The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

TV-MA

2017

1h 33m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 1951, cancerous cells from Henrietta Lacks lead to breakthroughs that change the face of medicine forever. Aided by writer Rebecca Skloot, Deborah Lacks embarks on a quest to learn about the mother she never knew.

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Critics Consensus

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fairly standard biopic, but it's distinguished by a great leading performance from Oprah Winfrey,

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

Imagine having to endure the emotional labor of seeing your own story told, without the comfort of knowing that you control it or enjoying compensation for it either. Henrietta Lacks raises questions about ethics, both artistic and biomedical.

Sep 26, 2017

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Michael Hogan

Daily Telegraph (UK)

As a portrait of unlikely female friendship and impassioned campaigning it did justice to little-known heroine Lacks.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 13, 2017

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Lucy Mangan

Guardian

If the film pushes Henrietta to the edges, it is at least to make room for a performance from Winfrey that tells us all there is to know about the damage that loss, lies and injustice can do to a child, to an adult, to a family and to a society.

Jun 13, 2017

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Hannah Giorgis

The Ringer

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks stop short of directly indicting specific parties on the family's behalf. The resulting film is moving and accessible, but it offers no absolution.

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

The stand out is Winfrey herself as the emotionally, mentally and physically ill Deborah.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 6, 2019

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Keith Reid-Cleveland

Black Nerd Problems

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will resonate with audiences as a story of major loss and finding something worthwhile to hold onto despite it.

Jun 14, 2018

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Teresa R

Oprah again delivers the drama but filled with touching moments where she delves into herself to reveal a complex loving and raw emotional performance. Oprah brings out the best in cast members in that they dont hold back either. a must see movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/17/25

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Magnarider67 M

Maybe I'm missing something because I didn't read the book, but it seems like this movie would have been far more accurately named "Oprah Winfrey Tries to Win an Oscar." It focuses far less on the ill-fated title character than it does on Oprah chewing the scenery playing Lacks' mentally unstable daughter while Rose Byrne stands helplessly by. What might have been a fascinating examination of a conflict between science and ethics winds up being yet another version of Oprah's monthly magazine with her own picture on the cover.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

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Sal D

A fascinating true story turned into bland made for cable TV style film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I enjoyed this one based on a true story of an incredible woman who has affected so many lives positively through science over the years without us realizing it. It was also a grim look at the reality of the early science experiments conducted by big organizations without the approval or legal rights of the people or families involved

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

I liked the movie. I read the book in college so to see the movie brought to life was nice. The movie was told very well. So sad to see the daughter died 9m before the book released. That was heartbreaking to read. Good movie overall and would recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I did not think Oprah was good in this. So much extra was added for dramatic effect that was unnecessary and took away from the amazing story. The book was much better.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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George C. Wolfe

Director

Oprah Winfrey

Deborah Lacks

Rose Byrne

Rebecca Skloot

Renée Elise Goldsberry

Henrietta Lacks

Rocky Carroll

Sonny Lacks

Courtney B. Vance

Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Featurette - The Lacks Family Legacy

2:29

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Trailer 1

1:39

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Teaser Trailer 1

1:04

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Synopsis

In 1951, cancerous cells from Henrietta Lacks lead to breakthroughs that change the face of medicine forever. Aided by writer Rebecca Skloot, Deborah Lacks embarks on a quest to learn about the mother she never knew.

Director: George C. Wolfe
Screenwriter: Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, George C. Wolfe
Production Co: Cine Mosaic
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2017
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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