User Reviews

It's hard to tell whether "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III" is a good-natured bit of self-parody on the part of Charlie Sheen, poking fun at his reputation as a compulsive womanizer, or a vanity project designed to showcase the actor's now-legendary sexual prowess and playboy image. I suspect it's the former, but even if it's the latter, it still doesn't make for a very entertaining movie.

In plot, the movie feels an awful lot like a full-length version of "Californication," as a middle-aged, sunglass-wearing Angeleno laments how he's screwed up with the love of his life (Ivana played by Ketheryn Winnick) because he's never grown up enough to stay committed to a monogamous relationship.

Writer/director Roman Coppola's eclectic, scattershot approach alternates between scenes set in reality - or a close proximity thereof - and wild, but surprisingly flatfooted fantasy sequences heavy on op and pop visuals and graphics (Charlie is himself a successful graphics designer) and light on originality and cleverness. Apparently, there's not really all that much worth taking a glimpse of in ole Charlie's mind after all. Indeed, despite a big name cast that includes Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Patricia Arquette, the movie feels an awful lot like a third-rate film school project that somehow got green-lighted by an actual studio.

"Maybe someone hurt me, you ever think of that, maybe someone hurt me." Charles Swan III (Sheen) is having a bad day. His girlfriend just broke up with him and he has a near death experience. When he wakes up in the hospital he begins to go over what happened. This is a very hard movie to review. It was very bizarre but OK. The only real way to review this is that the movie was written and directed by Roman Coppola. While this is his first real movie he has directed he helped to write Moonrise Kingdom and Darjeeling Limited. The movie has a type of a Wes Anderson feel to it so if you like his type of comedy then you will like this. If you don't get or don't like his humor then I would avoid this. That is really the only thing I can say about this movie. Overall, not bad but really made for a specific audience. I give it a B-.

Well that's how the movie might have been promoted. But while "Being John Malkovich" actually was funny and enticing, this might have one good scene in it (involving Cowboys). It tries hard to be quirky, casting Bill Murray helps with that. But Charlie Sheen who is playing the character Charles Swan does not cut it. I like quite a lot of Charlies movies he has done. But he can't pull this one off (meta or not).

The problem of the movie therefor relies not in its incoherence (it has somewhat of a straight story line in between all the dream sequences or whatever you want to call them), rather in the lack of "good" incoherence. There is system and a plan when it comes to madness and trying to explore the mind as again "Being John Malkovich" has proved. Charlie Kaufman (another Charlie) is better suited in portraying this. I would suggest not wasting your time on this

I'll give a star for Jason Schwartzman, a star for Bill Murray, a star for Aubrey Plaza and a star for the movie as a whole.

I'm entertained by Charlie Sheen and his antics. While I can't hate the guy because I don't know him personally, I don't want to watch a movie that seems to basically reflect his poor decision making, meltdown and turn around. Too much "nothing" happened. Plenty of fantasy sequences and flashbacks seemed to just emphasize Sheen's boisterous and lady killing ways. In the end it seems like an exaggerated and far fetched Charlie Sheen Documentary. Roman Coppola works much better with Wes Anderson.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2012)

1/2 (out of 4)

Writer-director Roman Coppola quickly made this thing during the time that Charlie Sheen was going through his mental breakdown. In the film Sheen plays Charles Swan, a man who gets dumped by his girlfriend and begins to act in a variety of strange ways so us lucky viewers get the chance to look inside his mind to see what makes him tick. Okay, who in the hell really cares what makes Charles Swan III tick? I'm going to steal from Roger Ebert's review of this movie and he's right when he said a movie is a sad thing to waste. Not only is Coppola's talents wasted but so are Sheen's and Bill Murray's. Mr. Murray doesn't make too many movies these days and it's rather sad to see him wasted his talents in this film. I'm really not sure what Coppola was going for, although I'm quite certain somewhere down the road this here will be a cult movie with fans dropping acid and smoking joints to it. What we've basically got are a lot of small scenes where Sheen gets to act out a wide range of things. He would be dancing, flirting, find himself in a dangerous situation or he might just be looking at the ladies. The problem is that none of these "visions" are funny and after about ten-minutes it becomes clear that you don't care about Swan or anything in his head. He's a rather boring character who I'm guessing is loosely based on Sheen but I think the film would have perhaps worked better had they really gone after Sheen and the mental state he was in when all of this stuff was going on. I think that would have been a lot more interesting than what we get here. The only reason I don't give this thing a BOMB is that I'm going to at least give the filmmakers, actors and producers some credit for at least trying something different. However, just trying something different doesn't mean you're going to end up with anything good.

