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Lions for Lambs

R Released Nov 9, 2007 1h 32m Drama List
27% Tomatometer 183 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Inspired by their idealistic professor, Dr. Mallery (Robert Redford), to do something meaningful with their lives, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Peña) join the military and ship out to Afghanistan. Their experiences tie together two separate but related stories. In California, Mallery tries to break through to a disaffected student, while in Washington, D.C., a presidential hopeful (Tom Cruise) prepares to give a journalist (Meryl Streep) the scoop of a lifetime.
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Lions for Lambs

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Critics Consensus

Despite its powerhouse cast, Lions for Lambs feels like a disjointed series of lectures, rather than a sharp narrative, and ends up falling flat.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator A film about engagement that fails utterly to engage? This may, in itself, be some kind of achievement, but who gives a stuff. I may now be even less engaged than I've ever been. Aug 23, 2018 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: C Feb 18, 2012 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Strong acting and sharply scripted characters are unable to disguise Redford's opinionated brand of current events, which often teeters dangerously close to Army recruitment. Rated: 5/10 Nov 26, 2020 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Easily one of Oscar season's more disappointing entries. Rated: 2.0/4.0 Sep 14, 2020 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Lions for Lambs, hits hard, hits home but doesn't quite hit it out of the park. Nov 14, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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theis j Worst movie. Was bored out of my mind. Bad acting and plot.ø even thou major actors in the line up What a waste of time Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/28/24 Full Review Christian K Incredibly stale and overperformed, the college class scene was a perfect case of nobody in real life has ever spoken this way before. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review Alexandra H This is a very engaging movie. It has an interesting plot-structure. It switches back and forth between an episode of Americans fighting in Afghanistan and a Senator selling our Afghan strategy to a journalist (Meryl Streep). Engaging movie with actors who are fun to watch (Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, and Streep), and a lot to say. I highly recommend it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review Adrian B A very strong cast gives some sense to the film. A lot of loose ends, questions in the air. Still, it was worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/04/23 Full Review john e In 2007 Lions for Lambs was released. This war themed drama features Meryl Streep, Robert Redford and Tom Cruise. The film is actually three different stories being told in simultaneously that revolve around the United States' "War on Terror". One story involves the smug up-and-coming Senator Irving (Cruise) who is attempting to sell his new military strategies to the well-respected journalist Janine Roth (Streep). The second story revolves around two military personnel (Michael Pena and Derek Luke) whose lives are affected by the senator's strategy changes. The third story is that of a college professor (Redford) trying to reignite the passion of a student (Andrew Garfield) whose attendance and drive have waned. The three stories are intertwined but never actually touch. I was disappointed by this because it didn't allow Streep to act with Redford (he also produced and directed the film). Instead, most of her time on-screen time was spent with Cruise. For me, this was the acting equivalent of listening to Barbra Streisand sing a duet with Yoko Ono. I couldn't help but feel the exasperation Janine was exhibiting as she listened to Senator Irving's plans was simply Streep channeling her own frustration trying to act off Cruise. The film is very heavy handed and consists of many monologues that might have been better suited for a debate than a plotted movie. For the most part (Cruise aside) it's very well acted, and there are lots of questions that the audience is left to ponder. If questioning things is something you enjoy, then this film might be for you, just be prepared to be a bit bored during the journey. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ian u It lacks that burst of intrigue which engages the viewer and turns any movie into magical pieces of art. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lions for Lambs

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Lions for Lambs

Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - News vs. Business Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - News vs. Business 0:48 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - A Greater Depression Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - A Greater Depression 2:18 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Lions Led by Lambs Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Lions Led by Lambs 2:12 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - A Tipping Point Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - A Tipping Point 1:54 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The Senator Challenges Janine Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The Senator Challenges Janine 2:07 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The Cost of Leaving Afghanistan Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The Cost of Leaving Afghanistan 2:21 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The "Science" in Politics Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - The "Science" in Politics 2:30 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Not Laying Down Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Not Laying Down 2:10 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Malley on Adulthood Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Malley on Adulthood 1:36 Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Helicopter Attack Lions for Lambs: Official Clip - Helicopter Attack 1:19 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by their idealistic professor, Dr. Mallery (Robert Redford), to do something meaningful with their lives, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Peña) join the military and ship out to Afghanistan. Their experiences tie together two separate but related stories. In California, Mallery tries to break through to a disaffected student, while in Washington, D.C., a presidential hopeful (Tom Cruise) prepares to give a journalist (Meryl Streep) the scoop of a lifetime.
Director
Robert Redford
Producer
Robert Redford, Matthew Michael Carnahan, Andrew Hauptman, Tracy Falco
Screenwriter
Matthew Michael Carnahan
Distributor
United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Wildwood, United Artists
Rating
R (Some War Violence|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 9, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.0M
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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