Master Gardener

R

Released May 19, 2023

1 hr. 47 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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List

71%

178 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Audience Score

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Schrader based on his original screenplay, MASTER GARDENER follows Narvel Roth (award-winner Joel Edgerton), the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill (three-time Academy Award® nominee Sigourney Weaver). When Mrs. Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, chaos enters Narvel's spartan existence, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.

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Premiered Mar 02

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Critics Consensus

Master Gardener suggests Paul Schrader might need to find a new patch of creative soil to till, but some strong performances make it difficult to dismiss.

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ALLEN G

Slow, lethargic and no plausible explanation of the plot if there was one.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

Mr. Hollywood

Starts off promising enough but then turns into a road trip movie filled with no surprising surprises. Shouldve been more willing to take risks. Come on Mr. Schrader

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/12/23

Full Review

Dave

From the onset of this film the gardens depicted look shabby despite a team of dedicated gardeners and an owner obsessed with her gardens. Not only do the gardens look less than glorious, neither do the characters in this ho-hum movie. Lives in disarray, not unlike the gardens and one suspects a future of happy ever after isn't likely.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/23

Full Review

First Gary

A complex story exploring the possibility for growth. Very well acted and produced.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/23

Full Review

Barbara

A surprisingly affecting love story/fairy tale with all seediness, foreboding and menace you expect from Paul Schrader.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/28/23

Full Review

Shannan D

Works on so many levels and the acting is excellent. Deep and thought provoking but also intense and well-paced.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/23/23

Full Review

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Paul Schrader

Director

Joel Edgerton

Narvel Roth

Sigourney Weaver

Norma Haverhill

Quintessa Swindell

Maya

Eduardo Losan

Xavier

Esai Morales

Neruda

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Master Gardener: Exclusive Movie Clip - Cafeteria

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Master Gardener: Trailer 1

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Murtada Elfadl

AV Club

Master Gardener supposedly has a contemporary setting. Yet it feels out of time, or belonging to a long gone era. Part of that is the profession of its lead character, and part is Mrs. Haverhill. Both seem like relics from another time and place.

Jun 29, 2023

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The scale of ideas is big. American social and racial frictions are entertainingly engaged as we work our way towards a shoot-em-up denouement. At 76, more than 20 films into his storied career, Paul Schrader can still deliver a sucker punch.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 9, 2023

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Paul Schrader wants me to forgive [this character]. No, I don't forgive him. And this is just sloppy filmmaking.

Jun 6, 2023

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Master Gardener needed more time for these characters to grow, or it needed a writer interested in his Black characters as more than just signposts towards humanizing monsters.

Rated: D+

Feb 28, 2024

Full Review

Erin Free

FILMINK (Australia)

Paul Schrader – still powering at the age of 77 – is at his uncompromising best here, taking his story onto intense and unexpected turf, while never losing sight of the essential optimism (slightly rare for the director) that lies at its core.

Rated: 18.5/20

Dec 13, 2023

Full Review

Jane Freebury

Jane Freebury

Neither the filmmaker nor the lead actor is afraid to take on difficult or contentious subjects, and the governing garden motif has promise, but it turns out to be stilted and awkward drama

Rated: 2/5

Dec 13, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Schrader based on his original screenplay, MASTER GARDENER follows Narvel Roth (award-winner Joel Edgerton), the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill (three-time Academy Award® nominee Sigourney Weaver). When Mrs. Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, chaos enters Narvel's spartan existence, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.

Director: Paul Schrader
Executive Producer: Luisa Law, Dale Roberts, Jamieson McClurg, Peter Watson, Gabrielle Stewart
Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Curmudgeon Films, Ottocento Films, Kojo Studios
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sexual Content|Nudity)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $666.8K
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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