The King of Marvin Gardens

R

Released Oct 12, 1972

1 hr. 44 min.

Drama

List

69%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) is a sullen radio personality who reconnects with his scheming brother, Jason (Bruce Dern), in Atlantic City, N.J. A fast-talking con man, Jason is traveling with the beautiful Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her stepdaughter, Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), and attempts to rope David into a deal involving a tropical island resort. While David initially humors his ne'er-do-well sibling, Jason isn't happy when his brother tries to rain on his parade.

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Kliff H

Downward spiral of empty dreams.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Jack Nicholson plays a nerd against character. Excellent performances by Bruce Dern and Ellen Burstyn. Scatman Crothers is great, too. This is an art house classic from the age of the French New Wave. If it had been in French or Italian the critics would be giving it a 95+. Bob Rafelson's follow-up to Five Easy Pieces, it is at least as good in its own right.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the lost masterpieces of 70s cinema. Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern are great as 2 brothers one a practical realist the other a dreamer who meet in Atlantic City when Dern comes up with a plan to own a tropical island. Bob Rafelson directs with a fantastic eye for the absurd and the best part is that Nicholson is tight and reigned in while Dern is all bluster and looking for the next dollar. Ellen Burstyn is great as Derns neurotic girlfriend and the empty shell of Atlantic City is a beautiful location.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/20

Full Review

delysid d

boring and pointless story that goes nowhere, why did they bother?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/22/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Too pokey for me now. Maybe back in the day & fans of studious ensemble acting.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a good hidden gem from the 1970s

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Bob Rafelson

Director

Jack Nicholson

David Staebler

Bruce Dern

Jason Staebler

Ellen Burstyn

Sally

Julia Anne Robinson

Jessica

Scatman Crothers

Lewis

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

There hasn't been a more enveloping, more desolating - or for that matter funnier - put down of America in years.

Mar 18, 2020

Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

A cult classic about fading dreams that has curiously improved with age.

Rated: 4/5

May 24, 2013

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

The wintry Atlantic City is brilliantly evoked; the firecracker dialogue is a joy, and the final, chaotic denouement is genuinely unexpected.

Rated: 5/5

May 23, 2013

Full Review

David Elliott

Chicago Daily News

The heavy touch probably belongs mostly to scriptwriter Jacob Blackman... Rafelson pulls off some striking scenes, but he's never on top of Brackman's dull symbolism and gassy chatter, and finally it buries him.

Oct 3, 2023

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Surreal elements punctuate the drama created by characters doomed to misunderstand one another, and the social pressures they suffer.

Rated: A+

Jan 28, 2022

Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

One of those great, misshapen movies full of bizarre tonal shifts and strange directorial choices that don't seem to make much sense in the moment but linger in your mind for months afterward.

Jan 14, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) is a sullen radio personality who reconnects with his scheming brother, Jason (Bruce Dern), in Atlantic City, N.J. A fast-talking con man, Jason is traveling with the beautiful Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her stepdaughter, Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), and attempts to rope David into a deal involving a tropical island resort. While David initially humors his ne'er-do-well sibling, Jason isn't happy when his brother tries to rain on his parade.

Director: Bob Rafelson
Screenwriter: Jacob Brackman, Bob Rafelson
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2014
Sound Mix: Mono

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