Before and After

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Before and After

PG-13

1996

1h 48m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

The lives of Carolyn Ryan (Meryl Streep), a small-town doctor, and her artist husband, Ben (Liam Neeson), are shaken up when their son, Jacob (Edward Furlong), becomes the prime suspect in the death of a local teen girl. While Carolyn is intent on learning the truth about her son's involvement, Ben is willing to protect him at any cost, regardless of his guilt or innocence. When Jacob finally tells his parents what happened, events take a surprising series of turns.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Uneven script, but strong performances by a powerhouse cast.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 20, 2003

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Despite Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson and the usually estimable Edward Furlong, this nonevent huffs and puffs to attain even the level of an ordinary motion picture.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It's one of those movies where you want to call out helpful advice to the screen, which would save the characters a lot of trouble.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 9, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 18, 2005

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Randy Shulman

Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

Rated: 2/5

Aug 6, 2004

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Matthew A

Good storyline from the start. Few twists and turns which kept me guessing. Quiet surprised at many low ratings for this movie. One of the best flicks I have watched for quiet a while. Definitely recommended.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

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Audience Member

One star mainly for Meryl streep. The kid a tors weren't impressive. Mumbling, girl needs to enunciate. Dnf

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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Audience Member

Cheesy dialogue and poor character development. It was also very, very boring. Ending was disappointing and left you feeling like you just wasted an hour and a half.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/15/24

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Eileen S

I looked at the cast and thought it couldn't be bad. I was wrong. The actors bravely soldiered through the hackneyed, amateurish script, but were unable to save it, and the lawyer character was a caricature. I suspect the direction was bad, too, because I know the cast to be capable of great things.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

Full Review

jerry s

If a good crime drama is like a great party, then the Meryl Streep character is Mommy cleaning the kitchen and then telling everyone it's time to go to bed at 9:30. Air goes out of the balloon on this one after a promising build up.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

Full Review

Gail H

I can't believe I wasted an evening on this movie. I kept waiting for it to become engaging. I wasted more time when I finally fast forwarded it to the last 10 minutes. Don't be fooled because Meryl Streep is in it. She must've been desperate for money to accept this role.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

Full Review

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Barbet Schroeder

Director

Meryl Streep

Dr. Carolyn Ryan

Liam Neeson

Ben Ryan

Edward Furlong

Jacob Ryan

Julia Weldon

Judith Ryan

Alfred Molina

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TRAILER

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Synopsis

The lives of Carolyn Ryan (Meryl Streep), a small-town doctor, and her artist husband, Ben (Liam Neeson), are shaken up when their son, Jacob (Edward Furlong), becomes the prime suspect in the death of a local teen girl. While Carolyn is intent on learning the truth about her son's involvement, Ben is willing to protect him at any cost, regardless of his guilt or innocence. When Jacob finally tells his parents what happened, events take a surprising series of turns.

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Producer: Barbet Schroeder, Susan Hoffman
Screenwriter: Ted Tally
Production Co: Buena Vista (Walt Disney), Hollywood Pictures, Caravan Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.8M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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