A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III is just that. A quick glimpse inside the mind of a self-obsessed, sex-addicted album cover artist who's sanity and life are put into question after his latest girlfriend breaks up with him.

Charles Swan III is lightly played by Charlie Sheen, who, looking worse than ever, might seem perfect for the role but only makes it that much harder to care for the character. His mind, life and the film are a chaotic mess. His regrets, his pain and loss come off so insincere, it's boring to watch. What keeps us watching the film is the genuine laughs brought by Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, who play parts in Swan's real life and multiple roles inside his warped mind. It is the scenes they are in that save the entire film from being a complete failure.

Roman Coppola's bizarre odyssey never takes itself too serious, creating a world where anything goes. That, in itself, is a great achievement for a writer/director. It's hard to tell if it's Charlie Sheen's lack of a performance or if it's the written character's lack of genuine heart that holds this film back from becoming what it was hoping to be: a film for those of us who crave originality and appreciate dark chaotic comedies no one else dares to make.

This is an impossible review to write because this movie is just so weird. So weird in fact that I can't really compare it to anything. The closest thing that I can compare it to are Wes Anderson movies and that's because the director of this happens to be Roman Coppola, who is a frequent collaborator with Anderson. And I think that being around him for so long has rubbed off on Coppola in a great way. He takes everything that makes a Wes Anderson film so good like the whimsical nature and the quirky characters and creates his own wild ride.

The cast is quite good and filled with big names and even included two more Wes Anderson collaborators. Charlie Sheen plays the the man, the myth, and the legend Charles Swan. He leads the perfect life. He has a good job as a graphic designer and he has a great girlfriend named Ivana. His life comes crashing down, however, when Ivana finds out that he used to be a whore mongering booze hound. She breaks up with him and he can't handle it, which results in a health scare and he thinks he's on the verge of death. And thus begins this weird journey. Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray pop up at different times throughout and their scenes are so strange that I can't even explain them. They are funny though. Several scenes like that peppered throughout the movie are just weird and out there and surreal that all you can do is laugh. Patricia Arquette plays Charlie's sister and they share a couple of the movies more normal restrained scenes together. Aubrey Plaza and Mary Elizabeth Winstead show up too in very small roles and don't really do anything that memorable.

This is my worst review by far and that's OK with me. Like I said in the beginning...this is just an impossible review to write just because of sheer nature of this movie. The review isn't anything more than a rambling mess and it does nothing to really tell you about the movie or to really sell you on it. And to be honest there really isn't anything that can sell you on it...you just have to see it.

It's weird and quirky, but god damn did I like it. Charlie Sheen is perfectly cast as Charles Swan. When you see the movie you'll know why. A lot of weird things happen without much explanation, but I'm guessing its all part of the wildness that is Swan's mind. Sooo funny. Sheen, Schwartzman, & Murray are classic. This is definitely a movie that's gonna have a cult following and isn't gonna make a dime at the box- office. I guarantee I'm one of the only people that praise it because it just so weird. It's like Wes Anderson lite meets The Brothers Bloom. Fantastic. I can tell you to see it just to decide for yourself, but keep a very open mind, give it time to sink in and maybe, just maybe it will surprise you.

I have to agree with much of what (but not all) critics said about this film. Yes, many of the things they say are true. However, I also agree with what Hoop posted here about this film. There is a 70s kind of scattered filmmaking feel to it that has appeal in the format of this type of film.

