A River Runs Through It

PG

Released Oct 9, 1992

2 hr. 3 min.

Drama

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List

80%

45 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The Maclean brothers, Paul (Brad Pitt) and Norman (Craig Sheffer), live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister (Tom Skerritt), the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess both where they've been and where they're going.

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Critics Consensus

Tasteful to a fault, this period drama combines a talented cast (including a young Brad Pitt) with some stately, beautifully filmed work from director Robert Redford.

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Audience Member

I drank four beers while watching this and would have drank another but decided to go fishing instead

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Max G

Meh. Good scenery but very little of the wonderful fishing narrative that held the book together. And an odd selection of scenes that were narrated. For example, when he told his parents about how his brother was brutally killed, why was this narrated with the actors simply sitting there? It would have been much more powerful if the director had actors carry the emotion through dialog. Actors were too squeaky clean in appearance. It was backwoods Montana. Fishing. Hardscrabble.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

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Sophie N

The movie was horrible, not an ounce of action. The story was so boring that I had to speed the movie at 1.5.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Over 30 years old I remember watching parts of this in middle school for film studies and it all came crawling back This is beautifully filmed, heartwarming, and the actors have such refined chemistry Redford does wonders emulating the author Norman Mclean's life making a very skilled adaptation Plus the scenery and Brad Pitt are nice to look at due to Philippe Rousselot's gorgeous Oscar-winning cinematography Deftly drawn characters make this a befitting piece of family drama that's a simple breeze

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

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Audience Member

A movie for fisherman — slow, boring and no plot. But at the same time incredibly beautiful, from the scenery to the introspection. (35%)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Shioka O

Beautiful cinematography. Truly harmless.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/27/22

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Robert Redford

Director

Craig Sheffer

Norman Maclean

Brad Pitt

Paul Maclean

Tom Skerritt

Rev. Maclean

Brenda Blethyn

Mrs. Maclean

Emily Lloyd

Jessie Burns

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A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - I'll Never Leave Montana

2:13

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - The Maclean Brothers Fight

1:54

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - We Can Love Completely

2:06

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - Shooting the Chutes

2:12

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - Learning to Fish and Write

2:13

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - Haunted by Waters

2:09

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - Witnessing Perfection

2:12

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - Fishing with Father

1:50

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A River Runs Through It: Trailer 1

2:29

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Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

The film shimmers with grace and visual beauty.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Hollywood Reporter

Redford directs with a fluid grace... to capture the idyllic, light-drenched aura of Maclean's early childhood memories. Even the seemingly unexciting fly-fishing sequences take on a magical air worthy of Spielberg.

Oct 10, 2018

Full Review

Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

Redford remains a fine director of actors. With Brad Pitt, who gives a particularly good performance, he is dealing moreover with an actor whose handsomeness is reminiscent of his own at that age.

Nov 15, 2017

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Vanessa Letts

The Spectator

The film is blighted by an inability to break free from its source.

Jul 24, 2018

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Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Redford's heartfelt yet unfulfilled film feels more watered-down than haunting.

May 29, 2018

Full Review

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Sherritt has been in a lot of movies, but the role of Rev. Maclean seems like one he was born to play. He owns it, the way that Pitt and Sheffer own theirs, and as a result it takes no time at all to believe this group as a family and become involved.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 14, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

The Maclean brothers, Paul (Brad Pitt) and Norman (Craig Sheffer), live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister (Tom Skerritt), the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess both where they've been and where they're going.

Director: Robert Redford
Executive Producer: Jake Eberts
Screenwriter: Norman Maclean, Richard Friedenberg
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Pioneer Entertainment, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Allied Filmmakers
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 9, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.4M
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround, Stereo

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