IMDb > Naked Lunch (1991)
Naked Lunch
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Naked Lunch (1991) More at IMDbPro »

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Naked Lunch (1991) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   14,013 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

William S. Burroughs (novel)
David Cronenberg (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Naked Lunch on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

11 March 1992 (France) more

Tagline:

David Cronenberg and William S. Burroughs invite you to lunch. more

Plot:

After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally murders his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in an Islamic port town in Africa. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

13 wins & 5 nominations more

User Comments:

Twisted Film concerning twisted minds more (119 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter Weller ... Bill Lee

Judy Davis ... Joan Frost / Joan Lee

Ian Holm ... Tom Frost

Julian Sands ... Yves Cloquet

Roy Scheider ... Dr. Benway
Monique Mercure ... Fadela
Nicholas Campbell ... Hank

Michael Zelniker ... Martin
Robert A. Silverman ... Hans

Joseph Scoren ... Kiki (as Joseph Scorsiani)
Peter Boretski ... Creature Voices / Exterminator #2
Yuval Daniel ... Hafid
John Friesen ... Hauser

Sean McCann ... O'Brien
Howard Jerome ... A.J. Cohen
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (USA) (trailer title)
Le festin nu (Canada: French title)
more

MPAA:

Rated R for heavy drug content, bizarre eroticism, and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Canada | UK | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

One of the "Mugwumps" creatures built for the movie still exists and is held by Recorded Pictures Company, the production company of Jeremy Thomas. Nevertheless, they are said to have degraded very fast, as they were not built to last (according to David Cronenberg on the DVD commentary). more

Quotes:

Yves Cloquet: I've seen you around, but I had no idea you were queer.
Bill Lee: Queer?
Yves Cloquet: [leers] I saw you arrive with those three Interzone boys. What an entrance. You all looked very... familiar with each other.
Bill Lee: [gulps] Queer. A curse. Been in our family for generations. The Lees have always been perverts. I shall never forget the unspeakable horror that froze the lymph in my glands when the baneful word seared my reeling brain - I was a homosexual. I thought of the painted simpering female impersonators I'd seen in a Baltimore nightclub...
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sammy the Screenplay (1997) (V) more

Soundtrack:

Write Man more


FAQ

What is true? What is permitted?
more
57 out of 60 people found the following comment useful.
Twisted Film concerning twisted minds, 20 November 2003
10/10
Author: hohumdedum2 from United States

Naked Lunch seems to be just totally incomprehensible upon first viewing. However, after watching it again, you start to understand more and more. Upon multiple viewings, you really get a feel for what's transpiring before your eyes. The ultimate message is that it is really just a metaphor for heroin addiction, even though it's so much more deeper than that. It's an intricate study of a man, William S. Burroughs, who was a heroin addict, and among other things one of the most significant Beat authors ever. The film delves deeply into the psyche of Burroughs and takes you on a trip in his mind and your own. There are touches of reality and many flashes of paranoia, and it is all done with style and grace. Seriously one of the best films about an author, Naked Lunch will certainly stand the test of time against other films which may seem at first entertaining, but lose their luster upon multiple viewings. Whereas, Naked Lunch, in my opinion, never will. 10 out of 10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Naked Lunch (1991)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The Queer scene saintofkillers-1
Besides Cronenberg... LynchTheReality
Why would a true adaption be too expensive and unfilmable? ilovethor
I would think Burroughs would have found this film insulting slacker0811
Help with scene near the end calzephyr-1
Why do people... Betty_Beatzer
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