Runoff

R

Released Jun 26, 2015

1 hr. 30 min.

Drama

List

79%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a corporate competitor threatens their livelihood, a desperate and determined woman (Joanne Kelly) goes to great lengths to save the family farm.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jan 04

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Runoff on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

jason c

The acting was genuine. The rest was so contrived, and melodramatic. It dragged, lagged, and then ended. Skip it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This American independent film paints a depressing picture of the current ag business model, juxtaposing old farmers with new paradigms and highlighting the financial pressures corporations create for customers and competitors alike. Within this ecosystem, one family struggles to survive amidst pressures from several angles.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's s bit slow but it draws you into the struggles of one ordinary farm family trying their best to survive. The simple things can't be taken for granted. The essentials are sometimes unattainable and good people are forced to make bad decisions. Sadly it's the woman who worries the most and finds the solutions to provide for her family. The man expects everything to work out by itself.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Heart of Darkness "Runoff" illuminates how Big Ag is literally shifting the landscape. Starting with the soil, corporate monoliths are corrupting our American roots and bankrupting the small, family farmers who have fed our nation. If you're looking for light fare, come back and watch "Runoff" when you're in the mood to dig into what's deeply wrong with our system and the rot at its core...this movie is more heart of darkness. The acting is A+ across the board from lead Joanne Kelly, who I had never seen before to character actor Tom Bower who's been in everything from Crazy Heart to Die Hard 2. I love docs like Food Inc and movies like Erin Brockovich but if you're looking for something more challenging, you'll probably get a lot out of "Runoff."

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is a finely crafted study of the slippery slope of moral compromise, set in a farming community of quite sympathetic and very believable characters going about lives of day-to-day and decision-to-decision, quiet survival. Superbly shot with understated visuals that gently draw one in, the viewer becomes involved in a worsening chain of difficult paths the characters feel they must take, although they know that the outcomes could be failure of their finances, their morals, and their responsibilities to their children. The writer and director, Kimberly Levin (who brings stage directing experience to the task), displays a sure hand, uses no cheap tricks, and -- above all -- keeps faith with her viewers by framing conflicts honestly and by offering no easy answers. And despite whatever superlatives I use, the film is better than the words I can bring to bear describing it. See it -- you will feel enriched as I have.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

RUNOFF is a true movie-lover's movie. It takes us into a world that most of us know little about and explores it with a sophistication and class rarely seen in a debut film. The last half hour will have you on the edge of your seat. Levin doesn't just present you this world, she puts you in surround sound of it. You truly feel as if you are there. Throughout the entire piece, her camera is enveloping you in the everyday beauty of this environment, and you will (like Betty) feel compelled to protect it with all you have.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Kimberly Levin

Director

Joanne Kelly

Betty

Neal Huff

Frank

Alex Shaffer

Finley

Tom Bower

Scratch

Kivlighan de Montebello

Sam

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

33%

40%

Bottled Up

57%

23%

Big Muddy

74%

43%

Alex of Venice

92%

51%

Certain Women

TRAILER

for Certain Women

40%

15%

The Best Thief in the World

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Now Streaming: Boogie Nights, American Horror Story, The Back to the Future Trilogy, And A Lot More

Critics Consensus: Ted 2 Is Somewhat Bearable

View more photos

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Promising work that's worth checking out.

Aug 7, 2015

Full Review

Katie Walsh

Los Angeles Times

The low energy pace and performances strive for naturalism but just don't achieve compelling tension or suspense.

Jul 23, 2015

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

This isn't a perfect movie... But I can say without hesitation that if you want to be able to say you were there when a great American filmmaker's career kicked off, you need to see Runoff.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 26, 2015

Full Review

Sarah Brinks

Battleship Pretension

Fans of Kelly or films about the farming community might be able to overlook the its short comings and enjoy it but I cannot really recommend the film because it did find it very slow and unengaging.

Jan 14, 2021

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Young Folks

Levin dares something practically unheard of in modern Hollywood movies: she asks the audience to watch, feel, and come to their own conclusions.

Rated: 8/10

Jun 29, 2015

Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

A little too reluctant to take a stand against chemicals but worth seeing for its empathy for its main character who is forced to carry out a crime that puts her in league with Monsanto.

Jun 27, 2015

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When a corporate competitor threatens their livelihood, a desperate and determined woman (Joanne Kelly) goes to great lengths to save the family farm.

Director: Kimberly Levin
Executive Producer: Peter Askin, Will Battersby, Julia Chasman
Screenwriter: Kimberly Levin
Distributor: Monterey Media
Production Co: Cantuckee Pictures, Reno Productions
Rating: R (Some Drug Use)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.2K

Most Popular at Home Now