Take Shelter

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Take Shelter

R

Released Sep 30, 2011

2h 4m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) lives in a small Ohio town with his loving wife (Jessica Chastain) and hearing-impaired daughter (Tova Stewart). Though money is tight, he and his family are very happy. But then, Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an apocalypse that threatens them all. Rather than confiding in Samantha, he begins building a storm shelter in the backyard, and his strange behavior causes tension in their marriage and the surrounding community.

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Critics Consensus

Michael Shannon gives a powerhouse performance and the purposefully subtle filmmaking creates a perfect blend of drama, terror, and dread.

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Geoff Andrew

Sight & Sound

What makes Nichols' film so satisfying, at least until the melodrama of the final act, is the deftness of the characterisations and the constant sense that things are probably considerably more complex than they're perceived.

Aug 29, 2017

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David Thomson

The New Republic

In my estimate, this unique and frequently arresting film suffers from the monotony of the lead players' affect, and from the film's urge to have its gloomy cake and eat it.

Jun 20, 2013

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Justin Chang

Variety

A hallucinatory thriller anchored by a deeply resonant sense of unease.

Jan 4, 2012

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Ray Pride

Newcity

Taut masterpiece of prescient dread... Day clouds are pretty and plain, puffs of white, expanse of common blue. Nichols finds telling details everywhere in the countryside, in mood akin to Eggleston but far from Shore.

Rated: 10/10

Jul 4, 2024

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

Whether it achieves such standing or not, Take Shelter succeeds in something quite impressive.

Rated: 4/5

May 8, 2024

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

A captivating experience, thanks in large part to Michael Shannon's powerful performance, with the payoff only elevating the journey into something even more satisfying.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 24, 2023

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Grant E

Absolutely the slowest of burns. Take your time on a rainy night and sit with the protagonists battle with reality. This movie moved me to tears and I absolutely could not take my eyes of the screen

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

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Diane D

Slow, boring, inane. What a waste of talent.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

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Elizabeth P

Do not be fooled, this movie provides neither action nor horror. Reading the description, one may be under the impression that it is going to be exciting and frightening. In summation, it is an incredibly drawn out movie that continues repeating the same bland themes. There is no plot twist, nor is there any action whatsoever. Save yourself two hours. Sooner would I sit and watch my Christmas Cactus grow than rewatch this painfully dull excuse for a film.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Audience Member

Really …slow slow. I do not see how this thing got good reviews so boring so slow and made my skin crawl, and I mean cross slowly. Do not waste your time and do not believe the reviews or this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/20/24

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Psily G

2 stars because although I love Michael and his acting I hated the movie. The movie is the song that never ends it goes on and on my friend. Guy thinks he's going crazy. Everyone convinces him he's going crazy. In the end he's not so crazy. This could have been written better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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Stacy J

Take shelter drags on Good plot I think Hope something happens soon Not a real 2 hr movie Hope Netflix movies get better this 24-25 year

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

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Jeff Nichols

Director

Michael Shannon

Curtis LaForche

Jessica Chastain

Samantha LaForche

Shea Whigham

Dewart

Katy Mixon

Nat

Ray McKinnon

Kyle

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Synopsis

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) lives in a small Ohio town with his loving wife (Jessica Chastain) and hearing-impaired daughter (Tova Stewart). Though money is tight, he and his family are very happy. But then, Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an apocalypse that threatens them all. Rather than confiding in Samantha, he begins building a storm shelter in the backyard, and his strange behavior causes tension in their marriage and the surrounding community.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Producer: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
Screenwriter: Jeff Nichols
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Strange Matter Films
Rating: R (Some Language)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 2h 4m

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