It's one of those films I rate lower than how much I kind of liked it. It's not a brilliant work flawlessly executed, but it has a glisten to it in places, that kind of odd appeal that makes it worth having done it. You see, some projects I feel just had to be done so then we can move on. It's not that it shouldn't ever have been done, but that it allows for an entertaining time and it is merely what it was perhaps meant to be (which I'll leave to the viewer's POV).

I just kept thinking, wondering, while watching it (knowing it was probably slammed by the critics which I know now, it was) that it is going to be one of those films someday, slammed at release and yet rediscovered and rethought later, and more appreciated then perhaps in historical ignorance as happens. But through that objective hindsight kind of way that allows us to, at some point many years later, appreciate the currently appreciable. Cheers!

It's okay to just be quiet. I loved this movie (obviously) and generally take my own advice as to being quiet. BUT, when I saw the rating of this movie I lost faith in all reviews and mankind (again). If you don't like this movie you are either uptight or stupid. Even the trivia part stated that Bill Murray was dressed like John Wayne - no kidding?! Why write a review when you don't understand the movie at all?

How could this film be described? I think a coked-up fever dream of Charlie Sheen's is accurate. When you leave the viewing you leave covered in shame at the fact that this movie was okayed. I think that the story has potential. You can see an interesting take on how success; measured by society and masculinity does not always lead to happiness. That this material and shallow existence can leave us feeling empty. Unfortunately, the director Roman Coppola chooses Charlie Sheen to play the lead Charles Swan III. As you watch, you quickly realize that this is not a deep film about the human condition. No, you realize that Roman has made a homage to one of Hollywood's most recent jerks, Charlie Sheen.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III's casts Charlie Sheen and the man struggling with a broken heart suddenly loses it's sympathetic and appealing overtones. The plot itself isn't even the worst part of the movie though. This award goes to the blatant objectification of women, the utilization of Native American garb and gestures to hit punchlines, and the fact that Charles Swan stalks his girlfriend and bugs her house, yet somehow ends up with an amicable breakup.

One of the worst bits comes from Charles Swan III's comedian friend Kirby Star played by Jason Schwartzman. The jokes about how crazy women are for being upset that their boyfriends are giving their numbers to random servers. How is this unreasonable? I don't know Kirby; I think she's got a point. Maybe if' you're in a relationship, you shouldn't be giving your number to random women.

The whole movie makes you feel weird. It's this celebration of Charlie Sheen and the homage to his sexual adventures that makes you cringe at how just eight years ago this was acceptable. I guess Roman believes that society's obsession with these disgusting characters is still alive. Luckily, this movie tanked not only with critics but also with the box office. Racking up a whooping $45,000's domestic and if this says anything about Russia $134,000. Maybe, America had enough of Charlie Sheen by then.

I think this movie was the last of an era where awful people were idolized in films. It's interesting that it comes just a few years before the #MeToo movement. I have a strong feeling that today, this movie doesn't see the light of day. Unfortunately, Bill Murray has a role in this movie as Charles Swan III's accountant Saul. As does my celebrity crush Aubrey Plaza as Marnie Charles Swan III's sassy assistant. Although she gets a few jabs in at the misogyny of Charles Swan III, her role is a sad depiction of how women must tolerate horrible men to keep their jobs.

I watched this one, so you don't have to. Unless you like to watch the train wreak that is Charlie Sheen in film, playing Charlie Sheen, in a film. I suggest you skip right over this one. The laughs are cheap, the depth is stolen away by Charlies real like persona and at the end of the movie you're sitting there just staring at your screen wondering why we as American's give these idiots the time of day.

The last time I was baffled by a film to this degree I had just sat through Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou, a film to this day I can not extract anything from. Ironically, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, the director of A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III have worked on a few projects together and, possibly as a result, the film feels half-baked, incomplete, and inherently maddening, doing one of things that Wes Anderson did as well but at least in a somewhat bearable manner; draw its events brighter and more noticeable than the characters involved in them.

