The Beach

2000 Directed by Danny Boyle

Somewhere on this planet it must exist.

Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss - excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

Leonardo DiCaprio Guillaume Canet Tilda Swinton Virginie Ledoyen Staffan Kihlbom Paterson Joseph Peter Youngblood Hills Robert Carlyle Jerry Swindall Lars Arentz-Hansen Jukka Hiltunen Magnus Lindgren Daniel York Daniel Caltagirone Zelda Tinska Saskia Mulder Sian Martin Gunilla Karlson Victoria Smurfit

Alternative Titles

Beach, La Playa, A Part, La Plage, Kumsal, ザ・ビーチ, 비치, Пляж, Η Παραλία, 迷幻沙灘

adventure thriller romance drama

119 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by kayla ★★★

A hot ass guy I’m friends told me to watch this so here I am hehehehehe you already know imma lie and tell him I loved it when in reality it was actually just fine. But really what the fuck was that video game scene I hated that omg how embarrassing.
Review by Jim Cummings ★★★★★ 2

I think we all have something to learn from the Swedes being attacked by sharks, the public wanting to help them at first, but then very quickly dragging them out of sight to die so we can play volleyball...
Review by Andy Summers ★★★ 4

Danny Boyle's The Beach has a tattered reputation among film fans. It's unfocused and at times strays too far from the source novel which Alex Garland poured his heart and soul into. Everyone has said at some point that the book is much better than the film or that the film is nowhere near as good as the play, or whatever comparison you want to make. This is definitely one of those times where Garland's book got a butchering and although the film isn't a complete dud, it takes away certain aspects that made it so compelling in the first place.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays an American college student backpacking in Thailand in the hope of expanding his horizons. It is…
Review by Sam Thompson ★★ 2

I’m literally speechless.
The Beach is one bizarro blast from the past. I don’t even know how to begin to describe this ugly insane mess. Just thinking about it makes me smile in a weird way.
I totally get why some people like this movie. There really isn’t anything else like this weird cheese fest. It touches on a few interesting ideas like the effect of tourism and what we value as a society. With a decent premise, there is actually some strong moments in the film but it just has this inescapable trashy vibe.
I don’t wanna say steer clear of this because I think it’s this wonky ass enigma but at the same time it isn’t good and I wouldn’t recommend desperately seeking it out. I honestly have no idea what made me put it on in the first place.
Review by matt lynch ★★½ 1

Is it Boyle's fault or Garland's that this actually reads like an endorsement of the proto-Vice bro-hipsterism it purports to indict? I mean who cares, clueless is clueless. Anyway I'm glad I eventually forgot about Moby's Porcelain.
Review by ✨ christie ✨ ★★★★½ 4

a scathing critique of white americans and europeans who see the global south as nothing but a fertile ground for self-discovery, where they can find themselves by importing little pieces of america to act as cushions, by totally disengaging from and disrespecting any local customs to the point where their claims to want to see new things has the unspoken caveat as long as i’m at a distance from them. mass tourism as a way of making colonialism seem more benign; of course the protagonists only become less fearful of the people in the titular beach when they see the first white face there, because they associate whiteness with themselves and would never want to be subject to the othering they subconsciously…
Review by Vanessa ★★ 4

All these people were so stupid I still can't believe they survived more than 10 minutes on the island.
Review by DrewMcWeeny 1

I will never forget sitting in the crowded theater at midnight for the very first screening of THE PHANTOM MENACE at the Chinese theater and hearing the entire packed auditorium loudly boo the trailer for this film, thereby ensuring that Leo DiCaprio would not play Anakin Skywalker.
Good times. Good times.
Review by Rafael Jovine ★★★½ 9

RECOMMENDED BY Jacob
Of course it had to be Swinton....
So for my last two log ins/reviews of the day I'll be tackling on two films that have literally followed me my entire life, and which I've never seen right up to this day. They showed on the cable in your Cinemax, Cine Canal or any other movie channel. They were mentioned on Youtube lists and more. And in the case of this baby right here, they got so much bad word of mouth that it took me away from giving it a chance.
And does it deserve its bad rap?
I'll put it this way. There are two films in this movie. One is an incredible and thrilling, Lord…
Review by Jared ★★½ 2

