Ellen Burstyn's 'Place to Be' Earns 6-Minute Venice Ovation — SkimNews
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- Ellen Burstyn wept on stage as "Place to Be" received a six-minute standing ovation at Venice on Wednesday, hugging co-stars Taika Waititi, Pamela Anderson, and Murray Bartlett after the screening
- Kornél Mundruczó directed the out-of-competition film, in which Burstyn plays elderly Brooke who road-trips to return a lost racing pigeon alongside Waititi's arrogant divorcee Nelson
- Burstyn, 93, entered the Sala Giardino theater using a walker following a recent fall, while paparazzi inside shouted for Anderson, who wore an orange gown with a dramatic train
- Venice organizers are honoring Burstyn with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement this year, and she separately premiered in jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal's short "Flesh Impact" as an elder Marilyn Monroe
- IndieWire's review headlined its verdict as "Ellen Burstyn Is Radiant in Otherwise Lackluster Late-Life Drama" — a critical assessment that undercuts Variety's glowing ovation framing
- Mundruczó's previous Venice entry was 2020's "Pieces of a Woman," which earned Vanessa Kirby an Oscar nomination for best actress
Why it matters: The six-minute ovation at the Sala Giardino contrasts with IndieWire's verdict that the film itself is "lackluster" despite Burstyn's performance — a divide between festival crowd reception and critical assessment that matters for the film's awards trajectory, especially with Burstyn already locked in a high-profile Venice week via the Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion.
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