The Prince of Pennsylvania

R

1988

1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

Comedy

List

14%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Rupert Marshetta (Keanu Reeves), a loud-mouthed punk rocker with a taste for the intellectual, is bored stiff and on the verge of failing out of his senior year of high school. But when Marshetta meets drive-in theater operator Carla Headlee (Amy Madigan), he finds a mentor who has much to teach him, and an unlikely friendship results. Soon, the two decide to leave their small town. To raise money, Rupert and Carla resolve to abduct Rupert's father, Gary (Fred Ward), and hold him for ransom.

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Te O

I thought it was actually pretty good

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the engaging Keanu Reeves classics!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There is not much to say about Keanu Reeves acting when he was younger. Well you could say it sucked a bit. He had that surfer guy voice and attitude which was in most of his movies in the 80s. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. In this movie it did not. The haircut he had was just strange. I couldn't stop looking at it. The title of the movie makes no sense until the end of the film when he says one line. The end of the film wasn't even that good either. The whole movie was just off pudding and there were a few parts that made you watch. The movie had no swearing, but a nude scene that made it rated R. Great thinking when writing this film. The rest of the cast was ok. The best performance was probably by Fred Ward who played the father.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There is not much to say about Keanu Reeves acting when he was younger. Well you could say it sucked a bit. He had that surfer guy voice and attitude which was in most of his movies in the 80s. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. In this movie it did not. The haircut he had was just strange. I couldn't stop looking at it. The title of the movie makes no sense until the end of the film when he says one line. The end of the film wasn't even that good either. The whole movie was just off pudding and there were a few parts that made you watch. The movie had no swearing, but a nude scene that made it rated R. Great thinking when writing this film. The rest of the cast was ok. The best performance was probably by Fred Ward who played the father.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great story. gets a little weird towards the end. like a pre-cursor to American Beauty. the tragedy of growing up in a small town where you just don't fit in...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Un film pas fameux mais je l'ai tant regarde!!!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

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Ron Nyswaner

Director

Fred Ward

Gary Marshetta

Keanu Reeves

Rupert Marshetta

Bonnie Bedelia

Pam Marshetta

Amy Madigan

Carla Headlee

Jay O. Sanders

Trooper Joe

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74%

93%

Snatch

TRAILER

for Snatch

83%

80%

...And Justice for All

60%

43%

Punchline

76%

82%

Barfly

58%

62%

I Love You to Death

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Nigel Floyd

Time Out

The quirky charm soon wears thin as the shrewd observations of small town frustration give way to a more strained oddball humour.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

The Prince of Pennyslania, which strives for droll, idiosyncratic humor, is in its own way as narrow and limited as the small-town life it means to skewer.

Aug 30, 2004

Full Review

Hal Hinson

Washington Post

Stuff happens in The Prince of Pennsylvania -- it's just that none of it amounts to much.

Jan 1, 2000

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 1/5

Jun 26, 2005

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Beyond their quirks these people are little more than unappealing narcissists. Ron Nyswaner's film is a royal waste of time.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 27, 2004

Full Review

David Poland

Hot Button

Rated: 3/5

Jul 26, 2002

Full Review

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Synopsis

Rupert Marshetta (Keanu Reeves), a loud-mouthed punk rocker with a taste for the intellectual, is bored stiff and on the verge of failing out of his senior year of high school. But when Marshetta meets drive-in theater operator Carla Headlee (Amy Madigan), he finds a mentor who has much to teach him, and an unlikely friendship results. Soon, the two decide to leave their small town. To raise money, Rupert and Carla resolve to abduct Rupert's father, Gary (Fred Ward), and hold him for ransom.

Director: Ron Nyswaner
Executive Producer: Sara Risher, Robert Shaye
Screenwriter: Ron Nyswaner
Production Co: Columbia Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 16, 2018

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