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Blackbird

R Released Sep 18, 2020 1h 37m Drama TRAILER for List
64% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Lily and Paul summon their loved ones to their beach house for one final gathering before Lily decides to end her long battle with ALS. The couple plans a loving weekend complete with holiday traditions, but the mood becomes strained when unresolved issues surface between Lily and her daughters Jennifer and Anna.
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Blackbird

Blackbird

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Critics Consensus

Though its splendid cast adds heart to a sensitive subject, Blackbird wastes its premise on shallow storytelling.

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Critics Reviews

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David Stratton The Australian The title of the film remains unexplained, but it apparently has nothing to do with the Beatles song or the handful of other films with the same name. Rated: 3.5/5 Feb 27, 2021 Full Review Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald Neill succeeds with a grace and good humour that do a great deal to calm the histrionics and bring things to a finish lit with a persuasive mingling of sadness and hope. Rated: 4/5 Feb 24, 2021 Full Review David Fear Rolling Stone Someone nudges this in memoriam in the ribs and reminds it to be a melodrama, at which point a far more typical story of family feuding kicks in. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 19, 2020 Full Review Paul Klein FILMHOUNDS Magazine But, as a piece of acting and at a thankfully brief ninety-seven minutes it’s like most family gatherings, at times frustrating, at times heartwarming, but you’ll be glad when it’s time to go home Rated: 3/5 Jul 4, 2024 Full Review M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut Blackbird is the equivalent of running a story about euthanasia through an airbrushing app. Rated: 2.5 Sep 3, 2022 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Everyone ends up with some secret to reveal or some family axe to grind. It gets a little ridiculous, almost resembling a dark comedy spoof although one we’ve seen several times before. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff M After a rather rough start, this movie starts gaining momentum about halfway through and develops by the end into an often moving and thought-provoking dysfunctional family drama. I am always impressed when a film tackles a controversial issue, in this case euthanasia, in a fair and balanced way without preaching or trying to condone one side of the argument. As the end credits rolled, I honestly felt indecisive about my feelings and what I would have done had I been in the position of any one of these main characters. The filmmakers are also able to throw in a few laughs here and there to lighten the mood a bit - a family dinner toward the middle of the movie being the highlight. The ensemble cast works well together, although a couple of the supporting roles feel very cliche and two-dimensional. Rainn Wilson appears as Winslet's husband, and no fault to him but I just can't see anyone but Dwight Schrute when he's onscreen. The film can feel a bit melodramatic and soap opera-ish at times, particularly a subplot involving Sarandon's best friend. But I was impressed overall with the impact I felt at the end, and it gave me a lot to think about afterwards. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Nathan G Susan Sarandon stinks in this film...as usual. This is a definite SKIP Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/06/24 Full Review Ken B This was just too predictable to give it a higher rating. There's just nothing left to the imagination whatsoever. We've seen this all before. Nothing special here. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/28/23 Full Review Susan N I thought it was great. Centered on a subject becoming more and more common. A moving and thoughtful story. Why on earth did Rotten Tomatoes choose to highlight such a secondary character for this movie? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Well acted and interesting story about a family's reaction to hearing about an assisted suicide plan of a family member after one final "happy" weekend together. Don't forget the kleenex! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review gina g Nothing more to say about this movie than ….. depressing. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Blackbird

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lily and Paul summon their loved ones to their beach house for one final gathering before Lily decides to end her long battle with ALS. The couple plans a loving weekend complete with holiday traditions, but the mood becomes strained when unresolved issues surface between Lily and her daughters Jennifer and Anna.
Director
Roger Michell
Producer
David Bernardi, Sherryl Clark, Robert Van Norden
Screenwriter
Christian Torpe
Distributor
Screen Media Films
Production Co
SF Studios, Busted Shark, Millennium Films, Eclectic Pictures
Rating
R (Some Drug Use|Language|Brief Sexual Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 18, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 18, 2020
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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