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Sherrybaby

Play trailer Poster for Sherrybaby R 2006 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After serving time in prison, former drug addict Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) returns home to reclaim her young daughter from family members who have been raising the child. Sherry's family, especially her sister-in-law (Bridget Barkan), doubt Sherry's ability to be a good mother, and Sherry finds her resolve to stay clean slowly weakening.
Sherrybaby

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers riveting performance as a recovering drug addict in a depressing and not entirely believable movie.

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Critics Reviews

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Michael Booth Denver Post It's the movie for you if you liked the pessimistic street view of Half Nelson. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 26, 2007 Full Review Andrew Sarris Observer As an actress, Ms. Gyllenhaal seems to steer clear of any parts that seek to exploit an audience's weakness for conventionally happy endings. Her films are therefore always worth seeing. Oct 4, 2006 Full Review Andrew O'Hehir Salon.com The wonder of Sherrybaby is that we can admire Sherry's exuberance and evident love of life -- and the extraordinary actress who portrays her -- without really being sure where she's going. Sep 20, 2006 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Seattle Film Blog For the most part, Sherrybaby is [Maggie] Gyllenhaal's show, but that doesn't mean the other actors fail to register. As usual, [Giancarlo] Esposito is great and the rugged [Danny] Trejo...proves a sympathetic co-star. Rated: 3/4 Sep 21, 2024 Full Review Heather Boerner Common Sense Media Gyllenhaal shines in gritty, haunting drug drama. Rated: 4/5 Dec 18, 2010 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance is wonderful, diving into this character that has barely anything worth sympathizing with... Apr 29, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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dave s In Sherrybaby, Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been paroled from prison and, as per her parole officer, needs to stay straight. On top of this, her priority is to reconnect with a young daughter who she barely knows, a task that may be beyond her abilities. Gyllenhaal gives a career-defining performance as a woman on the verge of spiraling out of control, swinging wildly between tenderness, despair, vulnerability, and manic anger. Despite the fact that the narrative has little dramatic arc and there's little or no character-development (until the last couple of minutes) to speak of, Gyllenhaal's performance makes Sherry Baby worth watching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review steve d Maggie Gyllenhaal's fantastic performance brings to life a complicated character and it makes for an engaging film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of Americas finest actresses' and in " Sherry Baby " she pulls out a performance that is out wrenching, painful to watch meaning that her acting was very well done and is believable, I haven't seen her in this type of films, In my opinion at least she should of been nominated for an Oscar. So for that I give " Sherry Baby " a C. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member In this quietly devastating drama sensitively directed by Laurie Collyer, Maggie Gyllenhaal renders a spellbinding performance as the eponymous former female convict coming to realise that rebuilding her life after prison proves to be so unimaginably hard. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A complex and sad movie. Not something I would see again but I liked it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Maggie Gyllenhaal's painfully realistic and brave performance is really the only reason to see this movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sherrybaby

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Cast & Crew

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Laurie Collyer

Director

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Sherry Swanson

Brad William Henke

Bobby Swanson

Danny Trejo

Dean Walker

Giancarlo Esposito

Officer Hernandez

Ryan Simpkins

Alexis Parks

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Sherrybaby

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Movie Info

Synopsis After serving time in prison, former drug addict Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) returns home to reclaim her young daughter from family members who have been raising the child. Sherry's family, especially her sister-in-law (Bridget Barkan), doubt Sherry's ability to be a good mother, and Sherry finds her resolve to stay clean slowly weakening.
Director
Laurie Collyer
Producer
Lemore Syvan, Marc Turtletaub
Screenwriter
Laurie Collyer
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Big Beach, Red Envelope Entertainment, Elevation Filmworks
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Drug Content|Strong Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 25, 2006, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Sep 8, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$198.4K
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital