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My American Cousin

Play trailer Poster for My American Cousin PG 1985 1h 35m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In 1950s British Columbia, 12-year-old Sandy Wilcox (Margaret Langrick) longs for adventure and acknowledgment of her impending adulthood, and she finds both in spades with her cousin Butch (John Wildman), several years her elder. He arrives unexpectedly from America, introduces her to rock music and makes her swoon. Although her crush on her cousin wavers when she learns that he's actually stolen his mother's car and run away from home, their encounter nonetheless proves unforgettable.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Paul Attanasio Washington Post Instead of filmmaking... we get fake intimacy. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Sep 24, 2005 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice An energetic and authentic portrait of a 12-year-old girl's coming of age that reveals the mixed feelings young people have about sex, rebellion, independence, and self-esteem Rated: 5/5 Aug 18, 2004 Full Review Mark Palermo The Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Rated: 3/5 Dec 12, 2002 Full Review Dustin Putman TheFilmFile.com The film works a gentle spell around its viewer, and ends up leaving an unexpected lasting impression. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (15) audience reviews
Steven W This movie was about my late older brother Butch, he died a few years after the incident that led to this movie. Butch was a big good looking guy that liked fast cars, fighting and girls. A couple years after Canada Butch met a beautiful lady, fell in love and married. The day they returned from their honeymoon Butch had a couple surprises for his new wife.. He had secretly bought a home on a lake just outside of town, the family all met up and waited in the house for Butch to surprise his wife. I was only 5 but remember it clearly. Butch put me in the cupboard above the fridge and said I will be right back little brother and that was the last time I saw my brother. Butch had a 2nd surprise and he caught a ride a couple miles to where he had a 1957 Ford T-Bird in storage. On his way back the road curved right down a steep hill then crossed RR tracks. Just before the RR crossing an unknown person entered the road from a dirt road and hit Butch knocking him left into the RR crossing sign which came through the soft convertible top, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious. His body went limp, his foot pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The car accelerated to near 100 mph before rolling. He was thrown head first into a fir tree breaking nearly every bone in his body, he died 3 days later. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Audience Member A charming little coming of age story. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Low-key, sometimes charming coming-of-age comedy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A good Indie film I was fortunate to see on the big screen in Vancouver, B.C. Set in a fairly remote Canadian town, 1950s, the American Cousin is a cool older teenage male who comes to town, setting younger female teen hearts aflutter (while getting himself in typical small-scale adolescent trouble). Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Very cool. This guy trying to be James Dean Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Puberty girl's anxiety & fantasy. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
My American Cousin

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1950s British Columbia, 12-year-old Sandy Wilcox (Margaret Langrick) longs for adventure and acknowledgment of her impending adulthood, and she finds both in spades with her cousin Butch (John Wildman), several years her elder. He arrives unexpectedly from America, introduces her to rock music and makes her swoon. Although her crush on her cousin wavers when she learns that he's actually stolen his mother's car and run away from home, their encounter nonetheless proves unforgettable.
Director
Sandy Wilson
Producer
Peter O'Brian
Screenwriter
Sandy Wilson
Production Co
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Téléfilm Canada
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 22, 2015
Runtime
1h 35m