The Humans

R

Released Nov 24, 2021

1h 48m

Holiday

Comedy

Drama

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for The Humans: Trailer 1

List

92%

141 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Erik Blake has gathered three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the group's deepest fears are laid bare. The piercingly funny and haunting debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, adapted from his Tony Award-winning play, The Humans explores the hidden dread of a family and the love that binds them together.

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Critics Consensus

The Humans takes its Tony-winning source material from stage to screen without sacrificing the essence of writer-director Stephen Karam's dysfunctional drama.

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Richard S

A wonderful screen adaptation of the stage play. The play was still strange and good but the filming and staging added to the mystery and enhanced what I had seen and heard during live stage show.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/26/21

Full Review

Jim s

I kept waiting for something to happen but never did. I almost walked out

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/21

Full Review

David G

Horrendous movie.... even if u agree its metaphorical story... definitely don't watch it

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

Jeff M

One of the strangest and most peculiar motion pictures I've seen in a very long time, I imagine this is going to be a love it or hate it movie - I don't foresee a lot of in-between reactions. It elicited in me feelings I got while watching 1981's MY DINNER WITH ANDRE. Both films center around conversation, in this case at a family's Thanksgiving Day celebration. The vast majority of the movie is a family just talking - talking about the mundane and ordinary things families do, talking about their jobs and gossip about the neighbors, nothing seemingly out of the ordinary. As the conversations continue, however, a growing sense of unrest begins to set in, and the film becomes almost a thriller as strange noises and occurrences take place within the apartment they've convened for the holiday. This was based on a play, and not a lot has been done to open it up for the silver screen, but in a way that works here because it adds to a sense of claustrophobia. The interactions between the characters, collectively and individually, become almost hypnotic after awhile. Performances down the line are great - it's especially interesting watching comic Amy Schumer in a dramatic role. If you're in the mood for something challenging, you might want to give this a shot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Alec B

Thankfully, Karam uses this adaptation to expand upon the original play's body horror elements, making more direct comparisons between the decaying building and the decaying bodies of the characters.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

Tim O

Heh, relieved to see that I'm *not* in the _minority_ on not being a "major fan" of this flick - which one might think, given that this ☝🏼 turns up on 'Thanksgiving' movies lists [shock,facepalm], and has high critic numbers. Long gone are the days of taking Siskel & Ebert, or Leonard Malkin's recommendations to the bank, for enjoyability. Just because it's high-critic, doesn't mean it appeals to anyone dwelling outside of major coastal cities... Increasingly, _exactly the inverse_ is a better watchability predictor (when the audience sincerely contrasts with the critics). Dark, slow, anxiety-laden, inscrutable, & distinctly unpleasant. And not a very enjoyable watch... [shrug]

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

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Stephen Karam

Director

Richard Jenkins

Erik Blake

Amy Schumer

Aimee

Steven Yeun

Richard

Jayne Houdyshell

Deirdre Blake

Beanie Feldstein

Brigid

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2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations

The Humans: Trailer 1

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

This is more than just a nihilistic revamp of Home for the Holidays. It's bleaker than that, more forensic in its analysis of innate human hopelessness.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 2, 2022

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The casting is... first-rate, with Richard Jenkins and a wounded, garrulous Jayne Houdyshell the standouts.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 2, 2022

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The ensemble remains electrifying against the damp.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 31, 2021

Full Review

George Kowalik

Vague Visages

The claustrophobia in The Humans transcends its confined narrative setting...

Oct 4, 2023

Full Review

Dallas King

Flick Feast

The Humans is A24‘s scariest film of the year. One that does reveal the truth that no matter how we may appear on the service, true horror and hell is other people…

Nov 12, 2022

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

How does making the work resemble a horror movie add anything to our understanding of the Blakes and their relationships, to each other and to the world? It might be one of those overly clever conceptions that should have been set aside.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 7, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Erik Blake has gathered three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the group's deepest fears are laid bare. The piercingly funny and haunting debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, adapted from his Tony Award-winning play, The Humans explores the hidden dread of a family and the love that binds them together.

Director: Stephen Karam
Screenwriter: Stephen Karam
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24
Rating: R (Some Sexual Material|Language)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 24, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2021
Runtime: 1h 48m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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