Kalifornia

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Kalifornia

R

1993

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

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.

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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.

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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

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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

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

[Kalifornia is] terrifying and horrifying, yes, but also unflinchingly honest, and so well acted that for most of the film I abandoned any detachment and just watched it as if I were observing the lives of real people.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

It is an exciting...action film based on an interesting script with good performances (especially from Pitt and Lewis).

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 13, 2024

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

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Audience Member

Not my usual type of movie. Pitt and Lewis best actors. Good message with nuclear test site and bomb strapped to car. In the end how different really are serial killers from our Presidents and Congress with their weapon our military?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

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Oaklee D

Doesn't reinvent the serial killer roadtrip wheel but it helps that it has a strong cast. Brad Pitt always plays a good bad guy.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

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Shawn R

Not that bad .. Brad Pitt plays good as a psychopath.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/24

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John C

Back before David Duchovny became ‘Mulder’ in the X-files, he made this little film. Then again, many didn’t really see it as ‘his’ due to the fact that it also starred the highly-bankable Brad Pitt and Juliet Lewis. And for a reason, both of the established Hollywood A-listers stole every scene. However, that doesn’t mean that Duchovny didn’t play his part. ‘Pre-Mulder’ plays a writer who’s working on a book about serial killers with his photography girlfriend and they decide to go on a cross country drive, visiting the sites where infamous killers struck (ending in California – with a C!). But, to share the costs, they agree to bring along Brad Pitt and Juliet Lewis – another couple, but from a very different background. And it doesn’t take long before the two couples start to rub each up the wrong way – with some pretty fatal consequences. It’s pretty hard to find a bad performance from any of the four stars. Pitt and Lewis naturally stand out because their characters are wilder and they have more to play with, but Duchovny is a sober ‘ying’ to Brad Pitt’s manic ‘yang.’ Basically, if you like road movies, dramas, serial killer films, or thrillers in general, you should watch this. It really is all those and more, plus it contains some pretty awesome scenery to really add to the ambience.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

Full Review

chris k

Predictable killer that panders to low grade video

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/01/24

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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

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Dominic Sena

Director

Brad Pitt

Early Grayce

Juliette Lewis

Adele Corners

David Duchovny

Brian Kessler

Michelle Forbes

Carrie Laughlin

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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
Producer: Steve Golin, Aristides McGarry, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Screenwriter: Tim Metcalfe
Production Co: Propaganda Films, Viacom Productions, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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