Shoplifters of the World

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Shoplifters of the World

2021

1h 31m

Comedy

Drama

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

In the Summer of 1987, four friends, reeling from the sudden break-up of the iconic British band The Smiths, embark on a night out of partying to mourn their musical loss. At the same time, an impassioned Smiths fan takes a local radio DJ hostage at gunpoint and forces him to play nothing but Smiths tracks. With the radio station playing as the soundtrack to their night, the friends go on a wild journey of self-discovery that will transform them forever. Featuring an incredible soundtrack -- including 20 songs from The Smiths -- Shoplifters of the World is a glorious ode to the craziness of the '80s and the power of music to change people's lives.

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Critics Consensus

Strong performances and affectionate period detail aren't enough to disguise the vacuous characters that make up Shoplifters of the World.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Mar 31, 2021

2/4

While there's nothing much new here, "Shoplifters" does have heart and soul, and some killer Smiths songs.

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David Ehrlich

IndieWire

Mar 30, 2021

C-

"The Breakfast Club" approach to sorting these characters into archetypes is unrewarding, and there's no trace of the personal connection that everyone brings to their most passionate fandom.

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Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

Mar 27, 2021

1.5/4

Kijak so clearly wants to share his love of The Smiths with the world, but it overpowers just about everything else in the movie.

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Ben Flanagan

Vague Visages

Feb 10, 2024

“‘Shoplifters of the World’ seems more affectionate to 2000s conceptions of 1980s nostalgia than to the thing itself.”

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David Reddish

Queerty

Mar 13, 2022

3/4

Shoplifters of the World doesnt fetishize nostalgia so much as offer a glimpse into a specific time and place, and to the anxiety young LGBTQ people felt at the time.

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Mark Beaumont

NME (New Musical Express)

Jul 1, 2021

3/5

Go expecting a cinematic fan letter rather than anything Wilde-worthy and this is one night that will, at the very least, open your ears.

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Gina

Apr 5, 2021

Great story / awesome music. LOVED

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Brian K

@Briankeith3 Nov 25, 2022

It's a mess of a movie, with a poor plot, stereotyped characters, and a hollow climax. Yet, there is enough heart there, and themes about alienation -- being a alt-Brit pop fan in the Colorado culture of "hard/glam rock" -- and great Smiths songs*, to salvage this one -- if you know the Smiths and were in your 20s in the 80's. *Morrisey turned out to be an idiot -- a lot of artists did -- but that should not take away from the often brilliant music of The Smiths.

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Jan 11, 2022

Ex-pat Smiths Freak living in Japan and wow - got to se this on the big screen - Japanese music fans are the BEST and this was such an amazing film - nostalgic in all the right ways, it really feels like the 80s actually were and not how they are usually portrayed - my friends had seen it three times (!!!) - I might go again. I think it is very much for a very specific sort of person. You know who you are. UNITE AND TAKE OVER!

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Jan 6, 2022

Amazing. Saw it my daugheter; engaging, and especially poignant for Smith's lovers.

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Dec 22, 2021

The subject matter made me want to watch it but the film itself made me want to stop listening to The Smiths ever again. Dreadful

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Jul 2, 2021

Being as I'm as old as The Smiths themselves , I feel that I'm qualified to write this review. My name is Glen and I'm originally from Fredericksburg, Texas. I'm 57. However, when I discovered The Smiths, I lived in San Diego and compulsively collected Smiths singles and albums, etc etc. This film brought me back to a time in my life when sexual identitiy was not even important. AND THE SONGS ROCK!! To all of you people who are saying that this is a John Hughes film about THE SMITHS... You're right. And I just want to confirm... I really wanted Joe Manganiello to take off his shirt and dance to "How Soon Is Now" And I saw them twice at SDSU Amphitheatre... Once in the second row (Meat is Murder) and once for The Queen is Dead (shitty seats). Both were religious experiences.

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Stephen Kijak

Director

Helena Howard

Cleo

Ellar Coltrane

Dean

Elena Kampouris

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Synopsis

In the Summer of 1987, four friends, reeling from the sudden break-up of the iconic British band The Smiths, embark on a night out of partying to mourn their musical loss. At the same time, an impassioned Smiths fan takes a local radio DJ hostage at gunpoint and forces him to play nothing but Smiths tracks. With the radio station playing as the soundtrack to their night, the friends go on a wild journey of self-discovery that will transform them forever. Featuring an incredible soundtrack -- including 20 songs from The Smiths -- Shoplifters of the World is a glorious ode to the craziness of the '80s and the power of music to change people's lives.

Director: Stephen Kijak
Producer: Joe Manganiello, Nick Manganiello, Laura Rister, Adam Schoon, Marco Vicini, Christopher Figg, Lorianne Hall, Phil Hoelting
Screenwriter: Stephen Kijak
Distributor: RLJE Films
Production Co: 3:59, Oscura Film, Untitled Entertainment
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 26, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 26, 2021
Runtime: 1h 31m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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