Natural Selection

R

Released Mar 16, 2012

1h 30m

Comedy

List

74%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Upon learning that her dying husband has a 23-year-old illegitimate son, a Texas housewife (Rachael Harris) sets out to find the young man and bring him back to meet his father.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent Natural Selection on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Audience Member

Rachael Harris is a marvel in this film. She fully embodies this character of Linda who has led one too often miserable, undeserved life in a marriage that has one huge deception from her selfish, liar of a husband that's been going on for 25 years. And no, it's not the predictable affair scenario. But due to some sort of almost karmic coincidence of timing and age, she gets a second chance to regain her life fully, and to get that joy that no one has the right to take from us. John Diehl is very good as that deceiving, self-serving husband. John Gries is also good as the nutty preacher who has a thing for Linda that he hides behind deceptions of his own; deceptions also based on righteousness but just as full of baloney. Then there's Matt O'Leary brining life to this uber-loser 'Raymond'. He's much like many other addict schlubs living in abject poverty with no hope for anything more. But between Pickering's writing and direction, there's enough to give the character some fresh nuances, which O'Leary does well enough with. But it's Harris that really makes this work. Nice job, folks. 3 stars

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

dax h

I've seen Rachael Harris in movies before, but this is the first time her acting stood out to me. Not that she wasn't good before, but her roles never had much substance, at least not the movies I saw her in. The story wasn't my kind of story, too many twisted twists, that's why the low rating.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Funny. Great screenplay. Rachel Harris' performance 5star.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I can't even believe this movie received bad reviews. It's gritty, heartfelt, engaging and bitter-sweet. I loved every second of it. Rachel Harris is AMAZING and the dynamic between her and Matt O'Leary is so engaging.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Christian and the Criminal.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Robbie Pickering's movie is truly odd. Whether it is the filmmaker's intention or simply accidental that it is so odd is not clear. Essentially it feels like it wants to be a twisted comedic "road trip" movie that veers so far off the road that it approaches being an eccentric character study. The problem is that NATURAL SELECTION fails to achieve either fully. But there is some sort of perplexing tone that makes it surprisingly interesting. I would rate this at the "3 Star" level, but Rachel Harris is so amazing in her role that she almost raises this movie to the level of experimental art. Rachel Harris has always stood out in anything she does, but here she is allowed to fully take command as the film as the leading character. She finds incredible ways of translating the "unbelievable" to "reality" -- In many ways, this movie is worth seeing because of what she does. Matt O'Leary's exceptional work should also be noted. While I think this film is more curiously interesting than rewarding entertainment -- it is Harris and O'Leary who transform the whole mess into something unexpected and surprising. As for Robbie Pickering, I am looking forward to see what he does with his still unreleased next film. He may prove to be an important and unique voice. ...or not.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Robbie Pickering

Director

Rachael Harris

Linda

Jon Gries

Peter

Matt O'Leary

Raymond

John Diehl

Abe

Stephanie King

Shaunice

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

8%

22%

The Babymakers

20%

51%

That's My Boy

67%

42%

2 Days in New York

40%

52%

Due Date

TRAILER

for Due Date

42%

35%

House of My Father

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: 21 Jump Street is Certified Fresh

View more photos

Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

In the evolutionary spectrum of cinema, "Natural Selection" is like the duck-billed platypus, pretending to be warm-blooded but more than a little fowl.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 13, 2012

Full Review

Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

[Harris is] the one good thing in "Natural Selection."

Rated: 1/4

Jul 5, 2012

Full Review

Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

However gritty this indie comedy may look (cinematographer Steve Calitri seems to be aping William Eggleston's photographs of the American south), it isn't all that different from an Adam Sandler vehicle.

Jun 21, 2012

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

Despite its shortcomings, Natural Selection is an enjoyable film.

Rated: 7.1/10

Jul 3, 2019

Full Review

Amie Simon

Three Imaginary Girls

Harris brings such amazing heart to her character that underneath all the guffaws you see that it's really a story about Linda and her discovery about what she wants and needs.

Mar 4, 2019

Full Review

Joseph Walsh

CineVue

Rarely in comic dramas do you see such skill and attention to aesthetic detail, and it makes the film all the more impressive for it.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 24, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Upon learning that her dying husband has a 23-year-old illegitimate son, a Texas housewife (Rachael Harris) sets out to find the young man and bring him back to meet his father.

Director: Robbie Pickering
Producer: Charlie Mason, Justin Moore-Lewy
Screenwriter: Robbie Pickering
Distributor: Cinema Guild
Production Co: Best Medicine Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|A Beating|Language|Brief Graphic Nudity|Some Drug Material)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

Most Popular at Home Now