International Falls (2019) User Reviews

VIEWS ON FILM review of International Falls

[burlesonjesse5 · 7/10 · 21 March 2020]

"You ever seen Fargo?" Yes, and I've also seen A Simple Plan and 2019's International Falls (my latest review). Granted, "Falls" is not cynical or thrill-seeking like Fargo. Yeah there's those quirky Minnesota accents and the snow is falling but hey, there's no gratuitous violence, no Steve Buscemi, and no real black comedy (even though the film is about a struggling comedian).

Anyway, International Falls is a double character study and a lonely spectacle about infidelity. It's a depressing tale of two burnout people who can't escape their own doom and gloom. The actors involved (Rachel Harris and Rob Huebel) do solid and revealing work. Their scenes are enclosed, divulged, and done in one-on-one fashion.

As far as last year's releases go, "Falls" unveils and takes some real dark turns. Yeah it's about amateur stand-up but that's just the surface. At a running time of 93 minutes, "Falls" feels akin to 2001's Tape. Just think intimate and daunting conversations that take place in your typical hotel room (without the concepts of HD video and real time).

Yup, I'm gonna recommend International Falls and yes, I'm the first critic to feature it as a user on IMDb.

Shot with exteriors in International Falls, Minnesota (naturally), released in a dozen film festivals, and billed as a farce (which it really isn't), "Falls" chronicles lowly funnyman, vulgar language-r, and Xanax monger, Tim (Huebel). Tim during his comedic tour stop at an International Falls hotel, befriends a sad sack housewife who wants to pursue the same career that he already has (and doesn't really want). The two confide in each other, parley, make love, and then one of them eventually commits suicide (spoiler).

Sad, downtrodden, and not without a muted happy ending (one of the two personas actually elicits a few laughs), International Falls "falls" into the recommend category. Rating: 3 stars.

Nice movie, in an adult way.

[movieswithgreg · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

This is a nice movie. Not as in like 'puppy nice.' But as in pleasant, even warm. It's human, it's a bit smart, it's low budget without announcing it's cheap, and its shooting style is out of some "good cheap indie character films" instruction book, and I actually mean that as a compliment.

If you're looking for a quietly funny, low-key character revelation with no explosions, car chases, capes, try this one out.

One misgiving: they were needlessly cloying about the stereotypical Fargo accent and speech thing. That was too easy, way too cliched, and a little bit insulting, and I don't even come from there.

finding joy

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 30 April 2020]

Dee (Rachael Harris) is a bored wife and mother in International Falls, Minnesota. She dreams of being a stand-up comedian. She's a hotel desk clerk where Tim (Rob Huebel) is the new traveling comic doing shows in the hotel.

The start is a little awkward with her cheating. I also noticed that her accent switches from Fargo to sassy Rachael Harris throughout the movie. It's weird that some characters go fall Fargo while others are doing a lot less. Eventually, there is some good character work with Dee and her husband. The stand-up comedy is almost never funny and that causes problems of its own. The ending is one of those problems. I understand the writer falling in love with the gas station bit but her closing should be one joke and out. The joke could even bomb but she just has to get over the hump of finally finding her joy. That's her journey. It's not about the mistress or her marriage. It's not about anything other than a middle age woman finding her own joy for the first time.

Beware of the many bogus reviews here.

[TxMike · 8 June 2020]

Just be aware, all the glowing "10" reviews are posted by people who have exactly one review, for this movie. Most of them are very new accounts. Then these various accounts, perhaps all by the same person, vote all the other "10" reviews as "helpful" as a way to trick prospective viewers into thinking this movie is better than it is. Unfortunately this is happening more and more on IMDb. Look for reviews by those who already have hundreds or thousands of reviews, they are more likely to be meaningful.

While it has good actors and has some positive qualities if you are in the mood for its content. Most of the professional reviews are positive. You might want to watch it if it is free but don't go into it thinking it is a "10" movie. .

A man n women comfy each other

[ks-60500 · 6/10 · 21 April 2020]

Indie movie it's. Just a encounter of a man and woman in International Falls both with their own family issues and they just click in sense of relieve each other's unhappiness. It's a story of that but just not too boring to watch.

"I thought I was good at nurturing misery."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 19 December 2020]

For a movie about stand-up comics, this wasn't very funny. Nor did it try to be I guess, as each of it's principals faced an existential crisis of their own, with only one of them on the right side of the grass when it was all over. Somehow I couldn't get into the rhythm of this movie, it seemed like it had potential but both Tim Fletcher (Rob Huebel) and Dee (Rachael Harris) had a connection that wasn't really a connection at all. I pretty much lost interest with the first bedroom scene because it came across as gratuitously inserted for it's prurient appeal, and if you need a hook like that to draw an audience I think it's a cheap way to go. Interestingly, both actors have a slew of TV and movie credits, but I've never seen or heard of either one. Maybe if I had, I would have been more in tune to their performances in the story. One thing that comes through though is what Tim had to say about comics on the road trying to make it. The mediocre ones can reach a certain level and wind up doing bars and hotels for the rest of their careers without ever catching a big break. I saw one once at a lodge in the Poconos and it's pretty sad when you know the punch line before it's delivered. I wonder what ever happened to that guy.

