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S.F.W.

Play trailer Poster for S.F.W. R Released Jan 20, 1995 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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6% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When young slacker Cliff Spab (Stephen Dorff) becomes one of several hostages in a convenience store held by publicity-seeking extremists, he endures being a prisoner for weeks. Eventually, Cliff grows indifferent to his survival, and his defiance is captured on camera, striking a chord with TV viewers. After the hostage crisis ends violently, Cliff bonds with fellow survivor Wendy Pfister (Reese Witherspoon). As they begin a relationship, both struggle with their newfound celebrity status.

Critics Reviews

View All (16) Critics Reviews
Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: F Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Brian Tallerico UGO Rated: 2/5 Mar 24, 2007 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: 1/5 Dec 5, 2002 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 24, 2005 Full Review Scott Weinberg eFilmCritic.com Self-important, simplistic, and rather irritating. Rated: 2/5 Apr 3, 2005 Full Review Mike McGranaghan Aisle Seat Rated: 0/5 Jun 16, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (137) audience reviews
Brian L The story is so original. The acting was alright but I loved the movie. Spab is so cool and plays a great role stuck between being a loser and the world being in love with him. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Had a hard time sitting through it. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I absolutely and thoroughly hated this movie. It was pointless and filled with one moronic scene after another. A complete disaster.. A half a star is too generous... Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Awesome if you got a lot out of "Clerks", "Alpha Dog" or "The Hunger Games". I think the version on Stan in Australia is a different cut from the version summarised on the Wikipedia page, and the version some of these reviewers saw. There was no alien in this version except as a rumour. This version cuts back and forth between past and present with dramatic flashbacks. I really enjoyed the cut I saw, couldn't look away. A lot of the film relies on the charisma of Stephen Dorff, but if you're here for Reese Witherspoon you won't be disappointed. It's a very particular blend of angry, apathy, 90s grunge culture, meaning, meaninglessness and black comedy. It's at once a scathing satire of the media and a truthful, poignant portrait of trauma. There's a lot to be learned from this film. In the end, the audiences prove to be just as captive as the hostages were. They adore who the media tells them to adore, no matter how flawed a role model they may be. Would definitely watch again in five years to see how my perspective has changed. For the clearly small budget, I think it's great. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best movies ever. Think about it. Way ahead of 1994... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member utter drivel; a total bore .... a snooze-fest. i rate it "f", like the middle letter of its title. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews
S.F.W.

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Cast & Crew

Jude 80% 73% Jude Watchlist Return to Paradise 70% 74% Return to Paradise Watchlist Going All the Way 65% 25% Going All the Way Watchlist Panther 25% 75% Panther Watchlist Gridlock'd 88% 79% Gridlock'd Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis When young slacker Cliff Spab (Stephen Dorff) becomes one of several hostages in a convenience store held by publicity-seeking extremists, he endures being a prisoner for weeks. Eventually, Cliff grows indifferent to his survival, and his defiance is captured on camera, striking a chord with TV viewers. After the hostage crisis ends violently, Cliff bonds with fellow survivor Wendy Pfister (Reese Witherspoon). As they begin a relationship, both struggle with their newfound celebrity status.
Director
Jefery Levy
Producer
Dale Pollock
Screenwriter
Danny Rubin, Jefery Levy
Production Co
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Propaganda Films, A&M Films
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 20, 1995, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.2K
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Stereo