Dying Young

R

1991

1h 51m

Drama

List

25%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

65%

Audience Score

25,000+ Ratings

Answering an ad for an "attractive female" to care for a sick young man, Hilary (Julia Roberts) becomes the caretaker of smart, well-bred Victor (Campbell Scott), who is fighting leukemia. Their business relationship slowly develops into a romance, and as Victor educates Hilary about the finer things in life, she teaches him how to love and trust another person. Victor's health continues to decline, yet the couple are determined to face his terminal prognosis together.

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Critics Consensus

Dying's easy; it's making audiences care about the romance at the heart of this inert drama that proves difficult.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

Where most contemporary directors would be looking for ways to demonstrate their superiority to the material -- dropping in campy asides or meaningless technical flourishes -- Schumacher is looking for ways to make it work.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Jack Yeovil

Empire Magazine

Donate the ticket money you would have spent to medical research, and stay home.

Rated: 1/5

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Yes, it is good to see how much of a difference actors can make with flimsy material, but wouldn't it be nice if they had something with more than the emotional weight of a Twinkie to work on?

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Julia Roberts... takes possession of the screen as if it were her private fiefdom. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 30, 2022

Full Review

Lou Cedrone

Baltimore Sun

It also lacks cuteness, which a movie of this sort needs. A film as predictable as this one is seriously in need of scenes that stand out, scenes that give the movie a little life, no pun intended.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Daniel Etherington

Film4

A decidedly dubious early 1990s love story from Joel Schumacher. The Kenny G sax solos don't help either.

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

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Steve D

The acting is fine but the script is manipulative.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

Jonathan L

Buena película me gusto mucho la historia y describir la persona tanto que amas

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/11/23

Full Review

s r

Saw it as a kid. I remember that it was moving. Perhaps because it was cliche? Maybe I'll give it another shot.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This romantic drama was alright. Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott, and the rest of the cast did a decent job in this movie. The plot to the movie was pretty dramatic, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I don't think I would recommend this movie because it's not as great as most people say it is. It's not worth seeing.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Horrible film, regardless of it's release date. It's essentially about immature young adults interacting they way they think mature adults should when faced with life-altering decisions and the opposite sex. The dying young man is a near-stalker head case (his cancer is the least of his issues), so it's very hard to find sympathy for him. It's also difficult to understand why the female charter would ant to take on such an odd "nursing prostitute" role. Somewhat painful and hopelessly boring to watch; I hung in there hoping for redemption of some sort. It never comes. Instead, a sappy NON-ENDING leaves you even further disgusted. I ended up not caring about either character - I felt the most sympathy for the man-boy's father and the woman's construction friend. Go figure, as these strong side characters were meaningless, plot devices. Save your time and SKIP it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's good movie to watch

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Joel Schumacher

Director

Julia Roberts

Hilary O'Neil

Campbell Scott

Victor Geddes

Vincent D'Onofrio

Gordon

Colleen Dewhurst

Estelle Whittier

David Selby

Richard Geddes

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Synopsis

Answering an ad for an "attractive female" to care for a sick young man, Hilary (Julia Roberts) becomes the caretaker of smart, well-bred Victor (Campbell Scott), who is fighting leukemia. Their business relationship slowly develops into a romance, and as Victor educates Hilary about the finer things in life, she teaches him how to love and trust another person. Victor's health continues to decline, yet the couple are determined to face his terminal prognosis together.

Director: Joel Schumacher
Producer: Sally Field, Kevin McCormick
Screenwriter: Richard Friedenberg
Production Co: Fogwood Films, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.3M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround