Kalifornia

R

1993

1 hr. 57 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

58%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) is a writer, and his girlfriend, Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes), is a photographer. They're working on a book about serial killers, and planning a trip across the country to document the sites of famous serial murders. To cut costs, they set up a ride-share with strangers, Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele Corners (Juliette Lewis). But what they don't know is that Early is a violent sociopath in the middle of his own serial killing spree.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Oct 17

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Apple TV

Rent Kalifornia on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Visually strong and featuring a potently feral performance from Brad Pitt, Kalifornia is a tonally uneven thriller marked by all-too-obvious themes.

Read Critics Reviews

Price M

Best Brad Pitt movie ever!!!!! Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis had a perfect chemistry and they did a good job together in this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

Full Review

Honest D

This movie has all the right pieces but ultimately couldn't make it work. Its really unfortunate how bad this is when It could have been a 90s classic. 20 minutes I to the movie I absolutely hated this movie and every character in it. It's not the actors fault. It's the writing and directing. It's laughably awful. I'd rather watch my own poo being flushed down the toilet on repeat for an hour and a half then ever sit thru this stinker again. God I hated this movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Steve D

The actors make it quite intense.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

Full Review

Gareth v

A road trip movie that takes a nasty turn. Not bad, but not memorable either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

Courtney K

i thought it was boring; i couldn't finish it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/18/23

Full Review

Ben D

There's nothing more 90s than writing "California" with a "K". The movie is a time capsule of 1990s fashion and, what it truly believed at the time, to be transgressive art — Brian (David Duchovny) as the "bleeding heart" writer who wants to understand serial killers, and Carrie (Michelle Forbes) who takes photos of naked, faceless bodies. These are the struggling artists who have outgrown Louisville and can only be satiated with a move to the Golden State. On the other end, we have Early (Brad Pitt) and Adele (Juliette Lewis), who are "white trash," simple folk — Adele is certainly on the spectrum, although, that may not have been the intention at the time. The couples become a foursome as Brian leaves a rideshare advert in a local university for Cali, where Early sees it (for some reason). Back in the early 1990s, Brian's narrations of empty murder sites were likely cutting edge, but I can't help but roll my eyes at this future true-crime podcaster. His descriptions and pseudo-diagnoses of the killers are comical. Early is a homicidal maniac. The back half of the movie concerns Adele, Brian, and Carrie placating the snorting hick, Adele being the last to fully accept her boyfriend's true colors. I expected this one to be a stinker, but once Early is on his manic rampage, the thrills accelerate and the plot intensifies. I loved when Early responds to Brian's book learnin', psychoanalytic jargon with an immediate, "I know that, idjit!" poking fun at the heady artist and his ilk. Somehow, Brian and Carrie can afford a quaint, beachfront property in Malibu all before Brian publishes his book… but I will say, the book he is going to write would be one helluva read.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Dominic Sena

Director

Brad Pitt

Early Grayce

Juliette Lewis

Adele Corners

David Duchovny

Brian Kessler

Michelle Forbes

Carrie Laughlin

Sierra Pecheur

Mrs. Musgrave

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

57%

38%

Dream Lover

71%

83%

Shallow Grave

31%

39%

Mulholland Falls

77%

84%

The Game

TRAILER

for The Game

33%

42%

The Young Americans

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Pitt and Lewis have made an unfortunate choice for their first big-screen collaboration. In fact, the flashes of acting brilliance that they show in this messy, often-pretentious production are its only real points of interest.

Rated: 2/4

May 30, 2019

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

The movie is a road trip that takes a bad turn to hell. Check it out.

Rated: B+

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Sena has a nifty knack for playing out major twists in a minor key.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 24, 2020

Full Review

Tyler Smith

Battleship Pretension

It is pulpy trash masquerading as an art film, ultimately failing to be either.

Apr 18, 2019

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

An uneven mess of a vehicle for its stars, one that did no favors for anyone starring, including Pitt.

Mar 22, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) is a writer, and his girlfriend, Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes), is a photographer. They're working on a book about serial killers, and planning a trip across the country to document the sites of famous serial murders. To cut costs, they set up a ride-share with strangers, Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele Corners (Juliette Lewis). But what they don't know is that Early is a violent sociopath in the middle of his own serial killing spree.

Director: Dominic Sena
Executive Producer: Lynn Kouf, Jim Kouf
Screenwriter: Tim Metcalfe
Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Propaganda Films, Viacom Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now