Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

R

1997

2h 35m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In this adaptation of John Berendt's book, a young journalist, John Kelso (John Cusack), travels to Savannah, Ga., to cover the city's Christmas celebration amid a backdrop of eccentric characters. He becomes intrigued by a sultry singer, Mandy (Alison Eastwood), and engrossed by a murder trial. Wealthy society figure Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) is accused of shooting his male lover, and the question is whether it was in self-defense as he claims.

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Critics Consensus

Clint Eastwood's spare directorial style proves an ill fit for this Southern potboiler, which dutifully trudges through its mystery while remaining disinterested in the cultural flourishes that gave its source material its sense of intrigue.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

The one crucial miscasting is Eastwood as director. He approaches the story like a tourist.

Mar 5, 2018

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

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Betsy Sherman

The Improper Bostonian

This thriller set in Savannah, Georgia, has enough juicy intrigue to recommend it. But it's got some fault-line flaws that director Clint Eastwood ignores to weave his local-color tapestry.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 6, 2024

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

No dominant sense of style, no evocation of classic Southern charm or presence of a Gothic sensibility. This one meanders for more than two hours and we emerge tired and unfulfilled.

Rated: C

Jan 10, 2023

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Not quite among Eastwood’s best, but a very entertaining and well-made courtroom drama with some unexpected personality.

Jun 9, 2022

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Audience Member

Southern charm and characters are the stars of this intriguing story. Thank you, Clint Eastwood for allowing the characters to unfold the story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/16/24

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Eye C

Didn’t like it. Too slow and not so interesting.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/19/24

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David W

This film is a funny court drama that derives its strength by giving equal weight to what occurs outside the courtroom. I would definitely watch this again!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

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David F

While this movie version doesn't hold a candle to the excellent book upon which it is based, it was nice to see the actual locations from the book being used as filming locations. The movie took a lot of liberties with the story, and didn't really capture what made the book so fantastic, but you do get to at least see the Mercer House and Savannah, so that was nice.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/04/23

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colin m

Man on a criminal charge of murdering a younger guy he involved himself with. Overlong movie with an unclear ending.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Jelisije J

Surprisingly this film was made by Clint Eastwood and is based on a true story. Overall this film would've been a lot more digestible if they cut the run time down by 40 minutes.....

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this adaptation of John Berendt's book, a young journalist, John Kelso (John Cusack), travels to Savannah, Ga., to cover the city's Christmas celebration amid a backdrop of eccentric characters. He becomes intrigued by a sultry singer, Mandy (Alison Eastwood), and engrossed by a murder trial. Wealthy society figure Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) is accused of shooting his male lover, and the question is whether it was in self-defense as he claims.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel
Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
Production Co: Silver Pictures, Warner Bros.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.1M
Runtime: 2h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

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