Far From Heaven

PG-13

Released Nov 22, 2002

1 hr. 47 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

87%

222 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The story - which crosses both sexual and racial lines - revolves around a privileged suburban family whose lives are filled with daily family etiquette, social events at the club, and an overall desire to keep up with the Joneses. The family is turned upside down when both husband and wife are faced with choices that not only create a gossip mill for the entire community but also change their entire lives forever.

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Critics Consensus

An exquisitely designed and performed melodrama, Far From Heaven earns its viewers' tears with sincerity and intelligence.

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Audience Member

The movie was okay but moved slow and never had a climax. The setting and time period was done well.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Ronald H

I read somewhere that the cast of this movie would burst into hysterical laughter after shooting some of the scenes. That's how absurd this movie is---in spite of its pretense of seriousness. The artifice and affectation are just overbearing. I hated every minute of it. Two stars for the gorgeous cinematography, which faithfully replicates the wide screen technicolor films of the 1950's.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/24

Full Review

Matthew D

A heartbreaking masterclass from Julianne Moore. Director Todd Haynes (Carol) delivers a touching romance melodrama with his indie film Far from Heaven (2002). It's carefully directed and shot to be subtle and expressive with brief glances at the object of desire and unspoken feelings. It's simply one of the most beautiful pictures ever made. Far from Heaven is very clearly heavily inspired by Douglas Sirk's 1950's pictures Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, and Imitation of Life. There's love, sympathy, and warmth in every moment of Far from Heaven. Haynes is a wonderful director with Far from Heaven and Carol certified as two of my favorite films forevermore. I'm grateful producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh got Far from Heaven made. Writer Todd Haynes takes the Fall atmosphere of leaves blowing in the wind, lush Autumn colors, and tender romantic tragedies from Douglas Sirk's films and makes them his own. He crafts a tale of a lonely housewife, interracial romance, difficult parenting, social outcasts, homosexual relationships, class struggles, and social acceptance all into one touching film. I appreciate him developing all the main characters into complex people with empathetic writing. Julianne Moore is tremendous in Far from Heaven as Cathleen Whitaker. Moore gives Cathy a graceful poise, heart-wrenching loneliness, tender compassion, and devastating rejection by her would-be lover and all her socialite friends. Julianne Moore is one of our finest dramatic actresses and she proves it again throughout Far from Heaven. Dennis Quaid is great as the alcoholic, closeted gay man Frank Whitaker, who is hopelessly miserable married to Julianne Moore. Quaid finds an inner rage and frustration you don't always get in his usual roles. He feels as vulnerable and repressed as Moore. Dennis Haysbert is phenomenal and nuanced as Raymond Deagan, who longs for love and social acceptance, but gains neither. Jordan Puryear is very sympathetic as the hurting daughter of Raymond named Sarah Deagan. Patricia Clarkson is excellent as Cathy's seemingly supportive best friend Eleanor Fine, until even she has her social justice limits, which reveals her ugliest beliefs. Viola Davis is interesting as the supportive maid Sybil, who must observe all. James Rebhorn is great as the callously regressive conversion therapy Dr. Bowman. Celia Weston is heinously cruel as the bigoted and mean town gossip Mona Lauder. Editor James Lyons keeps Far from Heaven briskly paced with a swift 107 minute run-time. We get gently cut drama that lets characters and subplots breathe. Cinematographer Edward Lachman has these strikingly lit and smoothly panned shots. I loved the art direction from Peter Rogness, Miguel López-Castillo, and Jeffrey D. McDonald put green and blue moody lighting into each scene. All the shots are dazzling. Mark Friedberg's stylish 50's house sets are so cozy and quaint. Set decorator Ellen Christiansen's furnishings look antique in style, but new for a believable tone. Composer Elmer Bernstein's soft, melodic symphonic film score is dreamy and romantic. I like how quickly he switches up styles within a piece for dramatic tonal shifts. His music is the stuff of classic cinema. Sound designers Leslie Shatz, Michael "Gonzo" Gandsey, Drew Kunin, Marshall Garlington, Kelley Baker, and Richard Moore let us hear idle gossip and quiet whispers of affection with clear recordings. Costume designer Sandy Powell's lovely gowns and cozy red flannel shirts or cable knit sweaters all look comfortable and vibrant. She brilliantly clothes all the redhead actresses in emerald green gowns, crimson red jackets and dresses, and light lavender shawls for complementary aesthetics. Makeup artists Elaine L. Offers and Hildie Ginsberg give Julianne Moore alluring red lipstick and cute pink blush for her rosy cheeks. I liked that they let her be naturally pale and pretty in her own skin. Hairstylists Alan D'Angerio, Mary Cooke, and Michael Kriston give each lady carefully combed curls to adhere to 1950's fashions. In all, Far from Heaven is like discovering a lost Douglas Sirk romance melodrama with Todd Haynes delivering refined filmmaking alongside Julianne Moore's magnificent display of emotional acting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/23

