The House of the Spirits

Play trailer

The House of the Spirits

R

1993

2h 18m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A rancher (Jeremy Irons), his clairvoyant wife (Meryl Streep) and their family face turbulent years in South America.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

An enviable collection of sterling actors are all woefully miscast in The House of the Spirits, a plodding saga of magical realism that lacks much magic or realism.

Read Critics Reviews

David Ansen

Newsweek

The greatest actors in the world can't overcome a script that boils everything down to the Esperanto of cliche.

May 22, 2018

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

The thing works in its goofy way, mainly because Bille August is a man of apparently dauntless conviction. He has written and directed every scene with serene authority.

May 20, 2013

Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

The flaws aren't fatal. The beauty and brilliance that might have been, don't preclude the quality and bravery that exist on the screen.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 20, 2013

Full Review

Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

It's artsy polyglot baloney. Not house that's this divided against itself could possibly stand.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Robin Holabird

Robin Holabird

Director Bille August creates striking visuals, and her standout cast never fails to hold attention, though it fails to catch Allende's nuance as a writer.

Aug 11, 2021

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Nearly every magic detail, many key characters and half a generation has been sacrificed to clarify the plot. But so much has been cut away that only the skeleton of the story remains.

May 22, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Flavio B

I cried in some scenes. Fantastic rendition from Meryl and the rest of the cast. The is a lot going on in the movie, and I seriously don´t understand the bad ratings... It is still one of my favorite movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/08/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Such accomplished actors wasted in this movie, badly directed,bad script.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies of all time! Cast is amazing!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/17/25

Full Review

Alessandro G

A summary of a good story does not necessarily make a good film. A wonderful cast forced to follow a cold report concerning the tragic Chilean twentieth century.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/08/23

Full Review

Steve D

A great cast, strange tones and a terrible script.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Bille August

Director

Meryl Streep

Clara del Valle Trueba

Jeremy Irons

Esteban Trueba

Glenn Close

Férula Trueba

Winona Ryder

Blanca Trueba

Antonio Banderas

Pedro Tercero García

View more photos

Synopsis

A rancher (Jeremy Irons), his clairvoyant wife (Meryl Streep) and their family face turbulent years in South America.

Director: Bille August
Producer: Bernd Eichinger
Screenwriter: Bille August
Production Co: Lionsgate, Neue Constantin Film, House of Spirits Film, Costa do Castelo Filmes
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 8, 2016
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Most Popular at Home Now