Tiny Furniture

It starts with a few interesting touches that differentiate it from most other such films, but it quickly drags, following annoying, privileged characters. If this was done satirically or by someone with something to say, then at least it'd be interesting, but there is no hint of that here. We are not meant to entirely sympathize with the main character, but she is still a bad reflection of the director: A boring, entitled trust fund kid.

Oh, shut the fuck up.

An insightful and honest portrait of the post-grad slump. Only occasionally self-indulgent.

Young indie filmmakers tend to lean on cultural references and elevated vocabulary in an effort to either heighten the intellectual perception of their work or to simply make it "cool" or "quirky." Dunham does this, though often she tries to disguise it as lampooning those who use it as a crutch, but you get the feeling that she's also reveling in it, giving in to the kind of arty douchebaggery she halfway wants to subvert. All that said, TF is still a nifty little 20-something-in-transit film.

$50,000+ first draft

Somewhat overpraised. The first thirty minutes or so are rather delightful, but then the movie goes on, the relationships refuse to develop, and the ending wallows in self pity and masochism. It's certainly impressive for a twenty two year old, but only for a twenty two year old. Our culture prizes precocity over achievement.

If I wanted to watch a privileged twenty-something wallow in unearned self-pity I'd look in a mirror. Wait I mean

I ultimately ended up enjoying this more than i probably should have, since it's often every bit as obnoxious as it is oddly impressive. I have to give Dunham credit for demonstrating more directorial sense than most of her mumblecore peers, with actual shot design and staging of her actors instead of the usual aimless handheld flailing (although for sheer visual beauty she's still nowhere near Aaron Katz). At best i was reminded of Campion cira Sweetie, although that might be overpraising it.

I liked aspects of this but overall it was very dull.

The most frustrating aspect of independent filmmaking is the overwhelming pressure in crafting a unique narrative that can compete against major studio films that are unencumbered by financial constraints. Over the years this has led to an indie traditionalism that uses clichés in order to manufacture a sense of faux counterculture in lieu of visionary storytelling and superior craftsmanship. Dunham's film represents the pitiful array of worn clichés that is commonplace in this pathetic trend.

The film's biggest fault is that it thinks it's making observations about a generation, when it's really making observations about the priviledged, narcissistic and unaware section of that generation. The earnestness makes the depiction of these traits fascinating because despite the occasional pointed remarks there's little disdain for these unsympathetic characters. As much as I dislike the people in this film, I found it an interesting window into their worldview.

I can relate to the whole "oh god I'm technically an adult" terror/ennui so I found Tiny Furniture charming, but it's definitely heavily flawed. Dunham definitely seems like a talent, but she has the same propensity as Tarantino for ludicrous dialogue - except more often than not it works for Tarantino, but not for Dunham (the first 5-10 minutes of the film are painful). It's an amateur work by a promising person, and your mileage will vary widely. Wiiiidely. Score is not a grade.

At turns razorsharp and as vapid as the generation she's portraying, "Tiny Furniture" often nails Gen Y (?) just as well as Coupland nailed Gen X, and when she's capable to use her narcissistic grandstanding as irony, provocation and commentary, Dunham is great. However, as with "Girls", Dunham often veers very close to simply taking Instragram snapshots of her (Western, middle class, semi-intellectual) generation rather than really sinking her teeth into it.

The comparisons to Woody Allen are borderline offensive. His best films about bourgeois navel gazing narcissism have far more bite, wit and insight into the milieu than T.F does, in addition to a crucial sense of distance. Perhaps it's too much of a personal film for Dunham--it does star family members and is based on aspects of her life--but the attempts at critical reflection do not seem genuine. Given her age and budget the film is passable, but the high praise it received is absurd.

Not amazing. The things Dunham does well are natural dialogue, messy lives, surreal situations and general malaise. She falls short in dynamism, depth, structure, and getting the viewer to feel invested rather than just mildly sympathetic in a passive way. Her formula could work as a short mood piece but I think she needs a writing/directing partner who is her exact opposite.

I watched this because of Lena Dunham's new show on HBO. It was very first world problemy, though a a few moments did have a certain emotional authenticity to them. I didn't mind it, though I was a little glad when it ended, which is never the best sign.

All cruelties of the 21th-century in one movie, without any appearence, that this movie is actually that big. But it is and therefor Tiny Furniture is a proof to its own observations. Or in the words of the script: "You think my mom is an asshole?" "Sure, she is way to successful not to be."

that sister was such a douche though

Meh

Let's be clear: despite what some critics say, this is far from funny. & any1 comparing Ms. Dunham 2 Woody Allen should b exorcised from film criticism. Low budget but visually polished, it still drags like mumblecore w/ the usual lost slacker that, thank God, gets more involving as it goes. Dunham slowly distinguishes her protagonist from the thoughtful sighers in other indies & shows us things we almost never c onscreen from women, but anything more than that is seriously overstating things.

Boring pseudo existential drivel meant for teenage tumblr feminists. Every male Lena Dunham writes is such a spaghetti-dick r-tard that it's almost offensive. Pass.

A movie about web-addled, self-involved millennials that have a hard time taking themselves seriously and an even harder time making their mark on the world. One gets the feeling their temporary stasis could turn into a more permanent purgatory if they're not careful. Note: Dunham is acutely aware of her "privileged" characters, despite criticism to the contrary, and exposes their vulnerabilities and pretensions with a sneaky combination of irony and lampooning. Funny, but also depressing.

