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Listen Up Philip

Name: Listen Up Philip
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Released: 2014
Duration: 109 min

Representation Score

4.6/10

Fair

2014

Not Rated

Director

Alex Ross Perry

Runtime

109 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Listen Up Philip is a narrow character study centered on intellectual vanity and social fragmentation. It operates within a highly homogeneous social environment, limiting its demographic range and impact. The film earns its score by rejecting traditional moral certainties and deconstructing stable social hierarchies. It prioritizes the subjective, erratic truth of the individual over societal responsibilities. Ultimately, the work functions as a postmodern exploration of identity that remains confined to a specific, Anglo-centric, middle-class demographic.

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Category Breakdown

Does Listen Up Philip have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on traditional romantic relationships and does not include LGBTQ+ characters or stories that question conventional social structures.

How does Listen Up Philip portray gender?

Fair

Philip avoids typical masculine stereotypes through his narcissistic and manipulative behavior. However, the film does not actively challenge traditional gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Listen Up Philip?

Limited

The film's setting is an insular, mostly white, middle-class intellectual community. There is a noticeable lack of diverse ethnic representation.

How does Listen Up Philip represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative frames antisocial behavior as an artistic necessity using moral relativism. It breaks down traditional Western social cohesion and institutions.

Does Listen Up Philip include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not focus on physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the character arcs. Psychological issues are treated as flaws rather than disabilities.

Present on Screen

The film effectively deconstructs traditional moral certainties and social hierarchies.
It provides a postmodern perspective on identity through the lens of artistic necessity.

Limited or Absent

The narrative lacks demographic diversity, focusing on a homogeneous social group.
There is a significant absence of LGBTQ+, racial, and disability representation.
The film does not actively challenge gender roles beyond depicting relational dysfunction.

Official Synopsis

Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip's idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject: himself.

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