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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Play trailer Poster for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil R 1997 2h 35m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 12, 2002 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review Eye C Didn’t like it. Too slow and not so interesting. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/19/24 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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Movie Info

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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