The Lounge People (1991) User Reviews

Yes, effente!

[moses-11 · 8/10 · 23 April 1999]

This is a wonderfully bizarre and ironic film that I only saw once, and would love to see again. It's a film that you will laugh at as it laughs back at you. I would love to see, or possibly put on, the stage version. It's ingenious how the narration puts a different spin on the whole thing with a single word.

The Strangest Movie No One Ever Saw

[darkangyll8 · 7/10 · 13 July 2006]

I ran into this movie at 4am on one of my favorite cable networks. At first I wondered if I were imagining it's oddness due to sleep deprivation. After end credits rolled I still wondered. This is a wonderful movie for all lovers of beatnik poetry. In fact the film contains snippets of its own morose poem attempting to size up the situation. For what should be a comedy the film constantly makes you question why you're laughing. The plot begins with the story of a bored rich couple. While the husband is off in his own world slowly meeting insanity the wife finds her own fun. This would be in the form of seducing their house boy. Many unexpected things occur between the two of them all the while you wonder are any of them sane? The performance by B.D. Wong in this one as "Billy" (the house boy) is worth watching alone.

Odd, quietly wacky, compelling and underrated

[thud-5 · 7/10 · 29 October 2003]

Like "Scenes From a Class Struggle in Beverly Hills," this is a movie about a totally dysfunctional wealthy family. But where the former tries to take itself seriously, "Lounge People" revels in each and every inane vignette. There is some plot to string this together, and some people may not like this movie because of the thin plot, but individual pieces can be real gems. For instance, the sequence where Christine Ebersol's bored wife character, Cynthia, is trying to seduce BD Wong's character, Billy, by the pool. The looks on his face alone are worth the price of admission.

Buck Henry is perfect as Lewis Louis. It is the sort of role he would write for himself and at which he excels. Bored, bumbling, worried about his health, and completely sane in a crazy way.

As of late 2003, I haven't seen this on any of the free channels or pay channels for at least 2 years, but I have my TiVo set to get it when it comes back on. Set yours!

A quirky masterpiece

[klypz · 10/10 · 25 May 1999]

The Lounge People is the quirkiest movie I've ever seen. A simple cast and plot, one is transfixed by the neuroses of each of the characters. Set to self destruct on an island, five people struggle to get along. Christine Ebersole is wonderful as the mistress, and BD Wong, a lowly servant, is excellent as well. This film, while hard to find, is excellent entertainment.

I do not know, Effendi

[yourllpa · 10/10 · 9 October 2007]

Why this movie has never been made available for purchase! This is one of my all-time favorite quirky movies. B. D. Wong is priceless; I really believe he made the movie. This movie shows what happens when too much money meets too much time. I remember it being on HBO late at night, many years ago. The quote, "I do not know, Effendi" is actually a staple in our household. I watched it every time it came on, but since that was in the days before the DVR, unfortunately, I will have to wait for HBO to pull it from the dusty, forgotten vault and play it again. I don't really consider it a spoiler, because it's just a funny part of the movie, but when BDW was ordered to run around the island naked, and he was shown running between the palm trees, I laughed until I cried.

I love it!

Bizarre, and bizarrely compelling.

[StudentDriver · 8 July 1999]

This was on Comedy Central recently, and my wife and I ran across it independently of one another. At first, we really didn't like it, but we both were compelled to sit and watch the entire thing. There's something strange about the movie that makes it stand out from much of the other pap that Comedy Central tends to play into the ground. I can't say the movie is good, but it's certainly novel.

Almost insufferable

[curtis-8 · 1/10 · 7 June 2000]

"The Lounge People" is an artsy, pretentious movie based on an artsy, pretentious stageplay (called "L-Dopa"). The cast boasts some very talented folks, however (including Buck Henry, Christine Ebersole, and Amanda Plummer), and they do manage to make a few individual parts work.

Overall, though, this is just another "labor of love" indie film that would never have seen the light of day if not for the ever-starving-for-content medium of cable TV. This one pops up frequently on Comedy Central for some reason.