Cannery Row

PG

Released Feb 12, 1982

2 hr. 0 min.

Drama

List

75%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

An ex-ballplayer (Nick Nolte) studies marine biology and a bordello girl (Debra Winger) in his run-down town.

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Tom S

Perfect movie. If you're gonna make a movie, this is a good example.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

Steve D

The story is ok at best and the narration is distracting

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

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Vic W

Good character development and touching theme of love and society. Need more about the octopus and it's communication with Doc. Winger's character is intense and beautiful. Ending in to the boiler room. Exquisite.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/28/22

Full Review

Audience Member

You can always find something on Cannery Row Based on the book by John Steinbeck and starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger Skid row denizens live in a dead end California town during WWII The declining fish stocks are shutting down a previously rich fishery and the dependent canning industry, bums and prostitutes lead colorful and adventurous lives in a balmy seaside setting Doc collects marine animals and sells them to colleges and museums He keeps to himself a lot until he meets Suzy, who works in an out of a bordello It's only out of necessity though The two spend more time together and couldn't be more opposite This is just ok; it feels more like a stage production than anything If you're not bothered by the lack of sets having variation then it's fine

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

uncle p

Story/Screenplay: (3/5) The basis of this story was a good one. The execution fell a little flat, and I'm not sure why. There was no big story event that captivated me. It felt like I was on the outside looking in for 120 minutes. Duration/Tempo: (3/5) At 2 hours, it's a long movie that felt about the same. Considering the subject matter that was in large part comedy and romance, it would have been nice to see a snappier pace to the film. Cast & Crew: (3.5/5) Nick Nolte and Debra Winger were well cast. When the story cooperated, they had good chemistry on-screen. Summary: (3/5) The cast was very good, but the story was only fair and the film felt like it should have been snappier. A borderline thumbs down.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If I hadn't read the book, I would have probably not finished watching this movie. But I was curious what was done in the movie based on having read the literary source of "Cannery Row," and persisted watching it. Since its intention appears to be entertainment, I was not moved by its characters or the romantic comedy that it turned out to be although Nick Nolte's acting was pretty good.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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David S. Ward

Director

Nick Nolte

Doc

Debra Winger

Suzy DeSoto

Audra Lindley

Fauna

Frank McRae

Hazel

M. Emmet Walsh

Mack

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Dwight Brown

Sepia

Nearly all the faults of this ill-made film can be blamed on its directing.

Aug 10, 2022

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

All of this is photographed and written in such a mixture of the wistful, the whimsical, the eccentric, and the romantic that the characters don't even seem to be living; they seem to be auditioning.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Cannery Row leans heavily into the artifice and the whimsy -- it's a strategy that's occasionally charming but more often distancing.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 5, 2020

Full Review

Rick Chatenever

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Cannery Row falls a long way short of being a great movie -- but it does just fine as a pretty good one.

Nov 20, 2019

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

Cannery Row may be excessively sentimental, even a little corny, but it's all heart.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 28, 2009

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 4/5

Nov 1, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

An ex-ballplayer (Nick Nolte) studies marine biology and a bordello girl (Debra Winger) in his run-down town.

Director: David S. Ward
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1982, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2011

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