Our title character is played by Charlie Sheen, who presumably filmed this around that time where he wasn't a media figure for his outspoken drug use any longer and he was pretty much disregarded by all the public too as yesterday's news. I assume that because I'm sure it this film would've been swarmed with publicity at the time of its production, because anything Sheen seemed to do, rather it was create a Twitter account or make a disposable statement made headlines.

Sheen embodies without a doubt, the weirdest character of his career; an inconsistent graphic designer who has just been left by the love of his moment Ivana (Katheryn Winnick), and is feeling mixed emotions, frequenting suffering from terrors and surrealist fever dreams. His reality becomes twisted and indistinct, as things do not seem to have a time-frame and characters pop in and out with no rhyme or reason.

This is one of the least consistent films I've seen in a long time. A subplot, if you can call it that because the story's main plot isn't even worthy of the description of a plot, involved Jason Schwartzman's Kirby, an aspiring musician, who wants Charles to make him an album cover, but both men lack inspiration in their clearly eclectic lives.

I can't help but feel that this was the movie that Wes Anderson dreamed up but quickly abandoned when he discovered the plot didn't go anywhere quickly. Anderson is known for concocting whimsical setups, an immensely quirky environment, and framing and articulating his films' settings with impenetrable beauty and artistry. What he often neglects, although this hasn't been seen recently with his newest films The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, is his characterization and situations, which are often underdeveloped or simply archetypes we have a difficult time feeling for. Writer/director/producer Coppola continues to persistently throw set pieces, situations, and stunt casting at the story, none of it generating any true excitement or nourishment for his audience members. The whole film plays as one long, tedious, incoherent stage show that goes nowhere quickly and doesn't seem to care.

Yet through all the mundane setups and unworthy payoffs, I found enjoyment in this film, mainly coming from Sheen, who is a charming screen presence here, playing a womanizing character, with a bit more of a heart and attitude than the usual snobs. But his character is still an undeveloped archetype we feel almost nothing for. And when the film gives us a maddening ending that breaks the fourth wall, we feel that either Coppola couldn't fittingly end the story or he simply got tired of the material.

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is, to put it simply, a mess of sizable proportions. If the film had turned its quirkiness meter about six notches down, and put as much heavy focus on its story continuity and characters as it does with detail and look, there would be a film here with some trajectory and formation rather than just scene after scene of disposable weirdness. I read that Roman Coppola hopes that those who have suffered through a bad breakup in the past or have been through rough relationships could sympathize with Charles Swan III. I'd believe that after they see this film, they'll feel that relationships are a waste of time and should get back to work.

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Katheryn Winnick, Bill Murray, Aubrey Plaza, Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Directed by: Roman Coppola.

Review: What the hell is going on in this film. The movie is all over the place and it wasn't that funny. It's good to see Bill Murray and Charlie Sheen back on screen, but this movie didn't make that much sense to me. I think that it's supposed to show the thought within Charlie Swan's mind during a break up, but the director had a funny way of portraying the story. I was hoping for a witty comedy, but there wasn't much flow to the film because it skips from one scene to the next. I just hope that Charlie Sheen doesn't make this to be his last movie because its a bad way to go out. Disappointing!

Round-Up: I don't know if there was a moral to this story, with what is happening in Charlie Sheens life at the moment, but I didn't get it. The director really wasted the cast, and the concept didn't have that much thought. I thought that it was a bit weird that I hadn't heard about this film because of all of the media surrounding Charlie Sheen. Anyway, this is a very strange movie and you need a warped sense of humour to find it remotely interesting.

I recommend this movie to people who like there out of the ordinary comedies/drama about a man whose going through turmoil after his girlfriend leaves him. 2/10

It was meant to be weird, but I wanted it to be even weirder. It just wasn't weird enough.

This film with a very long title was a very weird watch to me ,there were some good staff and some scenes that made me laugh a bit but there were also far more staff that was very disposable and that just didnt worked in a ways they wanted that it works.You can call this film A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Sheen and nothing would be wrong with it since we are basiacly watching what Sheen life was in a nutshell before whole Aids scandal.Story in a film was a mess for much of screentime and it was even dragging in some scenes expecely towards end.This film wasnt so good start for A24 studio

Good day to you,

This is the first time I have felt the very disheartening need to post anything of opinion in response to something I've read anywhere. Ever. This alone should signify the gravity and urgency that I wish to convey.It shall be as brief as the written word will allow me.

