Hello again and welcome to another Mubi Monday review! Have you ever seen a film where the main character is unlikeable yet still possesses some redeemable qualities? Well, this week we have an unlikeable main character with zero redeemable qualities with…Listen Up Philip (2014).
Title: Listen Up Philip
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Released: January 20, 2014 (United States – Sundance Film Festival)
As of this writing, available to stream on: Mubi, Tubi, Kanopy, Peacock and Pluto
Listen Up Philip (2014) launches you headfirst into the messy, self-sabotaging life of its title character while challenging you to keep up. Philip (Jason Schwartzman) is a young novelist on the verge of literary fame. Sounds great, right? Sure, except for the fact that Philip seems almost incapable of handling all of this in a healthy way. He stomps through his relationships like Godzilla, leaving nothing but destruction in his wake.
Philip’s girlfriend, Ashley (Elisabeth Moss), unfortunately bears the brunt of this. Their relationship is very clearly limping along and struggling to survive. Immediately you’re drawn to Ashley and actively root for her to find an escape from Philip. And when the movie briefly shifts focus to her, things begin to breathe a little bit. Ashley’s scenes wind up being the emotional core of a story that feels deliberately cold throughout.
Director Alex Ross Perry uses narration (voiced by Eric Bogosian) to stitch the story together. The narrator attempts to fill in gaps with a sort of detachment that fits Philip’s world perfectly. It’s clever while also keeping you at arm’s length, making it intentionally harder to try and care about what’s happening. While this works for a while, by the end, I found myself wanting something a little more personal.
Visually, this oozes mood and style, perfectly complimenting the rather pretentious literary scene Philip inhabits. However, the pacing doesn’t always match the energy of its visuals. Some storylines (like Philip’s mentorship with washed-up author Ike Zimmerman (Jonathan Pryce)) feel somewhat underdeveloped, while others tend to linger too long without much of a payoff.
That being said, what keeps the film compelling is how unapologetically it digs into its characters’ flaws. Philip is an absolute disaster, but he’s a fascinating one, and Schwartzman captures every bitter, self-destructive moment with precision.
Listen Up Philip (2014) is sharp, witty, and full of biting observations about ambition, ego, and the damage we do to the people we think we care about. But it’s also a film that demands your attention while not rewarding your investment. You’ll laugh, cringe, and maybe even see aspects of yourself in Philip’s chaos. Although, by the time the credits roll, you’ll be glad to leave him behind.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Well, now it’s your turn. If you’ve seen Listen Up Philip (2014), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out to me on Bluesky.
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