That Evening Sun

PG-13

Released Nov 6, 2009

1 hr. 49 min.

Drama

List

82%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Vowing not to die in a nursing home, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) leaves the facility and returns to his Tennessee farm. There, an unpleasant surprise awaits him: Abner's son has leased the property to ne'er-do-well Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon) and his boorish family. Abner suspects that the Choats will not be able to afford the farm, and he moves into a shack to await their departure. Tensions escalate between Abner and Lonzo, each determined not to yield.

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Critics Consensus

Powered by a formidable leading turn from Hal Holbrook, That Evening Sun is a prime cut of southern gothic that offers plenty of meditative atmosphere for audiences to brood over.

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bill k

One of the slowest moving, uninteresting films ever. Hal Holbrook must be ashamed for having taken part in this loser.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/24/17

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm a big Hal Holbrook fan (his Mark Twain show was great), but thought Ray McKinnon did a nice job in this movie, as well.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

An excellent film that gives a great actor his proper due. Writer/Director Scott Teems gives an interesting look into relationships and what it means to be neighbors. An engrossing dark Southern drama.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Although William Faulkner wrote a memorable short story which shares the title of this movie, the film is actually based on a story by William Gay called, "I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down." I have not read Gay's story; nevertheless, I feel comfortable guessing that like so many movies based on literary works, the power of the original story came from the inner life and thoughts of the protagonist and supporting characters. Simply watching the actions of the actors play out onscreen becomes an empty exercise when you don't know what they are thinking and where they have been. I can certainly understand why Hal Holbrook took the part. In the role of Abner Meecham, Holbrook gets to inhabit a haunted character whose present and future are such that even a past full of regrets and mistakes becomes food for nostalgia. But we only get glimpses of who this character really is; this is also true to Meecham's nemesis, Lonzo Choat. This is a problem. The success of these types of stories where strong characters go head-to-head and there is no room for compromise, it is vital that the audience becomes invested in the characters. And considering that the elderly Meecham is a widower with a disloyal son who has forced him to move into a nursing home after secretly selling the old man's beloved farm, Meecham instantly becomes the underdog we want to root for. But the title of the movie isn't, "An Unexpected Triumph." And since we understand that the main character is fighting a losing battle, it becomes unbearable to think that Choat, the stereotypical Southern "white trash" slightly sadistic drunk, is going to win. At this point, sitting through the movie can seem masochistic: there has to be a payoff. We need to be surprised by the characters: not by whatever shocking actions they may take out of desperation (too predictable) but by their humanity, pathos, and whatever humanity they have left.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

[Holbrook is] wonderful. 22 5 2013

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A so-so story of a cranky old man wanting to take back his farmland from a "white trash" family whose patriarch has a bad reputation. Acting was fine, but the story line is not quite the best.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

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Scott Teems

Director

Hal Holbrook

Abner Meecham

Ray McKinnon

Lonzo Choat

Walton Goggins

Paul Meecham

Mia Wasikowska

Pamela Choat

Carrie Preston

Ludie Choat

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Watching Holbrook, I was reminded again of how steady and valuable this man has been throughout his career.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 22, 2010

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

As lovely as it is to see the veteran actor Holbrook working his craft as the lead actor in this Southern-fried drama, it's not enough to lift the movie from its sodden melodramatic roots.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 19, 2010

Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

There is a predictability to the story, but that's OK. The acting is superb, Holbrook in particular, making That Evening Sun an understated pleasure.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 10, 2010

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Holbrook's steely performance makes the film worth seeing.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 5, 2020

Full Review

Roger Moore

Tribune News Service

Southern Gothic, the real deal, not imitation, with great roles for Hal Holbrook, Mia Wasikowska and Ray McKinnon

Rated: 3/4

Jan 13, 2013

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

With his bravura performance, vet actor Hal Holbrook elevates this modest indie rural drama considerably.

Rated: B

Jul 28, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

Vowing not to die in a nursing home, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) leaves the facility and returns to his Tennessee farm. There, an unpleasant surprise awaits him: Abner's son has leased the property to ne'er-do-well Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon) and his boorish family. Abner suspects that the Choats will not be able to afford the farm, and he moves into a shack to await their departure. Tensions escalate between Abner and Lonzo, each determined not to yield.

Director: Scott Teems
Executive Producer: Raul Celaya, Adrian Jay, Larsen Jay
Screenwriter: Scott Teems
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
Production Co: Dogwood Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Brief Strong Language|Some Violence|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $280.3K

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