The Beach is a story about fantasies, an intoxicating look at serenity, bliss and isolation and our often inane desire to hold onto them, despite any and all opposition. It's ideas are compelling, but Boyle's focus is nowhere to be found. This is a scattered mess that works for about fifty minutes, then begins to feel arduous and random. The fundamental notion of paradise is well represented, but everything else is muddled. The third act falls completely on it's face, trying to mimic Apocalypse Now's descent into madness somehow, but really just rendering itself mostly laughable. More than anything, this film was Leo's way of transitioning from heartthrob to movie star, an audacious and unglamorous role that ultimately served it's purpose despite being railed by the critics.
Danny Boyle Marathon
#5 in my Next 15 Watches
Review by <Todd> ★★★½ 1

"In the perfect beach resort, nothing is allowed to interrupt the pursuit of pleasure... not even dying" - Richard,
- Scavenger Hunt #62 (8/31): boxd.it/5mXrg
Watch a movie with most of the scenes taking place on a beach
I really wish this film followed more of a horror logic. I wouldn't mind one bit if Jason Voorhees showed up.
Travel hipster Leo DiCaprio gets a magical map to a perfect weed beach on temptation island. He goes out to find it and the journey brings him a douchey form of enlightenment. Does he find utopia or his worst nightmare? Find out all this and more in Danny Boyle's vibey strangefest The Beach. I sincerely can not tell whether this is…
Review by megan ★★★

happy veterans day and happy birthday leonardo dicaprio

Recent reviews

Review by Nick Green ★★½

"At least Leo won't drown this time"
- My occasionally funny friend Paris
Review by Jamiepc94 ★★★½

Life’s a beach isn’t it? One of dicaprios hidden gems! If anything, i just wanted to hear Pure Shores again.
Review by suraxiety ★★½

''when you develop an infatuation for someone, you always find a reason to believe that this is exactly the person for you.''
Review by antonio ★★★

My thoughts about this movie:
- Leo drippin‘ in those sandals
- diashow through cameralens
- [yelling in swedish]
- the soundtrack screams (or yells in swedish) 2000s
- Leo doing parcour through the jungle
- what the fuck is this?
- all these people are unlikable (except the italian guy)
- wow internet slow
Review by DrewMcWeeny 1

I will never forget sitting in the crowded theater at midnight for the very first screening of THE PHANTOM MENACE at the Chinese theater and hearing the entire packed auditorium loudly boo the trailer for this film, thereby ensuring that Leo DiCaprio would not play Anakin Skywalker.
Good times. Good times.
Review by g_moita ★★★★

Cool as Fuck. Leo’s at an early age traveling and experience all around the craziness of Thailand:
Review by jayluck ★★★

A Praia começa muito bem com um personagem bem explorado e uma trama atrativa, em uma trama que continua sendo atrativa até o fim, desenvolve muitos momentos bons e tem uma direção jovial e bonita do Boyle assim como uma fotografia muito incrível.
Mas é um filme que se perde absolutamente no tom, ele não sabe onde quer se manter e acaba fazendo uma mistureba, em certos momentos de jeito bem tosco. Ele tenta passar uma mensagem mas não consegue evoluir ela, fora que joga alguns personagens pro escanteio. E o pior é o terceiro ato quando o personagem Richard enlouquece por motivo nenhum e fica fazendo porra nenhuma até o final anti-climático.
Review by willisuckt ★★★

Lost Kopie
Review by Kevin79 ★★★★

Man, that period of 1999-2000 is such a vivid one for me as a regular cinemagoer. I would've been travelling down from Thurso on the early morning bus every few weeks to Inverness once there were 2-3 films I could fit into a day and either stay over at my gran's or catch the late bus back home.
I think The Beach was a double bill with Any Given Sunday (lots of American best of '99 lists include that although I'm pretty sure we didn't get it until Jan/Feb 2000).
That soundtrack was everywhere back then. I might've even read the book before the film came out. Couple of trailers that had Virginie Ledoyen front and centre in all her…
Review by Madden ★★★

Daffy seems cool.
Review by grem ★★★

The closest thing you can get to a Far Cry movie, minus the action. It starts off fine but for some reason it just goes absolutely batshit weird by the halfway mark. It does manage to have the same feel as Trainspotting but it lacks the good script comparatively. The biggest bummer is that I expected more from a movie directed by Boyle starring Leo DiCaprio! Overall I'd say it's fine but it hasn't aged well.
Review by Alexa ★★½

Not nearly enough puka shell necklaces to be believable.