Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Savage Grace

Play trailer Poster for Savage Grace Released May 30, 2008 1h 37m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
38% Tomatometer 96 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
This examination of a famous scandal from the 1970s explores the relationship between Barbara Baekeland (Julianne Moore) and her only son, Antony (Eddie Redmayne). Barbara, a lonely social climber unhappily married to the wealthy but remote plastics heir Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane), dotes on Antony, who is homosexual. As Barbara tries to "cure" Antony of his sexuality -- sometimes by seducing him herself -- the groundwork is laid for a murderous tragedy.

Where to Watch

Savage Grace

Savage Grace

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though visually compelling, the lamentable characters in Savage Grace make for difficult viewing.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (96) Critics Reviews
Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Melissa Anderson Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian A sick-room torpor hangs heavily about this masterfully controlled, elegantly composed movie by Tom Kalin. Rated: 4/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The film doesn't resonate with much or any of this, to its cost. It is too dry, too isolating, too passive. All in all, the makers of Savage Grace settled for far too little. Feb 13, 2021 Full Review Carlos Marañón Cinemanía (Spain) One of those classic morbid but elegant Vanity Fair articles. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 2/5 Nov 2, 2020 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Visually stunning and performance driven, Savage Grace has a carnal savagery that will ravage sensibilities and senses. Nov 15, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (725) audience reviews
Fong Kok Hoong F This adaptation of the book of the same name by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson is repulsively tantalizing and terrifically acted (both leads would win Oscars for their respective leading roles in 2015) and the distaste of the incestuous relationship between American socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland and her son, Antony, lingers like tobacco smoke in a sickroom left vacant. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Julianne Moore was incredible as always. I don't like Eddie Redmayne. Its not like he is a bad actor. Its just his face. He is a very odd looking boy. He is always playing fruity guys . The movie was warped but watchable. I liked the way Julianne never seem to age even when the time frame moved forward in years. I read the story is fabricated to a degree but it still makes it more interesting that is it true. Not to bad. Mother/Son sex scene was a little uncomfortable to watch Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member you're tired of everything.. Savage Grace When there is an unusual plot or indigestible track like this, it becomes very essential for the feature to be character driven to justify the nature of it which fails on all levels in here. Not only is Tom Kalin, a weak link in this project but also the writer Howard A. Rodman whose adaptation is too thin to possess any logical reasoning. Whilst on the other side, performance is what factors and favors in as Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne both are in their A game. Savage Grace fails to deliver in any level due to lack of proper and experienced supervising of the makers and also for it never had enough material in the first place. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member It was good. I liked it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member THIS IS A REBOOT OF A REVIEW I WROTE BACK IN 2007 I had heard good things about this little movie from several friends what with its gay undertones and the fact that it stars Julianne Moore, so when I saw it pop up on Movie Central I was excited to see it. Unfortunately that excitement was quickly washed away by a film that is heavy handed, self indulgent and only adequately acted. Based on truth, it's the story of the murder of socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland. I was unfamiliar with this bit of history which apparently caused quite a stir in the early 1970's and to be honest, this production didn't make me feel much more enlightened. There's a strong performance from Julianne Moore, who is always great, but she's been much better in other films with homoerotic under themes such as "Far from Heaven", which is one of my favs. Unfortunately, she's surrounded by actors who really can't stand up to her screen presence and she easily out paces the other thesps such as young Eddie Redmayne who plays the gay, psychotic son, Anthony. The movie unfolds a bit like a Greek tragedy, what with it's themes of incest, betrayal, homosexuality and murder. But for me it was like eating a Greek salad without the feta cheese and olives...it looks good but it doesn't have any flavor. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member True to the real story of Tony Baekeland's relationship with his mother and himself. Having studied Bakelike and the inventor's life, I felt this was abrilliant portrayal of the psychological and emotional lives of these integral players. The story is so sordid that one thinks it is too fake to be real. However, any Bakelite student knows these actions to be true. Dialogue may have been altered as in all biopics; albeit, I enjoyed this film to have the GUTS to be itself. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Savage Grace

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Kill Your Darlings 77% 60% Kill Your Darlings Watchlist A Home at the End of the World 50% 67% A Home at the End of the World Watchlist Far From Heaven 87% 79% Far From Heaven Watchlist A Single Man 86% 81% A Single Man Watchlist Loggerheads 73% 65% Loggerheads Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis This examination of a famous scandal from the 1970s explores the relationship between Barbara Baekeland (Julianne Moore) and her only son, Antony (Eddie Redmayne). Barbara, a lonely social climber unhappily married to the wealthy but remote plastics heir Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane), dotes on Antony, who is homosexual. As Barbara tries to "cure" Antony of his sexuality -- sometimes by seducing him herself -- the groundwork is laid for a murderous tragedy.
Director
Tom Kalin
Producer
Christine Vachon, Iker Monfort, Katie Roumel, Pamela Koffler
Screenwriter
Howard A. Rodman
Distributor
IFC First Take
Production Co
Killer Films, Videntia Frames Producciones S.L., Monfort Producciones S.L.
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 30, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$434.4K
Runtime
1h 37m
Most Popular at Home Now