I Smile Back

R

Released Oct 23, 2015

1 hr. 25 min.

Drama

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List

49%

71 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Addicted to drugs and alcohol, a housewife's (Sarah Silverman) self-destructive behavior starts to take its toll on her husband (Josh Charles) and two young children.

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Critics Consensus

I Smile Back serves as a powerful showcase for Sarah Silverman's dramatic range, but fails to surround her committed performance with a movie worthy of its depth.

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Jerod S

I Smile Back is meant to make you irk at the pain of addiction, especially as a parent in a family. Silverman makes the viewer so uncomfortable, just like it was meant to be.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No matter what the critics say this was all too real - for anyone who has been through exactly this. The only difference is what some of us choose to do after walking out that door after all seems utterly hopeless.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

kevin c

Sarah Silverman is exceptional in the role of a wife and mother of two whose self medicating gets out of control leading to a stint in rehab. This is a pretty realistic and bleak look at a person's struggle with depression and addiction despite looking like they have it all. Wonderfully acted by Silverman as well as Josh Charles as her husband. Riveting drama!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Sarah Silverman's performance is raw and utterly convincing. A dark, unflinching look at self destruction that will not be to everyone's taste.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A tough subject for a movie, but the cast was strong. Real life isn't always pretty and this makes it tough to enjoy this movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The inevitability of Laney's actions is compelling. And she would have circled back to drugs/ alcohol irrespective of lifestyle. She suffers from bipolar disorder and with or without the lithium, her triggers make her reach out for more obliterating chemical support. She is destructive and she sickenly knows what she is doing. Pure desperation which she carries out again and again, quite callously, then the remorse, then the repeat.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Adam Salky

Director

Sarah Silverman

Laney

Josh Charles

Bruce

Thomas Sadoski

Donny

Mia Barron

Susan

Terry Kinney

Dr. Page

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I Smile Back: Trailer 1

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... the ending is one of those conclusions of a film that you see coming a few minutes before it does yet you pray it actually doesn't end that way because you know you'd feel like throwing your shoe at the screen.

Rated: D

Sep 1, 2017

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

I Smile Back might not rewrite the addiction or mental illness melodrama rule book but that doesn't make it less affecting, Silverman's spectacular performance alone making the price of a ticket well worth spending.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 22, 2016

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

'I Smile Back' could very well be just another addiction drama, were it not for the power and force of Silverman's performance, which she plays with such raw openness that she transcends the material.

May 30, 2016

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

I Smile Back is, according to the goals it set itself, a successful movie. But is that the same as being a good one?

Jan 11, 2021

Full Review

Brigid Presecky

FF2 Media

Although the script by Amy Koppelman and Paige Dylan falters in its bizarre, grotesque depiction of suburban housewives, Silverman's transformation is mesmerizing.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 16, 2019

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

In the case of I Smile Back, there is no insight, just the endurance contest of watching a woman with mental illness and addiction.

Jul 2, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Addicted to drugs and alcohol, a housewife's (Sarah Silverman) self-destructive behavior starts to take its toll on her husband (Josh Charles) and two young children.

Director: Adam Salky
Executive Producer: Skip Klintworth, Jens Meurer, Christian Angermayer
Screenwriter: Paige Dylan, Amy Koppelman
Distributor: Broad Green Pictures
Production Co: Oscar Crosby Films, Film House Germany
Rating: R (Substance Abuse|Disturbing Behavior|Strong Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 23, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.7K

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