Shadrach

PG-13

Released Apr 16, 1998

1 hr. 26 min.

Drama

List

50%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A middle-class child observes a poor family's (Harvey Keitel, Andie MacDowell) life and a former slave's (John Franklin Sawyer) request in 1935 Virginia.

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

kirby p

This is a very good movie. One complaint: Harvey Keitel's character cusses a LOT, and he uses the n-word a lot. Since I saw this on network TV, both were edited -- but the n-word was certainly edited (pronounced "nigreh") for the original film, not just for TV, and frankly I suspect much of his cussing was as well. I really hate this stuff; it's stupid and unrealistic. The movie would have been ever so much more powerful if that character had been permitted to speak as a poor moonshiner of the Great Depression actually would have spoken. If you have the hots for Andie McDowell -- and who doesn't? -- this film will come as a bit of a shock. Not a typical role for her. And she performs it brilliantly.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"shadrach's messed in his pants". Perverted old ex-slave seeks burial ground while hanging around with a bunch of rednecks. Good strange fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Paul, an only child, loves visiting the Dabney family. The Dabneys have seven children, and they're a much poorer family. During Paul's tenth summer, set in the 1930s, a family member he never even met passes away, and he goes to stay with the Dabneys while his parents go off to the funeral. That's when he meets Shadrach, a 99-year-old black man that was born a slave and was sold off to Alabama, being separated from his family in Virginia. He's been gone all these years. Sensing death in his old bones, he travels back to his native Virginia, wanting to be put to rest where he belongs. Shadrach happens to be a Dabney, just like the white family he came to. Will this family be nice enough to do for him what he wants to be done? What will happen along the way? "Shadrach" is a heartwarming and extremely realistic film. Being raised in Alabama, I can relate to the underlying plot of the film a lot. One thing that's really shocking is that Paul looks almost just like my little brother, making me kind of watch the movie as if it was through my younger sibling's eyes. Both of those facts along with the great acting by everybody, especially Harvey Keitel, made "Shadrach" really hit home for me in a way. Not to mention that it reminds me of my own childhood, when I was looked at as being middle to upper class, but almost all of my friends were less fortunate, and I never thought a thing about it. It's a shame that "Shadrach" seems to be relatively unknown. It's just a simple drama movie with elements of a coming of age film, but it's a real good one that will hit home for certain people, maybe in more than one way. All I did was rent it after hearing that it's "a good southern movie." I'm glad I did, because now I look to purchase it one day in the future. As long as the cussing nearly every other word doesn't bother you (it shouldn't; that's just the film trying to be realistic of the times), you'll love "Shadrach". NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2003. One of the most underrated movies I know of, for sure. I always love a good drama and this one delivered in every way. All the actors do a great job and if you don't mind a good tear-jerker, this is a must see. Guess it receives a few extra brownie points cause the main kid actor looks JUST LIKE my little brother looked at that age.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

so shitty, boring, & pointless, I couldn't even sit through it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

we all need to make time for the shadrachs that are left on this planet and share thier journey with them no matter how long or short...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Susanna Styron

Director

Harvey Keitel

Vernon

Andie MacDowell

Trixie Dabney

John Franklin Sawyer

Shadrach

Scott Terra

Paul

Daniel Treat

Little Mole

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Shadrach is another one of those well-meaning films, like Amistad, in which slaves are the supporting characters in their own stories.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Susan Stark

Detroit News

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Donald J. Levit

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

A vignette, really, a couple of days in a boy%u06E5s life recollected in tranquillity.

Sep 28, 2009

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 1/5

Jun 23, 2005

Full Review

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Rated: 3/5

Oct 17, 2002

Full Review

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Synopsis

A middle-class child observes a poor family's (Harvey Keitel, Andie MacDowell) life and a former slave's (John Franklin Sawyer) request in 1935 Virginia.

Director: Susanna Styron
Executive Producer: Jonathan Demme, Danny Dimbort, Avi Lerner, Elie Samaha, Trevor Short
Screenwriter: William Styron, Susanna Styron, Bridget Terry
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Millennium Films
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 16, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.2K
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby

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