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Sweetie

Play trailer Poster for Sweetie R Released Sep 17, 1989 1h 37m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Dawn (Geneviève Lemon), who goes by Sweetie, is plump, lively and somewhat delusional, standing in sharp contrast to her wiry and gloomy sister, Kay (Karen Colston), a sullen factory worker. Kay is pulled out of her day-to-day existence by Dawn's return to their town, and the girls attempt to reconnect with their parents, Flo (Dorothy Barry) and Gordon (Jon Darling), who are undergoing serious marital problems. As the family spends time together, their many issues rise to the surface.

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Sweetie

Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Jane Campion’s first theatrical feature has just about everything a great film should have. Above all it boasts the creation of a world peculiarly its own. May 24, 2022 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Most movies slide right through our minds without hitting anything. This one screams and shouts every step of the way. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Desson Thomson Washington Post It's hard to sum up Sweetie, which happens to be one of the movie's strengths. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages Campion lends a tremendous amount of empathy to both Sweetie and Kay. Jun 6, 2024 Full Review Elizabeth Pincus Gay Community News (Boston) Sweetie bombs ahead with almost unbearable intensity. The overall effect is a visceral captivation that lingers on, disturbingly. Sep 22, 2022 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Dark stuff, but shot through with a giddy wit that never quite crosses over into calculated whimsy. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joan N Hilarious, disturbing, memorably strange. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/23/24 Full Review Jack B If you find mental illness amusing or entertaining, this might just be a winner for you. But this viewer found the whole movie filled with strange and annoying characters. Jane Campion, inexplicably, thrills most professional critics. I am just your typical middle class audience member who prefers his movies to make sense. I think it is telling that Sweetie grossed less than $1 million worldwide. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/18/23 Full Review Dave S Sweetie, Jane Campion's feature debut, tells the story of the relationship between sisters Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) and Kay (Karen Colston), both of whom suffer from mental illness and social anxiety. It's an effectively uncomfortable journey as the two young women try to cobble together some semblance of the way they envision their lives – one seeking fame as a singer while the other attempts to establish her perception of domesticity. It's compelling and powerful stuff, thanks primarily to Campion's ability, even early on in her impressive career, to compose shots that are visually interesting and almost always haunting. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Audience Member One of my favorite movies of all time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/28/22 Full Review s r I was frustrated with this one. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Relentless and worth it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sweetie

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Sweetie

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dawn (Geneviève Lemon), who goes by Sweetie, is plump, lively and somewhat delusional, standing in sharp contrast to her wiry and gloomy sister, Kay (Karen Colston), a sullen factory worker. Kay is pulled out of her day-to-day existence by Dawn's return to their town, and the girls attempt to reconnect with their parents, Flo (Dorothy Barry) and Gordon (Jon Darling), who are undergoing serious marital problems. As the family spends time together, their many issues rise to the surface.
Director
Jane Campion
Producer
John Maynard, Billy MacKinnon
Production Co
Arenafilm, Television Office, New South Wales Film Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 17, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$20.4K
Runtime
1h 37m
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