life without complexity but there is a hope for a bit colorful life so the boy walks around and seeks for new things

Only for Jarmusch fans. Has some elements of his style but lacks the substance. John Lurie plays the sax.

For the little debut that it is, it's short length is worth the uneventful night time late 70s/early 80s New York scenic view

Permanent Vacation will not appeal to everyone. In fact, it's best viewed as a mood-piece and a time capsule providing a window into the old, ruin-ridden New York. It moves at its own pace and in a way, the mood it evokes in itself IS the plot. A tale of ennui and lack of perspective. The city, and many of its denizens were in a tough state around that time. And yet, there is some kind of mutual understanding, some comradery. The movie did evoke that feeling quite nicely.

Jarmusch is full of shit. Pretentious, banal, patronizing shit. If there's one thing he's good at it's wasting your time with nonsense. I gave it three points for having some historical significance, but by no means is it enough to warrant 75 minutes of your time.

kind of cool and very boring

Boooring.

Not crazy about the film but interesting for the way it adds to my understanding of Jim Jarmusch.