Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Native Son

Play trailer Poster for Native Son 2019 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
62% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A young African-American living in Chicago enters into a seductive new world of money and power after becoming a chauffeur for an affluent businessman.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Native Son

Native Son

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Native Son's struggles with its problematic source material are uneven but overall compelling, thanks largely to Ashton Sanders' poised work in the central role.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Hannah Giorgis The Atlantic 09/10/2019
At times quite visually stunning, but with tonal incongruities that make for a disjointed viewing experience. Go to Full Review Soraya Nadia McDonald Andscape 04/11/2019
Nearly 80 years after Native Son was first published, we're still searching for answers. Go to Full Review Steven Nguyen Scaife Slant Magazine 04/06/2019
2.5/4
Native Son makes a number of changes to its source material, many of which dilute the story's power. Go to Full Review Brian T. Carney Washington Blade 12/07/2022
A powerful indictment of systemic racism in America based on the classic novel by Richard Wright. Go to Full Review Greg Carlson Vague Visages 07/29/2019
Johnson's striking vision is enhanced by Libatique's photography, which perfectly outlines the discomfort experienced by Big as he tries - and fails - to fit in anywhere. Go to Full Review Juan Tomás Erbiti Clarín 05/28/2019
By itself, it falters. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Bix M L 11/22/2024 Movie about a killer with a fancy title. Protagonist is a selfcentered idiot who cares about no one but himself and his monologues are just … make you eyeroll forever. See more 01/01/2022 Such a strong first half that falls completely apart, especially once the climax arrived, I genuinely thought "but...why?" See more 02/28/2021 Ashton Sanders è un astro nascente, detta il ritmo e cattura la scena in questo film molto particolare che si adatta perfettamente al suo personaggio. Piaccia o no, i ritmi lenti e cadenzati come le movente di Ashton, il film segue la parabola di un giovane afro americano, il cui destino è segnato da un singolo momento che fa crollare tutte le sue speranze, portandolo in una spirale di disperazione. See more 06/16/2020 Native Son by Richard Wright is one of my favorite books. This film is not that book. It is a modernization with a different ending. Bigger is a Native Son. He is the product of systemic racism in America. See more 05/26/2020 I've been underwhelmed by Ashton Sanders in the past, but he did a great job in this indie film. Unfortunately the plot takes a bombastic turn after the halfway mark, and to me, ruins a strong first half. See more 12/19/2019 Coolest jacket ever. Ashton Sanders was my favorite "3rd" of Moonlight. But the film had a completely different tone from the book (which I discuss here) because of the deviation from the book's setting — modern day vs. 1930s — especially during the final act. The film's Bigger is more likable, which is the problem. See more Read all reviews
Native Son

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Rashid Johnson

Director

Ashton Sanders

Bigger Thomas

Margaret Qualley

Mary Dalton

Nick Robinson

Jan Erlone

Sanaa Lathan

Trudy Thomas

KiKi Layne

Bessie

More Like This

View All
All Summers End 20% 54% All Summers End Watchlist TRAILER for All Summers End Out of My Hand 100% 75% Out of My Hand Watchlist Skate Kitchen 89% 75% Skate Kitchen Watchlist TRAILER for Skate Kitchen The Chambermaid 99% 63% The Chambermaid Watchlist TRAILER for The Chambermaid Divines 84% 74% Divines Watchlist TRAILER for Divines Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Native Son

Native Son (2019) Native Son (2019) Native Son (2019) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A young African-American living in Chicago enters into a seductive new world of money and power after becoming a chauffeur for an affluent businessman.
Director
Rashid Johnson
Producer
Matthew Perniciaro, Michael Sherman
Screenwriter
Suzan-Lori Parks
Production Co
Bow and Arrow Entertainment, The Domain Group
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 6, 2019
Runtime
1h 48m
Most Popular at Home Now