This is the most offensive movie ever.

[brady-36775 · 3/10 · 30 January 2022]

I live in International Falls, and I remember when they came here to film all the bits in town. It was a big event and everyone was super excited to see our town on the big screen.

And it WAS very cool, however, WHY DID YOU MAKE THE LOCALS SOUND LIKE THEIR FROM WISCONSIN??? Literally nobody talks like that here, and never will anyone talk like that here. Everyone in the theater cringed when they started talking, and halfway through the movie the theater was half emptied.

I personally didn't make it further than 5 minutes before I shut down completely. Who would have thought I wouldn't be able to stomach this movie because of the cheap exaggerated NOT EVEN MINNESOTAN accents???

Absolutely ear grading, and nobody in this town likes the movie, and we all laugh and mock the way they talk. Again, Amber, WE AREN'T WISCONSIN, OR IRELAND, OR WHATEVER YOU THOUGHT WE WERE WHEN DECIDING HOW THEY SHOULD SOUND.

InNeRnAsHiNaL Fahhhls sucks.

Had Me Til the End

[javadiva-94714 · 7/10 · 25 August 2022]

I did like the acting and storyline. I did figure out the ending but it was still wonderful. However, I am disappointed by the continuity errors. How did she move into an apartment and sign papers in the lawyer's office in less than 3 days? That timeline made zero sense and kinda ruined the journey.

Movie is horrible

[boneheadworks2 · 1/10 · 25 March 2020]

I was born and raised in International Falls, MN. This film does not represent the Falls at all. I wasted my money buying it. Only cool part was seeing the sites around town. Other then that, the movie stinks.

If only it were as good as the last ten minutes

[greg_hull · 7/10 · 18 September 2022]

Love the premise of this film. Props for the strong casting. It's just to slow and lacking in artful dialogue. I felt like they were ripping off "Fargo" including a lame reference in the dialogue. The central male character, who's a comic, is really bad at being a comic. But no comic is so bad that they don't have years of material to lean on. This comic has no act whatsoever. And that's why this film drags on. He's boring beyond the pale. The only saving grace is the last ten minutes. That segment makes the entire film worth it. What a recovery. Like watching a patient flatline and comes back from the dead.

Waste of time

[jeremy3 · 1/10 · 28 August 2022]

This movie was horrible. I was surprised that it was allowed to be filmed in International Falls. The movie makes fun of the people living there, and not in a funny way. I do not think the makers of this film knew anything about International Falls. The main character was pretty nasty, openly swearing and insulting. The woman in the story had a husband who was nice, but he had been unfaithful. She acted like a spoiled child about it. It must have not been the extramarital affair that was the real message of the film. I don't know people's personal lives, and I do not want to. It is more complex than that. I think the real message was that the husband was a "square". I cannot find an redeeming qualities in this film.

Rachael Harris and Rob Huebel Use Comedy to Explore Their Failed Lives in International Falls.

[noelshankel · 9/10 · 26 March 2020]

What makes International Falls such an engaging film -- outside of the soothing Minnesoooota accents -- are the two central performances. As Tim, Huebel perfectly captures the life of a struggling comic, his sarcastic wit and self-deprecating humor masking the emotions he's too insecure to actually share. As Dee, Rachael Harris matches him note-for-note, slowly but surely finding the confidence she needs to alter her life, regardless of how daunting it may seem. Together, Huebel and Harris create the kind of on-screen chemistry that never feels forced or rehearsed; the type of chemistry that grows organically from a shared perspective.

Depressing

[dchabotdjc · 5/10 · 25 September 2022]

Really nothing to like about this except Rachael Harris' performance. Not sure how she got me to root for such an unlikeable character, even with her accent being inconsistent and the lack of chemistry between the two leads. Other than the two main characters, there was zero depth to any of the others. I expected some twist that never arrived. If you are going to have a movie about standup comedy, at least include some funny comedy? It feels like they cut a big seen near the end and stuck in one of those silent sad scenes in its place, where you are supposed to fill in the blanks. This movie felt honest, but nothing to feel good about.

Movie was terrible

[tylerklemetsen · 31 March 2020]

Worst movie I've ever watched. Terrible acting and the Canadian accent wasn't even remotely close to the actual accent. Wouldn't recommend to anyone.