Full Review

Thomas M

The best acting performance from Julianne Moore! With the best movie screenplay ever written! And the best cinematography ever done in a movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/22

Full Review

dave s

Sure to leave audiences divided, director Todd Haynes has crafted a film that would appear to be a tribute to the sordid but stylish melodramas of Douglas Sirk from the 50s, colorful in style but bleak in theme in their condemnation of American society. Cathy and Frank Whitaker (Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid) live in idyllic suburban Hartford, living a seemingly perfect life with their two loving children in a beautiful home. Before you can say ‘golly gee', things begin to deteriorate as the result of homosexuality, an interracial relationship, excessive drinking and spousal abuse. Similar to Sirk's films, the colors are bright, the music is jaunty, the acting is theatrical, and the dialogue is cringeworthy based on today's standards. Does Far from Heaven work as a tribute to Sirk? Sure. Is it well made? It is. Will it appeal to anyone not familiar with Sirk? Probably not.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Todd Haynes excelled not only the periodic storytelling but mainly aesthetically the presentation of one with a throwback flair mixed in with a little of contemporary artistic polish, intelligently discussing the ideal themes in a timely matter inspired by the thrown timeless deliverance then powered by caressing finest performances towards the humane characterization – except for the unreasonable social injustice by inhumane ridicule. (B+)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Todd Haynes

Director

Julianne Moore

Cathy Whitaker

Dennis Quaid

Frank Whitaker

Dennis Haysbert

Raymond Deagan

Patricia Clarkson

Eleanor Fine

Viola Davis

Sybil

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Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Sarah is Attacked

1:20

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - The Only Man I've Ever Wanted

1:38

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Is It True?

2:13

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Frank Cheats on Cathy

1:58

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Who Is That Man?

1:44

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Underground Bar

2:10

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Frank Kisses A Man

2:06

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Frank Begins Treatment

1:36

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - There's Someone in My Yard

1:15

Far from Heaven: Official Clip - Frank Confesses

2:43

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Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

When a movie gets it all impeccably, heartbreakingly right, as does Todd Haynes' stunning Far from Heaven, some critics are tempted to gush deepest purple...I'll try to stay anchored to more sensible levels of bliss.

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

Barbara Ellen

Times (UK)

With a classic storytelling style bordering on corniness, a deft tragicomic touch and a heroic refusal to use the safety net of irony, Haynes has managed to produce something of a gem.

Jan 3, 2018

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid are outstanding as Cathy and Frank Whitaker, a perfect couple with a decidedly imperfect love life.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 3, 2015

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

It’s a ballsy move, molding your film so closely to a peerless classic, but Todd Haynes transcends thin pastiche to be a genuinely great film of its own.

Rated: 78/100

Aug 12, 2023

Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

In meticulously refashioning Sirk’s surfaces, Haynes isn’t revealing what Sirk hid. He’s just showing that what we saw is still what we see.

Apr 15, 2023

Full Review

Emilie Black

Cinema Crazed

This is a masterpiece of a film that 20 years post release still looks and feels like an important piece of cinema.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 19, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

The story - which crosses both sexual and racial lines - revolves around a privileged suburban family whose lives are filled with daily family etiquette, social events at the club, and an overall desire to keep up with the Joneses. The family is turned upside down when both husband and wife are faced with choices that not only create a gossip mill for the entire community but also change their entire lives forever.

Director: Todd Haynes
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, John Wells, Eric Robison, John Sloss
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Section Eight Ltd., Killer Films, USA Films, Clear Blue Sky Productions, John Wells Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Violence|Mature Thematic Elements|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.9M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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