Margaret

Play trailer

Margaret

R

Released Sep 30, 2011

2h 29m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

103 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

New York high-school student Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) inadvertently causes an accident in which a bus driver (Mark Ruffalo) runs over a pedestrian (Allison Janney). Guilt-stricken over her role in the woman's death, Lisa's mood swings from normal to furious, with her angry outbursts mostly directed at her mother (J. Smith-Cameron). Lisa reaches out to the dead woman's best friend (Jeannie Berlin) and the bus driver, but her failed efforts to make amends only lead to more hostility.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A surfeit of ideas contributes to Margaret's excessive run time, but Anna Paquin does a admirable job of guiding viewers through emotional hell.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

This is frayed-edges filmmaking at its finest.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 28, 2024

Full Review

Guy Lodge

Empire Magazine

Knotty, ambitious and trading in messy human truths, it's the work of a master dramatist. Here's hoping Lonergan's next one reaches us a little faster.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 29, 2014

Full Review

Nicholas Barber

Independent (UK)

Margaret is less about plot mechanics than about the virtuosity of the dialogue, the complexity of the characters, and the detail and depth of their untidy world.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 29, 2014

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s a powerful, provocative, ambitious drama set in the shadow of September 11, 2001, a marvelously messy film about the messiness of emotions and people and relationships, especially as they are tested in extreme circumstances.

Apr 26, 2025

Full Review

CJ Sheu

Review Film Review

[This] is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a William Gaddis adaptation, [...] [in which people] talk to each other and to Lisa [an astounding Anna Paquin], and Lisa talks to them, but nobody’s listening.

Jul 7, 2022

Full Review

Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

This is a movie so dense and somewhat sloppy, somewhat wonderfully so, that I don't know I can do it any justice

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

John A

The scenes that precede the plot's ratcheting tension have far more precision and focus than what follows. Kenneth Lonergan certainly has made better movies. 'Margaret' gets less and less involving as the runtime grows more and more

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/12/25

Full Review

Horror fan 4

A terrific performance by Anna paquin as Lisa. Loved the story and direction. Would've loved to have seen more of Allison janney and Mark ruffalo. Tim Treakle

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/09/24

Full Review

Ravenswood R

About half way through the extended version, Anna Paquin takes public transportation from Manhattan to Brooklyn to arrive unannounced at Mark Ruffalo's home where she asks to use the bathroom. We are treated to a shot of her on the toilet where she takes a shit, the cute little plop of which we clearly hear on the soundtrack. A very moving scene. A cinematic triumph. The film *should* have ended there, but it goes on for another 90+ minutes in which Ms. Paquin gets increasingly hysterical for reasons which are not entirely clear, but at least we know her mental instability is not caused by constipation.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

John J

A masterpiece. One of the best movies I've ever seen. The low ratings are testimony to the moral complexity of the movie that most people cannot manage.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

Jon P

Don't get sucked in by some positive aspects of the early scenes. The ratio of misses to hits keeps getting worse and none of it is worth your time as you start to realize the movie is a mess and the hoped for big themes that tie everything together never come.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Steve D

Overly long and thinly plotted.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Kenneth Lonergan

Director

Anna Paquin

Lisa Cohen

J. Smith-Cameron

Joan

Jean Reno

Ramon

Jeannie Berlin

Emily

Allison Janney

Monica

Beautiful Boy

71%

56%

Beautiful Boy

Watchlist

Smashed

83%

68%

Smashed

Watchlist

Answers to Nothing

9%

36%

Answers to Nothing

Watchlist

Breaking and Entering

34%

52%

Breaking and Entering

Watchlist

The Burning Plain

38%

56%

The Burning Plain

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: 50/50 is Certified Fresh

View more photos

Synopsis

New York high-school student Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) inadvertently causes an accident in which a bus driver (Mark Ruffalo) runs over a pedestrian (Allison Janney). Guilt-stricken over her role in the woman's death, Lisa's mood swings from normal to furious, with her angry outbursts mostly directed at her mother (J. Smith-Cameron). Lisa reaches out to the dead woman's best friend (Jeannie Berlin) and the bus driver, but her failed efforts to make amends only lead to more hostility.

Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Producer: Sydney Pollack, Gary Gilbert, Scott Rudin
Screenwriter: Kenneth Lonergan
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Scott Rudin Productions, Fox Searchlight, Mirage Enterprises, Camelot Pictures
Rating: R (Sexuality|Disturbing Images|Some Drug Use|Strong Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.5K
Runtime: 2h 29m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now