Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Steve

Play trailer 1:29 Poster for Steve R Sep 2025 1h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 95 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.
Watch on Netflix Stream Now

Where to Watch

Steve

Steve

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A sobering drama that throws everything along with the kitchen sink at its doggedly determined hero, Steve's pileup of crises can strain credulity but Cillian Murphy's superb performance keeps it grounded in reality.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More (95)
Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) [Cillian Murphy's] turmoil is magnetic, but the storytelling can be explanatory and sometimes the overt technique of Belgian director Tim Mielants (Small Things Like These) is skilful but distancing. Rated: 3/5 Oct 16, 2025 Full Review Robert Levin Newsday Most importantly, the movie approaches the stories of these people and their challenging mission with a big, open heart, with the compassion necessary to see the value in the teens' lives instead of simply sweeping them away. Rated: 3/4 Oct 7, 2025 Full Review David Fear Rolling Stone It’s handled in such a slapdash, klutzy manner, and feels so cut-rate, that you may find yourself raging alongside the movie’s youngsters. Not even Murphy can sell it. Oct 3, 2025 Full Review Thomas Caffrey Film Ireland Magazine Anchored by a dependably compelling Cillian Murphy and supported by a committed cast, it delivers some of the year’s most artful moments of cinema. Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Matthew St. Clair Cinematic Words of a Chaotic Gemini (Substack) The acting along with its messaging on the importance of teen mental health and feeling less alone, which especially hits home during the climax, make Steve an affecting-enough drama. Rated: B Oct 30, 2025 Full Review Lisa Trifone Third Coast Review The film is at its most heartbreaking when Steve and the young men in his charge are given space to be vulnerable, something that doesn't come naturally to any of them. Rated: 3/4 Oct 24, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (80)
Ghederick Eshmont Cillian Murphy is the preeminent actor working these days & his partnership with Tim Mielants is producing some pitch black, beautiful films Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/30/25 Full Review Ana R deserves Oscar!!! Cillian is the best actor of this century ! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/21/25 Full Review Juan A Cillain Murphy is on the roll since win on Oppenheimer , with producer with this year’s 28 Years Laters, el principito is becoming REY(King) Now comes with the next best thing that mixture documentary n rage adolescence (awesome mini). Steve is director for a reform orientation school, with some serious anger issues, that bring along a cast of the best from Tracey Ullman as teacher n of course lovely Emily Watson as the shrink. Every one maintaining order, in school where control is absolute, Murphy gives impressive performance as principal keeping order, in salvage school, Watson felt seriously as therapists always keeping the mental safety of the students, that bring the hazard comes to job. Tracey Ullman needed screen time, at least keeping the students safety. The drama taken place in more mental clinic school, the documentary’s try to make thing believable, but the student(if you could call em) re well play, but the plot gets heavy, when the funding stop, for once n all sell the school, turning Steve world into auto destruction with he’s alcoholics. There some awesome Matrix shots, when scene gets spiraling out controlling, that affect Steve. The most shattered student is Shy trying find help, but keep it bootle up. When try to drown himself, cause what he did to his family. Director Tim Mielants really bring realism on how is maintaining a school of this kind, I used work even clinic for three years, let me tell ya theres nothing normally in em. Here total chaos, that some adolescents don’t like each other. So conclude the movies feels as theater from the document perpective, n the many interview, they do. Cillian Murphy is the one holding it together, n giving this lost soul a home. Cause society look at em, as major delinquent, ending their life in prison bar. So ye wanna see something strong of drama, and the effect that most this clinic re shutting , see it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/19/25 Full Review Christian K Solid, low scale work. More time on the student population was needed I think. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/18/25 Full Review Kyle M Rather loosed focus in adapting its source material that misses the perceived potential aside only delving into the foundational convalescence that’s structurally familiar without much insight besides merely grasped empathetic means, the lighter weight is upheld by functioning more as an advantageous performative showcase for the cast with Cillian Murphy in particular excelling the underlying social deliverance. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/25 Full Review Renaldo D It's interesting, well-made, and exciting. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/10/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Steve

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
The Brutalist 93% 80% The Brutalist Watchlist TRAILER for The Brutalist Marriage Story 95% 85% Marriage Story Watchlist TRAILER for Marriage Story Nomadland 93% 82% Nomadland Watchlist TRAILER for Nomadland Sound of Metal 97% 90% Sound of Metal Watchlist TRAILER for Sound of Metal A Little Prayer 93% 93% A Little Prayer Watchlist TRAILER for A Little Prayer Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.
Director
Tim Mielants
Producer
Cillian Murphy, Alan Moloney, Tina Pawlik
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Big Things Films
Rating
R (Pervasive Language|Substance Abuse|Some Sexual Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 19, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 3, 2025
Runtime
1h 33m
Most Popular at Home Now