Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Ithaca

Play trailer 1:53 Poster for Ithaca PG Released Sep 9, 2016 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
24% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
During the summer of 1942, a 14-year-old (Alex Neustaedter) looks after his widowed mother (Meg Ryan) and two siblings while working as a bicycle messenger.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Ithaca

Critics Reviews

View All (17)
Devan Coggan Entertainment Weekly Hanks' casting feels like a missed opportunity-much like the rest of Ithaca. Rated: C+ Sep 9, 2016 Full Review Joe Leydon Variety "Ithaca" is the sort of frustrating movie that's just good enough to make you wish it were a lot better. Sep 8, 2016 Full Review Neil Genzlinger New York Times Ms. Ryan's muted approach may be what we've come to expect of looks back at this period ... But she executes the formula well. Sep 8, 2016 Full Review Leslie Combemale Cinema Siren Sweet and nice enough to support if you like idealistic, albeit meandering WWII stories, or want to live inside a Rockwell painting for a while. Rated: C Oct 17, 2019 Full Review Mae Abdulbaki Movies with Mae Ultimately, Ryan is ambitious in her directorial debut, but Ithaca never comes together to be a moving and coherent story, as I'm sure it intended to be. Rated: 2/5 Apr 10, 2019 Full Review Rachel Brook One Room With A View Canny casting and strong performances add interest to a predictable made-for-Hollywood plot. Rated: 3/5 Mar 30, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (28)
152 windows into your sou l I just finished watching ‘Ithaca’ for the third time and feel I am able to provide an objective review. There is so much more than meets the eye in this movie and I truly believe has been wasted on its audience. So many have commented on the slow pace which I believe was intentional – life in the early 1940’s was slower – and proves to show how far we’ve come or rather how far we have gotten away from that simpler lifestyle. This is a movie of our father’s or grandfather’s era – news didn’t always arrive in real time – but came by way of a telegram or a newsreel at the theatre – who in today’s society with texts and emails, would have the patience to wait on that? The personal connection today is all but lost with this faster pace – lives lost in the war changed the entire course of many families – the mourning and tragedy of sons and fathers never to return home. The dimly lit scenes were used to set the mood, the melancholy of these times. Meg Ryan’s debut as director, in my opinion, should have been better received. I have seen every one of Meg’s movies and always watch for the one or two lines or the way in which they are delivered, that unveil her true character – a reflection of her real self. In this movie it wasn’t her lines but rather her seemingly effortless portrayal as Kate Macauley, widow and mother – her patience, strength, and caring – are all on display. Homer Macauley, (Alex Neustaedter) is called on to step up and be more responsible than should be required of a son at such a young age - his performance was outstanding in this film. The rest of the supporting cast including a contribution by Tom Hanks and Jack Quaid (Meg’s son) added much to this timeless story and much to be proud of as her debut as director. I rate this film higher than most – and think it is well worth a second look! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/25 Full Review David A Very thought provoking look at war and those left behind…Great casting. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Dani G Nothing. Absolutely nothing to praise about this. Slow, plain and boring, plus cold acting Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/20/24 Full Review hazy w Not sure what all the low ratings are about. This is a wonderful, subtle, thoughtful coming of age story, beautifully filmed. Great score too. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Glad it was an update as it never stated it was a remake of Soroyan's classic "The Human Comedy" both a movie and a book. Way more updated than the 1943 movie with Micky Rooney. Thank heavens as that was a studio WWII propaganda film. I like this as I did analyze the heck out of the book in high school on a paper of WWII in literature. Ryan did an ok job directing but nothing spectacular. The boy who played Homer did a fine job as showing his coming of age and how his innocence died the day his brother and boss died. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic acting by the whole cast. Even the youngest star gives an excellent performance. A truly heart wrenching story that gives you another side to the lives of those living at home during the war. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ithaca

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Jack of the Red Hearts 58% 62% Jack of the Red Hearts Watchlist TRAILER for Jack of the Red Hearts Milton's Secret 42% 71% Milton's Secret Watchlist TRAILER for Milton's Secret Table for Five 67% 58% Table for Five Watchlist Heaven Is for Real 52% 66% Heaven Is for Real Watchlist Million Dollar Arm 65% 68% Million Dollar Arm Watchlist TRAILER for Million Dollar Arm Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis During the summer of 1942, a 14-year-old (Alex Neustaedter) looks after his widowed mother (Meg Ryan) and two siblings while working as a bicycle messenger.
Director
Meg Ryan
Producer
Laura Ivey, Janet Brenner, Erik Jendresen
Screenwriter
Erik Jendresen
Distributor
Momentum Pictures
Production Co
Apple Lane Productions, Co-Op Entertainment, BRON Studios, Playtone, The Exchange, Pilothouse Pictures
Rating
PG (Thematic Elements|Smoking|A War Image)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 9, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 4, 2016
Runtime
1h 36m
Most Popular at Home Now