Blackbird

R

Released Sep 18, 2020

1 hr. 37 min.

Drama

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List

64%

105 Reviews

Tomatometer

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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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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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

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gina g

Nothing more to say about this movie than ….. depressing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Roger Michell

Director

Susan Sarandon

Lily

Kate Winslet

Jennifer

Mia Wasikowska

Anna

Sam Neill

Paul

Rainn Wilson

Michael

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New on Amazon Prime Video in December 2020

Blackbird: Trailer 1

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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

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

Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

Even though Blackbird is about an incredibly difficult thing, the generosity of spirit offered by the performers keeps it enjoyable to watch.

Rated: 7/10

May 11, 2022

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Boaz Davidson, Mike Donovan, Andrey Georgiev, Jeffrey Greenstein, Avi Lerner, Jonathan Yunger
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
Sound Mix: Stereo

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