Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

98% Tomatometer 115 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings

An aging silent film queen refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young screenwriter to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriters ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness, and death.

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Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard

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Critics Consensus

Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece Sunset Boulevard is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study.

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Critics Reviews

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Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Wendy Ide Times (UK) Billy Wilder’s chillingly cold-blooded satire of Hollywood is one of his finest films — and indeed arguably one of the greatest movies of the period. Jun 27, 2023 Full Review Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Marjory Adams Boston Globe Smashing drama of the old-fashioned kind, plus elegant perceptive characterization of the modern school, combined to make Sunset Boulevard one of the greatest films of the decade. Oct 11, 2021 Full Review Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (3) James Agee Sight & Sound It is Hollywood craftsmanship at its smartest and at just about its best, and it is hard to find better craftsmanship than that, at this time, in any art or country. Oct 11, 2021 Full Review Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Calum Cooper In Their Own League Its performances, music, cinematography and direction continue to awe-inspire even seventy three years after its release. Rated: 5/5 Jul 19, 2024 Full Review Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Dilys Powell Sunday Times (UK) Sunset Boulevard is the most intelligent film to come out of Hollywood for years : lest the idea of intelligence in the cinema should lack allure, let me say that it is also one of the most exciting. Oct 3, 2023 Full Review Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... the blackest of Hollywood’s self-portraits is an old dark house of a ghost story inhabited by the living shadows of its discarded stars. Apr 14, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Shirley L Classic story of someone trying to break into the movie business and taken advantage of by an older star. I could have been a young woman being taken advantage of by an older male star for the same impact. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/21 Full Review Rebecca O The opening shot of this film is truly captivating. We follow police cars through Sunset Boulevard, leading to a dead body floating in a mansion's pool. We hear the cynical narration by the deceased protagonist, Joe Gillis. This is such a unique way to start the film and draw in the audience, a dead man who got too caught up with a long-forgotten star. I loved the overhead shot of Joe dead in the pool and the reflections of the police officers taking photos and examining the body. We hold on to that shot for quite some time, making the audience uncomfortable but all too curious. I watched this film for the first time four years ago and it wasn’t until I moved to LA that I really began to understand the themes and environment. We follow the characters through failure, faded fame, and obsession, and industry is truly what ended them. Norma could not stand to be forgotten even though her time in the spotlight had passed by and Joe was in it for the money and luxury. This shows the commentary on the destructive nature of Hollywood and fame including the way aging stars are treated once they are no longer relevant. Joe had failed time after time in his screenwriting that he slowly succumbed to Norma’s money. He stayed with her for a life of luxury that turned into Norma's obsession and possessiveness over him. They both were using each other for their gain thus creating an odd power imbalance. He needed her for her money and she needed him as an ego boost. This shows the lengths that artists take to “make it” within such a competitive industry. Overall this was a great film that was captivating from the start. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/19/24 Full Review Julian S Swanson doesn’t merely act like she understands this woman; she dives deep, pouring every part of herself into the performance. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Teddy B Mysterious and direct at the same time, 'Sunset Boulevard' is equal parts tragic and thrilling. The characterisation of Norma Desmond is absolutely captivating with Gloria Swanson's performance. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review Tony S Gloria Swanson plays a silent movie star who has been eclipsed by the talkies. Fabulously wealthy, she lives in a gigantic, but decaying mansion with her one servant. Enter William Holden, playing a down on his luck screenwriter. A Hollywood classic about classic Hollywood. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Alec C In the world of Hollywood, the line between fact and fiction is kept blurry in the eye of the beholder! A desperate screenwriter gets entangled in the delusions of former film star Nora Desmond, which draws them both into a spiral of obsession, insanity and a detachment from reality. Darkly humorous but disturbingly relevant, we are caught up in the confusion and chaos that ensues which ends with no one getting a satisfying conclusion! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Billy Wilder Director William Holden Joe Gillis Gloria Swanson Norma Desmond Erich von Stroheim Max Von Mayerling Nancy Olson Betty Schaefer Fred Clark Sheldrake
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Sunset Boulevard

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Sunset Boulevard

A scene from "Sunset Blvd." A scene from "Sunset Blvd." A scene from "Sunset Blvd." A scene from "Sunset Blvd." (L-R) Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond and William Holden as Joe Gillis in "Sunset Boulevard." (L-R) Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond and William Holden as Joe Gillis in "Sunset Boulevard." A scene from the film "Sunset Boulevard." A scene from the film "Sunset Boulevard." (L-R) William Holden as Joe Gillis and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard." (L-R) Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond and William Holden as Joe Gillis in "Sunset Boulevard." View more photos

Synopsis An aging silent film queen refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young screenwriter to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriters ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness, and death.

Director
Billy Wilder

Producer
Charles Brackett

Screenwriter
Charles Brackett, D.M. Marshman Jr., Billy Wilder

Distributor
Paramount Pictures

Production Co
Paramount Pictures

Genre
Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 1950, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2013

Runtime
1h 50m

Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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Sunset Boulevard | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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