Aurora Borealis

R

Released Apr 22, 2005

1h 50m

Drama

List

69%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

64%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

IN his mid-20s, Minneapolis native Duncan Shorter (Joshua Jackson) still lacks direction in life, so when his grandfather (Donald Sutherland) falls ill, he takes a job as a handyman in his grandparents' residence so he can be near them. While there, he falls into a relationship with a free-spirited home-health nurse (Juliette Lewis) who can help him move toward self-realization.

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Critics Consensus

Deeply reminiscent of other, better films, Aurora Borealis nonetheless succeeds on the strength of winning performances from Sutherland and Jackson.

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

Seems designed to reward Jackson with his biggest adult part to date, though it doesn't give the Vancouver, B.C., native a lot to work with.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 6, 2006

Full Review

Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

Good Will Hunting but in the Midwest and minus the tortured math genius, psychological breakthroughs, and convincing local color.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 6, 2006

Full Review

Neva Chonin

San Francisco Chronicle

Every bromide, plot twist and stock character arrives right on time and, to give director James Burke his due, function as well as they ever have.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 29, 2006

Full Review

Michael Szymanski

Hollywood.com

Rated: 4/5

Nov 20, 2008

Full Review

Peter Calder

New Zealand Herald

It's predictable and ultimately quite trivial, but Sutherland alone is almost worth the ticket price.

Sep 1, 2007

Full Review

Felix Gonzalez Jr.

DVD Review

What holds Aurora Borealis together is the complex and very realistic relationships between the characters.

Jul 10, 2007

Full Review

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Audience Member

cursed again; jackson couldn't emote his way out of a wet paper bag. did not could not support this film. lewis and sutherland did admirably well in picking up the slack.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Frances H

Aurora Borealis is a film that I didn't really like because it hits too close to home, to close to reality to the point that although it is well acted, I didn't find it really entertaining.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/01/13

Full Review

Audience Member

they use the song "everything is broken" as the theme and that sums it up

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

all star cast is the fuel that propels this family drama

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really liked this movie, the cast was good, it was a funny and good story told well. very enjoyable

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Nothing much happens here, but it's rather endearing nonetheless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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James C.E. Burke

Director

Joshua Jackson

Duncan

Donald Sutherland

Ronald

Juliette Lewis

Kate

Louise Fletcher

Ruth

Zack Ward

Lindstrom

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Synopsis

IN his mid-20s, Minneapolis native Duncan Shorter (Joshua Jackson) still lacks direction in life, so when his grandfather (Donald Sutherland) falls ill, he takes a job as a handyman in his grandparents' residence so he can be near them. While there, he falls into a relationship with a free-spirited home-health nurse (Juliette Lewis) who can help him move toward self-realization.

Director: James C.E. Burke
Screenwriter: Brent Boyd
Distributor: Entitled Entertainment
Production Co: Entitled Entrtainment
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 15, 2006
Release Date (DVD): Apr 3, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.6K
Runtime: 1h 50m