Blue Jay

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Blue Jay

2016

1h 25m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Former high school sweethearts Jim and Amanda have been out of touch for more than 20 years -- but they run into each other at a grocery store back in their alpine hometown of Crestline, Calif. Jim's mother has died and he's here to put her house on the market. Amanda is visiting her pregnant sister. They get to talking, first over coffee, then over beer and jellybeans. Before they know it they're at Jim's mother's house, where everything sends them spiraling back into the past.

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Critics Consensus

Blue Jay's song will warm the soul of any hopeless romantic who loves trips down memory lane, impromptu dance scenes, and naturally performed two-handers.

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

If the first hour or so of "Blue Jay" were anywhere near as compelling as its last 15 minutes, the film could have proved quite a special little experience.

Oct 13, 2016

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

A gentle, genuine trip down memory lane that features one of our best actresses in the kind of role she doesn't get to play that often.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 7, 2016

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Alonso Duralde

TheWrap

It's to the credit of both the movie and its stars that the easy sense of naturalism isn't undone by the eventual revelations. These people are believable, and so are their conversations, and so is their shared past.

Oct 6, 2016

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's all so believable.

Rated: B

Aug 1, 2023

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Director Alex Lehmann wisely keeps himself in the background and allows his two actors to carry the load. Duplass and Paulson have a convincing chemistry and there is an organic flowing rhythm to their dialogue.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Rahul Desai

The Hindu

A tale of deflected soulmates...

Jul 20, 2022

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David D

For me it was cathartic. Great acting from both Paulson and Duplass. low key at first even maybe a bit slow, but it builds up as the story / back story comes up. The emotions are raw, the acting enhance them. I dont want to tell too much about it, but the last third of the movie, with how and why their teenage romance ended was very "real". That gave it a 5 stars for me. And i'll be watching it again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

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Justin V

A realistic story of 2 adults who still need to learn how to be themselves.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

J M

Sarah Paulson always wonderful, but very slight story, and not the most engaging of characters. Not bad. -Jeff Marshall, Movie Blogger (Facebook)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

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Ava M

You had me at Sara Paulson amd she dis not disappoint. The man was AMAZING too. This is my first review, so forgive me. But I loved it so much I said "I'm going to go leave a review" in an impromptu manner. It was that good.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

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Omar B

One of the freshest movies I've ever seen. So incredibly good. A breath of fresh air. Just simply brilliant.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

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Leah S

Loved it. Both actors do a convincing job portraying adults who have regrets. You can imagine them as teen-aged lovebirds. No flashbacks required. Kooky and smart and heartwarming. The synopsis, however, gave away the specific regret. Still well done.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

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Alex Lehmann

Director

Mark Duplass

Jim

Sarah Paulson

Amanda

Mark Duplass

Screenwriter

Mel Eslyn

Producer

Xan Aranda

Producer

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Synopsis

Former high school sweethearts Jim and Amanda have been out of touch for more than 20 years -- but they run into each other at a grocery store back in their alpine hometown of Crestline, Calif. Jim's mother has died and he's here to put her house on the market. Amanda is visiting her pregnant sister. They get to talking, first over coffee, then over beer and jellybeans. Before they know it they're at Jim's mother's house, where everything sends them spiraling back into the past.

Director: Alex Lehmann
Producer: Mel Eslyn, Xan Aranda
Screenwriter: Mark Duplass
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Duplass Brothers, The Orchard, Netflix
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.2K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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