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Play trailer Poster for Return Now Playing 1h 41m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
An Army reservist has trouble relating to her husband (Michael Shannon) and children after returning from deployment.
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Critics Consensus

Powered by a compelling central performance by Linda Cardellini, Return offers a painfully compelling look at the emotional struggles faced by war veterans.

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Critics Reviews

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Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic The writer-director is Liza Johnson, an artist, making her first picture and doing it with considerable grace. Jun 19, 2013 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 May 3, 2012 Full Review Angie Errigo Empire Magazine Skipping the usual flashbacks-and-cold-sweats cliches, Return has an understated power, even if the story traverses pretty well-trodden ground. Rated: 3/5 Apr 29, 2012 Full Review Patrick Gamble CineVue Whilst admittedly showcasing a powerhouse performance by Cardellini, Return sadly fails to convey its heart-rending story Rated: 3/5 Jan 5, 2019 Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) As a first feature, this is a great start. Sep 18, 2017 Full Review Richard Haridy Quickflix Return is a commendable, genuine, and simple drama that effectively highlights the intrinsic trauma soldiers face when trying to come to terms with the reality of life back home. Rated: 3/5 Nov 25, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The movie does take an interesting spin by putting a woman as the lead who has been to war and the husband who stayed home and raised the kids in the meantime. It is also well acted. Michael Shannon is always very good if not great but the story drags and nothing at all really happens to make it a better movie than just ok. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is the creepiest movie I have ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member it was kinda interesting... Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member This one was a good solid film, what any soldier goes thru when they get back, from a girls point of view, but I think not all soldiers end up like that. So that's what this movie did it did not explain good. I did not like how it was developed and made. The actress was solid but it felt short in some ways. So I found this movie boring without a common comprehension. So for this being an okay film with a solid idea that soldiers go thru in the military, I give "Return" a solid C-. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This film works because it's never emotionally contrived and it never comes off as anything other than heartfelt and personal. What makes this as effective as it was were the performances. The entire supporting cast does some really solid work, but the praise belongs to Linda Cardellini, who gives a wonderfully understated and subtle performance. It's in her silent moments that she resonates the most with the audience, and she absolutely deserves a lot more mentions. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting but by god it speeds along pretty fast. Perhaps would have worked better as a tv show. Cardellni is great in the lead role and just think she was in Scooby Doo once. Shannon is always a grat watch Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis An Army reservist has trouble relating to her husband (Michael Shannon) and children after returning from deployment.
Director
Liza Johnson
Screenwriter
Liza Johnson
Production Co
2.1 Films, Meredith Viera Productions, Fork Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 8, 2013
Runtime
1h 41m