A Tale of Woe

[robertglipp · 4/10 · 30 April 2024]

In baseball, we call this a swing and a miss by a mile. However, someone did make a movie, and that qualifies for something... 4 stars out of 10.

I get it. Life sucks, so why not make a film about it that goes nowhere, fails to emote any consequential feelings, and offers nothing more than a strong dose of nonsense steeped in a hard-to-believe reality. Why bother providing a substantive message?

A loser comedian comes into town with no vision of tomorrow and inspires a woman with two happy kids (it's hard to imagine why) and a husband who cheats but would rather it not get in the way to forsake her motel desk job and head out on the comedy circuit. That's it, plus a bunch of cliched nonsense that you hope is leading somewhere.

The acting wasn't bad, which is why I sat through it. Maybe you have something better to do.

Sweet, funny, sad

[twinl23 · 9/10 · 1 January 2021]

I'm not a huge indie movie person, but I really enjoyed this film. I found myself drawn into the characters and story, which felt real and authentic. Having grown up in the the town, I enjoyed seeing the shots of the area as well. Some of the accents were a little over the top, but otherwise this movie was spot on. Kudos to the director, cast, and crew, and I hope this movie gets the viewership and recognition it deserves.

Great movie

[seephiliv · 10/10 · 23 March 2020]

This is a great movie. Real and Raw. The characters are fantastic and are very relatable.

Fantastic Performances!

[user-373-669149 · 10/10 · 23 March 2020]

A must watch! The Hollywood Reporter called it "a little gem" and it definitely is one.

A Heartfelt Film

[jeralynnemiller · 10/10 · 25 March 2020]

Superbly acted, wonderfully filmed - this indie film is about connection, resilience and moving forward. Bravo!

Excellent Little Indie

[ekooris · 10/10 · 23 March 2020]

Wonderful performances from Rachael Harris and Rob Heubel, a charming, hilarious and poignant script, an Indie that reminds you of the great ones when little Indie films were first making waves. Very well done all around.

Authentic and superbly acted

[landofthefreeeeee · 10/10 · 4 April 2020]

As someone who grew up for many years in International Falls it was fun to see all the sights of the town and the lake in a movie. (The accents were a little much though. They really went all in on that aspect! Rachael's accent was closer, but only because it wasn't so indulgent like most, especially the woman in the liquor store.) As a movie lover of all genres, I found the emotional ride of this one a welcoming experience. The actors are genuine and the script is superb. I didn't feel like any of the dialogue was off pace or out of touch with the tone of the film. I was engaged in listening to the two main characters converse and joke with each other, I almost got lost in the moment. Their chemistry was so good. Some reviews I have seen called it slow and without purpose but I think they just prefer in your face, loud entertainment. If you want a comedy that will have you rolling on the floor, this isn't it. Its a story, and they told it well. It was funny, in a low-key way. Dark in a funny way. Heartbreaking if anything. I laughed out loud a couple of times, it got awkward a couple times. Isn't that life, though? It's an artistic piece and I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a well told story that is authentically human.

A wonderful character study

[beoir-43672 · 9/10 · 3 October 2020]

I thought this was an excellent character movie... no car chases or shoot-outs, just a story about two damaged people. Every character, even the supporting characters, are wonderfully acted. Just be ready for a serious, introspective movie.

Worth a visit

[Gittes74 · 10/10 · 17 October 2020]

I found this movie on Showtime by chance and I'm glad I did. i used to live in Minnesota, so I had heard of International Falls and there was the comedian storyline, so those two elements drew me in, not quite sure what to expect. This movie release was probably lost in the COVID shuffle, which is too bad because I think it's a nice little indie project that really packs a wallop in the third act.

Love the clear sense of place showcased (especially impressive since half the movie was shot in Santa Clarita). The town becomes a character, especially when Tim and Dee venture out on to the frozen ice--that was a nice sequence. Can't believe that they had David Koechner originally cast as Tim---I don't think that would have worked.

The film isn't perfect. I don't believe how polished a comedian Dee becomes with only two performances under her belt. And they could have easily trimmed a couple minutes towards the end (for example, do we really need to see Dee moving into her own new place?). It seems like the director can't decide where to end the movie.

But "International Falls" is far superior to the Tom Hanks/Sally Fields "Punchline," which mined similar territory long ago. Good job all around. Yes, it's talky, but listen to what the characters are saying. Lots of heart and wisdom here. Worth your time.

Real. And a real review

[pamwrva · 9/10 · 1 January 2021]

I was looking for a good independent film to watch and stumbled upon this one...so glad I watched it! This is a peek u dear the covers of real life and it is fascinating.

👍movie

[joejoe-33375 · 10/10 · 28 March 2020]

Great movie! Keep up the good work. Must watch movie