American Pastoral

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American Pastoral

R

Released Oct 21, 2016

1h 48m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

24%

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123 Reviews

32%

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2,500+ Ratings

Seymour Swede Levov (Ewan McGregor) is a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), a former beauty queen. When his beloved teenage daughter (Dakota Fanning) disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him.

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Critics Consensus

American Pastoral finds debuting director Ewan McGregor's reach exceeding its grasp with a well-intentioned Philip Roth adaptation that retains the form, but little of the function, of its source material.

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Adam Nayman

Cinema Scope

The whole production feels verged on the perch of camp.

Sep 28, 2017

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

It's far from perfect, but it's not a bad stab at tricky material.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

McGregor and Connelly are good as dad and mum, Hannah Nordberg and Dakota Fanning even better as, at different ages, Merry.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

American Pastoral is oddly flat and uninvolving for the most part, despite the convulsions it represents.

Feb 11, 2021

Full Review

Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

There is promise for better outputs by McGregor in the future, with kinder material, but American Pastoral is joyless.

Rated: 1.5/4

Feb 3, 2021

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

What could have been an interesting look at what happens when radicalization comes home is neutered by some swiss cheese storytelling - lots of holes.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

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gracie a

I found the storyline to be gripping. As I had not read the book, I didn’t know throughout the movie what had happened to Merry or whether or not she had planted the bomb. To me, the movie was haunting and the acting compelling. I’m surprised by the negative reviews and can’t help but suspect it is more of a reaction to the film’s exposure of the darker side of the 60’s revolution. Many people look back on the 60’s as a time when starry-eyed idealists changed the world to a better place. If they’ve never acknowledged the entire story, this movie will chafe.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

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Matt K

This is a powerful film, taking time to develop characters. Utilizing reality and diving into how society can move people. David Straithham is wonderful as narrator. Telling us we will always be wrong about people. Well written. A good man can exist is an unhealthy system, even do good things. But in the end this is a stark brutal look at how unfair life can be. I’ve never written a review on here, but the film moved me to participate. Family, love, psychology and society are all dealt with in this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

Full Review

Zeke H

I did not enjoy this movie. It was a depressing film. But that’s not the reason I didn’t enjoy it. I did not enjoy it because the story is just boring. I kept waiting for “a hook”. But it never came.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

Full Review

Jolin S

I don’t care what others say about this movie. I agree with the people who said this movie is quite entertaining. Ewan, Jennifer and Dakota put in a great acting performance. I just think the ending could have ended on a more positive note concerning the family efforts to overcome the issue that they were forced to deal with. Watch it to make our own opinion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/04/25

Full Review

Amy L

I thought this was a beautiful movie, exquisitely acted. A wonderful directorial debut. I think it has been unfairly viewed as commentary on modern activism in America when that was never it's intention. It captures the heartache of generational conflict during a period of immense social change, as one generation tears at a society it sees as unjust and archaic, whilst the other tries desperately to hold onto what they know without losing their children. We laud the 60s and 70s for the positive change they brought but rarely examine the pain and heartache that lies behind such sweeping change and upheaval.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

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Katie Z

I think Ewan did a great job as a director and actor

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

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Ewan McGregor

Director

Ewan McGregor

Seymour "Swede" Levov

Jennifer Connelly

Dawn Levov

Dakota Fanning

Merry Levov

Valorie Curry

Rita Cohen

Uzo Aduba

Vicky

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American Pastoral: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Seymour Swede Levov (Ewan McGregor) is a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), a former beauty queen. When his beloved teenage daughter (Dakota Fanning) disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him.

Director: Ewan McGregor
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Andre Lamal
Screenwriter: John Romano
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: TIK Films, Lionsgate Films, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Lakeshore Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Violent Images|Some Strong Sexual Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 24, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $541.5K
Runtime: 1h 48m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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