(Rewatch: was hilarious. Dunham was a terrible friend. I wish we got the millennial view from a non rich person though.) I liked it. It picked up after awhile. I discovered the word mumblecore. Probably the most awkward sex scene ever. I've heard about Lena Dunham but never actually watched any of her work. Tiny Furniture is at least comparable with Frances Ha. I wish they developed the animosity between the old and new friend more. Fav scene: arguing with mom and sister.

Stopped 25 minutes in. The dialogue is so cringey in a very pretentious way. I just hate all of the characters and want to punch them in the face. Everything about this movie is so unrealistic. Who actually talks and acts like this? Yes, it's a movie, so not everything has to be 100% realistic, but it's all just so annoying and not in any way pleasant enough to be warranted.

Small in scale but highly effective as a satirical and self-aware exploration of the immaturity and aimlessness of some of today's privileged youth. Dunham finds an assured and confident voice in this debut feature, the start of what will hopefully be a burgeoning career in filmmaking.

A film that is far more snarky about the culture it represents than most of this film's detractors would like to think. Dunham is a talented writer, managing to bring something new with each scene, whether it's a strange character quirk or a dynamite line. Apart from one abhorrent cliche towards the end, this is done pretty well, especially for such a low-budget flick -- I think this is coming from a very personal place of Dunham's life/mind and that place is very honest.

Better than I expected it to be, enjoyed it for the most part, the dialogue sounds a little ridiculous sometimes especially with the average acting but didn't bother me too much. I don't know.

One of the better mumblecore films. Can see how she was using the “genre” as more of a stepping stone instead of some of her peers who seem to enjoy the low budget slumming (not a bad thing). Funny that people hate to say that they might relate to these characters, dare they be mistaken for someone with privilege! Actually captures the wandering, navel gazing bullshit you go through in your early twenties pretty well. Dunham is one of the most annoying people on the planet but this is good.

oh my god how I hate Lena Dunham...

Part of the reason this movie feels so realistic is just because it is. There's a lot of Lana's own life there -- including her own family. But it builds up to convey emotions the audience can truly relate to. And the truth is: I feel a lot like Aura sometimes.

Surprisingly watchable, it’s mostly free of unnecessary incident, just people interacting and making mistakes

After a terrible start this turns into a pleasing little film about hipster ennui. Some fun if not actually funny moments, it's nicely shot, I'd watch probably it again someday.

It had funny parts and represented the post grad slump, but it really missed the mark for me.

There is some wit, and talent here but I found that the movie lacked movement I would have liked to have seen. Pretty good anyway.

(Mumblecore-spotting). At the times funny, but as often boring portrayal of contemporary generation.

"If it had a bigger budget she may have been able to keep him out of the frame." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/02/episode-2.html

"Everyone in the film hides behind words-no one more than the director herself." - Andrew Schenker

If Tiny Furniture had more focus and a sharper wit, it could have been a good film. The characters are ripe for satire but what we got instead was a sort of limp meandering film about a young woman who wallows in her own ineptitude. The humour is almost non-existant, which seems to be par for the course for comedies these days, replaced instead by pathetic unlikeable characters. Was shot for 50k which sounds impressive until you realise Primer and Bellflower did so much more for so much less.

Could have been a lot better, but she got it right with Girls at least.

It is Dunham's disregard of privilege, her indifference to social climbing, that provides Tiny Furniture's disarmingly modest personal vision.

Tiny Furniture feels surprisingly assured, even elegant. There are those who will accuse Tiny Furniture of wildly inconsistent tonal shifts, and it is guilty of some, but I appreciated the way this movie kept upending my expectations.

"It's witty, but it's kind of goofy."

Oh, the existential agony of the privileged!

I watched this. Why did I watched this? When was it that this would be a good idea for me to watched this? Saving this film from the fate of a 0 for avoiding the waste of analog film over filming this film

This film is competently put together, and I was surprised at how well it captures the speech patterns of twenty-somethings, but ultimately I just didn't care about the protagonist or her problems.

Although I'd watched Lena Dunham's fascinating first feature twice, it wasn't until I saw her hilarious & daring HBO series, Girls, that I finally figured out how I felt about TF. There's a studious art-house aesthetic in the film that's not in the series and the resultant distance registers as far too cold for my taste. It's accomplished and smart, just not much fun.

While it dragged a bit towards the end, this movie was great. Dunham has a self-assured voice and a good taste for satire. If you don't like movies about a trust fund kid's ennui after graduating, then don't watch this. But if you can relate to that emotional limbo one experiences in their mid-twenties, then you will most likely enjoy this little film.

(viewed October 2012) While I quite like Dunham's "Girls", this is much more droll and frequently borders on boring. The acting is mediocre, there is little plot to speak of, and much of the absurdity comes off as plain silly rather than actually funny.

The good: impressive cinematography, moderately funny, and well-written characters. The bad: weak performances, terribly whiny, and not thought-provoking. The absolutely perfect: Grace Dunham as Nadine. Seriously, absolutely perfect.

Like a very long and very boring episode of Girls.

Boring and unfunny hipster crap with actors, who don't have any sense of delivery. Except for Merrit Wever and Jemima Kirke, who was kinda funny.

I suspect this movie rides or dies on your taste for Lena Dunham. Personally, I can't get enough, and found this movie a real accomplishment: it's funny, it's compelling, it's well-acted, well-directed and well-photographed.

Would have been okay as satire but I have this sinking feeling it was supposed to be serious.