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Play trailer Poster for Country PG Released Sep 29, 1984 1h 49m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Jewell (Jessica Lange) and Gil Ivy (Sam Shepard) run a farm in Iowa that has been in the family for generations. The Ivy's make enough to get by until two devastating events threaten to take their land away. First, a tornado tears through the farming community and devastates the area, then the Farmers Home Administration calls in loans owed by most of the area's farmers, which most are in no position to repay. The stress buckles Gil, leaving Jewell to figure out a way to save their way of life.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times It has been so long since I've seen a Hollywood film with specific political beliefs that a funny thing happened: The movie's anger moved me as much as its story. The story is pretty moving, too. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy There are no "trickle-down economics" working magic here, only an unfeeling bureaucracy that values profit over people. Rated: 3/4 Apr 6, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com While Lange's performance alone elevates something like Country... There's something a bit stagnant about the melodrama of William D. Witliff's screenplay, which takes a compelling predicament but can't rightly fashion the familial characteristics. Rated: 3/5 Sep 7, 2018 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jessica Lange received a well deserved Oscar nomination for this compelling chronicle of farming in the Reagan era. Rated: B+ Jun 10, 2011 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Lange and Shepard are effective as modern farmers under threat. Rated: 4/5 Jun 12, 2005 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice A compelling and important film which presents the anguish, stress and anger of one contemporary farm family faced with foreclosure. Rated: 5/5 Aug 18, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member What good is a home without the people? Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard play a couple, Jewell and Gil in love living in the countryside in Iowa They have their dream home and dream life of a farm with their kids But things start changing immensely making things treacherous They face their land being destroyed by a tornado then the Farmers Home Administration starts calling in loans for other farmers Many of them can't afford to pay what's owed Gil is at a crossroads with Jewell finding a way to save their way of life This truly reflects how hard the farm life is, so much so it even garnered the attention of Ronald Reagan and his agri programs Lange even had to show up in court before a congressional panel about living on farms You can definitely sense the bureaucracy of profit over people You feel the frustration of this family facing a terrible ordeal It’s a low budget story that doesn’t skimp on the economics Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Derek C I remember watching this with my mother back in the 80s! It was a beautiful movie then and it still is today! I wish it was streaming! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Jerod S Lange and Shepard are about to lose their farm in the 80s because FHA loans crushing small farmers. It's a family values film that has you rooting for the small folks, even though they don't always handle stress well. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review steve d The melodrama is so thick I thought someone was going to end up on the railroad tracks. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie will make you cry. It will also give you a sense of true family and neighbors coming together for each other. It's based on a time in the 1980's when farmers were getting their land foreclosed on and it ended up with the country coming together to help with things like the Farm-Aid concert put together by Willie Nelson. Wonderful movie! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review william s Interesting and very well acted,the margins these farm families work up against are devastating. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Jewell (Jessica Lange) and Gil Ivy (Sam Shepard) run a farm in Iowa that has been in the family for generations. The Ivy's make enough to get by until two devastating events threaten to take their land away. First, a tornado tears through the farming community and devastates the area, then the Farmers Home Administration calls in loans owed by most of the area's farmers, which most are in no position to repay. The stress buckles Gil, leaving Jewell to figure out a way to save their way of life.
Director
Richard Pearce
Producer
Jessica Lange, William D. Wittliff
Screenwriter
William D. Wittliff
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 29, 1984, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Dec 9, 2003
Runtime
1h 49m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)