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Infinitely Polar Bear

R Released Jun 19, 2015 1h 27m Comedy Drama List
83% Tomatometer 120 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
1978. While most fathers spend their days at work, CAM STUART (Mark Ruffalo) is more likely to be found mushroom-hunting, cooking elaborate meals, or working on one of his many half-completed projects. His family's wealth keeps his family just barely afloat, while Cam struggles to live with manic depression. When Cam has a manic breakdown that lands him in a mental hospital, his wife MAGGIE (Zoe Saldana) and their two young daughters, AMELIA and FAITH, are forced to leave their house in the country and move into a cramped apartment in Cambridge, where Maggie tries to find a decent job, with no luck. Broke, stressed, and overwhelmed, Maggie applies to business school and is accepted to Columbia University's MBA program. Seeing this as her chance to build a better life for their daughters, Maggie asks Cam to become the primary caregiver for the girls while she completes her degree in New York. After all, routine is what the doctor ordered and the girls miss their dad. Cam agrees, hoping to rebuild his family. But the two spirited girls are not interested in making things easy for him. With Maggie away in New York, Cam quickly realizes that he's in over his head. Over the course of the next 18 months, as Maggie rushes to complete her degree, he learns, through trial and a lot of error, how to take care of his precocious daughters as well as himself. After years of struggling to find his place in the world, Cam may finally have found where he fits in.
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Infinitely Polar Bear

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Critics Consensus

Infinitely Polar Bear handles its thorny themes with a somewhat troublesomely light touch, but Mark Ruffalo's complex performance keeps the drama solidly grounded.

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Critics Reviews

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Emma Myers indieWire Cynics may scoff at the fact that Infinitely Polar Bear glosses some of the filmmaker's darker memories, but they'll need an ice bucket handy if they intend to avoid its warmth altogether. Rated: B+ Jun 20, 2016 Full Review Tom Long Detroit News Ruffalo is generally wonderful at finding the tone and mood of a character and holding to it; here he has to bounce about, but again he latches onto a consistent energy that makes Cameron a singular life force. Rated: B Jul 28, 2015 Full Review Calvin Wilson St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Infinitely Polar Bear" is a much-needed reminder that the realm of film is still a place to encounter something other than comic-book scenarios. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 23, 2015 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Forbes stays true to the heart and soul of her movie, and her connection to the subject matter shows itself in the pleasing end results. Rated: 4/5 Aug 22, 2022 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Ruffalo lives into the character of Cam with a level of honesty and vulnerability that won't much surprise those familiar with Ruffalo's indie work. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 12, 2020 Full Review Stephen Carty Radio Times Ruffalo is incredibly charming, and while Cam's behaviour is often erratic, he is also sweet, funny and endearing. Happily, the same can be said about the film. Rated: 4/5 Aug 13, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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erdene c the two girls are really sweet Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Uynga U very great job about mental illness Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Munkhjargal A In 1978, the young man who appeared in this film disappeared for work as a father. She is in the hospital and her family moves into a small house until she thinks that the same guy will be like this. This movie tells how to overcome such problems in life. very good director managed to direct. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review Bahad j I really liked the characters and actions of the actors Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/24 Full Review alexandre n I had a hard time watching it cause I've my own mental health issue. It's nice, lovely, well played. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Georgan G What an unflinching look at mental illness and love! This movie touched me deeply. While all the acting was terrific, Ruffalo was perfection. Great film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis 1978. While most fathers spend their days at work, CAM STUART (Mark Ruffalo) is more likely to be found mushroom-hunting, cooking elaborate meals, or working on one of his many half-completed projects. His family's wealth keeps his family just barely afloat, while Cam struggles to live with manic depression. When Cam has a manic breakdown that lands him in a mental hospital, his wife MAGGIE (Zoe Saldana) and their two young daughters, AMELIA and FAITH, are forced to leave their house in the country and move into a cramped apartment in Cambridge, where Maggie tries to find a decent job, with no luck. Broke, stressed, and overwhelmed, Maggie applies to business school and is accepted to Columbia University's MBA program. Seeing this as her chance to build a better life for their daughters, Maggie asks Cam to become the primary caregiver for the girls while she completes her degree in New York. After all, routine is what the doctor ordered and the girls miss their dad. Cam agrees, hoping to rebuild his family. But the two spirited girls are not interested in making things easy for him. With Maggie away in New York, Cam quickly realizes that he's in over his head. Over the course of the next 18 months, as Maggie rushes to complete her degree, he learns, through trial and a lot of error, how to take care of his precocious daughters as well as himself. After years of struggling to find his place in the world, Cam may finally have found where he fits in.
Director
Maya Forbes
Producer
Wallace Wolodarsky, Benji Kohn, Bingo Gubelmann, Sam Bisbee, Galt Niederhoffer
Screenwriter
Maya Forbes
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Paper Street Films, Park Pictures
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 19, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.4M
Runtime
1h 27m
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