Nickel Boys

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1:15

Nickel Boys

PG-13

In Theaters Fri Dec 13

2h 20m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

85%

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41 Reviews

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0 Verified Ratings

Elwood Curtis's college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he's sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. He encounters another ward, the seen-it-all Turner. The two Black teens strike up an alliance: Turner dispensing fundamental tips for survival, Elwood, clinging to his optimistic worldview. Backdropped by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence appear worlds away from Rev. Martin Luther King's burnished oratory. Despite Nickel's brutality, Elwood strives to hold onto his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner.

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Critics Consensus

Director RaMell Ross' stylistically radical approach to adapting Colson Whitehead's searing novel will be jarring for some, but Nickel Boys' sense of immersion achieves the jaw-dropping effect of walking in another's shoes.

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RaMell Ross

Director

Ethan Herisse

Elwood

Brandon Wilson

Turner

Hamish Linklater

Spencer

Fred Hechinger

Harper

Daveed Diggs

Adult Elwood

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96%

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Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses))

Nickel Boys is in constant dialogue with itself, as well as in enduring search of moments that feel caught, even as they’re inevitably preconceived.

Oct 16, 2024

Full Review

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The film sidles up to the narrative’s wrenching twists rather than heavily foreshadowing them, and is all the more gutting for it.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 14, 2024

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

It’s a story that needs to be told. But maybe not quite like this. Not in a grandiose flurry of images.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 7, 2024

Full Review

Lisa Johnson Mandell

AtHomeInHollywood.com

The narrative is presented mostly via hazy images, clips and bites. Perspectives are frequently alternated, as are time periods, and for most, bewilderment ensues.

Nov 19, 2024

Full Review

Morgan Rojas

Cinemacy

A mesmerizing form of storytelling imagined by director RaMell Ross.

Nov 7, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

This feels like a gimmick, but it’s really not- it’s a nontraditional but extremely effective way of telling this story.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 27, 2024

Full Review

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Nickel Boys: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Elwood Curtis's college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he's sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. He encounters another ward, the seen-it-all Turner. The two Black teens strike up an alliance: Turner dispensing fundamental tips for survival, Elwood, clinging to his optimistic worldview. Backdropped by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence appear worlds away from Rev. Martin Luther King's burnished oratory. Despite Nickel's brutality, Elwood strives to hold onto his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner.

Director: RaMell Ross
Producer: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine, Joslyn Barnes
Screenwriter: RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Production Co: Louverture Films, Orion Pictures, Anonymous Content, Plan B
Rating: PG-13 (Violent Content|Some Strong Language|Racial Slurs|Smoking|Racism|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 2h 20m