1) The title of your review,"An exercise in poor neurology",is what is truly baffling. 2)The admitted fact you've extracted nothing the most delightfully mesmerizing motion picture,The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou,is once again what is truly baffling. 3)Your lack of even mentioning Sir William Murray in as great of a performance in this film as in lost in translation as Bob Harris is the last example I will mention now of what is most baffling about your wordy and long-winded review.

Your lack of years on this planet is painfully apparent in your reviews.I do realize that this is not something you or I can change,and indeed cannot be faulted for. I again do realize that this is one of the places that cater and pander to your demographic,which more than facilitates the amount of ease with which your word disseminates.

All that to say this;

A)Find something to extract from any Fellini movie before you review anything else with any European connection in any way. B)Ask yourself if you feel your review/opinion is necessary and qualified enough that you think the general public needs to read it.Less is,as a rule of thumb,more.

A respectable word to ya mutha,

This Guy

It helps when you are not sober when watching this out of whack cheesy flick, directed by the son of the all time great Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather). Roman Coppola even starred (as a little curly boy) in the all time classic The Godfather, but Roman has mostly been making music videos while wearing Italian clothes and he hasnt inherited the talent his father had to tell a coherent story, because this movie is all over the place, but in a good cheesy way...

A story about heartbreak, starring the ultimate friendly whacko Charlie Sheen, who is still so cool, calm and collected as ever before. Terrific supporting roles by Bill Murray and Patricia Arquette. Great soundtrack. Wacky photography. And filmsets and props that are to die for!

Best consumed when one is NOT sober...

Charlie Sheen plays Charles Swan III, the head of a creative arts company. He is a whacky personality with a great deal of imagination, there are times when it takes control of the narrative. He is also a man going through a bad breakup (for him). His girlfriend found pictures of other women in a drawer and she refused to accept his explanation that they were of former clients.

Charles goes on a downward spiral as he is desperate to find a way to win her back. Unfortunately, he alternates between extremely bitter tirades and whining, withdrawn sympathy. His work at his creative arts company suffers as he has clients that are waiting for Charles to come up with something good.

Charles is at times a very unsympathetic figure in that his self-absorbed whining and attempts at a sympathetic reuniting with his girlfriend are difficult to watch. Although Charles is a brilliant artistic talent, he is very mediocre at recovering from emotional setbacks. Yet, at the end he manages to solve a major problem after bringing himself out of his depths of despair.

Charlie Sheen is probably the best actor to play the role of Charles Swan III, in many ways it mirrors his somewhat unstable persona. Fans of the television show "Two and a Half Men" will recognize many of the personality traits of Charlie Harper. The movie has its moments, but the mind of Charles Swan tends to infect and drag down the minds of the viewers.

(2012) A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III COMEDY DRAMA

Written and directed by Roman Coppola with a somewhat of a docudrama portrayal of Charlie Sheen's life. That act playing as Charles Swan III an infamous artist mostly for album covers for musicians. As the movie delves into his inner most thoughts after his current girlfriend, Ivanna (Katheryn Winnick) breaks up with him after she finds pictures of former flames in one of his drawers one of some reasons. As Charlie Swann pines for his current girlfriend throughout, with supporting characters such as Bill; Murray as Saul,Patricia Arquette playing Charlie Swann's sister, Jason Schwartzman as his friend and musician.

This movie really worked for me. It's well passed, moves right along, doesn't get stuck trying to be or do one thing or another. It switches from flash back to present day to surreal, inside-the-mind-of type of shots with smoothness and balance. The movie doesn't demand that you follow the details of a complex plot, it more like an emotional canvas. And it's more than about Swan as well, which gives the story depth. All the actors performances are top notch. The music? The music is outstanding!!