Far From Heaven

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Far From Heaven

PG-13

Released Nov 22, 2002

1h 47m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

222 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

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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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

Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven is a sumptuous homage to the movies of Douglas Sirk that is elevated beyond pastiche by its gripping emotional center.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 11, 2025

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

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Alan Joseph H

Highly recommended, perhaps especially for Boomers who may have lived through those years. The circumstances of these peoples' lives are not so different that those of my own family, and what happens with the parents (Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid) not so different from what happened with my own parents' marriage. Also, it's beautifully photographed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

Full Review

Tamara K

If this movie doesn't rip your heart out nothing will.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

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Shioka O

It looks so classic as if 50s, well directed. Message is clear and important but the storytelling is too melodramatic of me...

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/26/24

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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

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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

PridePosterStudios

Queer joy HAD been invented by this point so there’s no excuse.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/09/24

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

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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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
Producer: Christine Vachon, Jody Patton
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: John Wells Productions, USA Films, Section Eight Ltd., Killer Films, Clear Blue Sky 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
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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