To Sleep With Anger

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To Sleep With Anger

PG

Released Oct 12, 1990

1h 42m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

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105 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Vagabond Harry (Danny Glover) pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie (Mary Alice). However, after Gideon falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic.

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Critics Consensus

To Sleep with Anger examines cultural tensions with a deft hand and a potent blend of comedy and drama, stirred skillfully to life by a strong cast led by Danny Glover.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Like Harry at his eloquent best, To Sleep with Anger is a spellbinder.

Sep 25, 2025

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

A sophisticated and sweetly shivery ghost story.

Sep 25, 2025

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Despite its subject matter and title, To Sleep With Anger has a sardonic, comic edge.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 25, 2025

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Peter Keough

Boston Phoenix

Subtly structured, metaphorically elegant, shrewdly balanced, and richly performed, To Sleep with Anger is [Charles Burnett's] masterpiece.

Sep 25, 2025

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Karl Bruce Knapper

Bay Area Reporter

Burnett has created a brilliant tapestry of a movie, intricately woven of multiple layers of truth and dishonesty, love and mistrust, folklore and history.

Sep 25, 2025

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Marylynn Uricchio

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Burnett skillfully weaves his various story lines and characters together until the cumulative effect is an absolutely microscopic look at the nature of family life.

Rated: B

Sep 25, 2025

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Andrew A.

Lesson of this movie: don't let Danny Glover into your house... or maybe do

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/02/25

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Alec B

What's ingenious here is how Glover is both a demonic and messianic figure, bringing long simmering family tensions to a boil . . . not to destroy the family but to save them.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

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Audience Member

What's ingenious here is how Glover is both a demonic and messianic figure, bringing long simmering family tensions to a boil. This doesn't destroy the family, it saves them.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Danny Glover is Harry. He pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie. Gideon then falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic. There's a lot of talk in here and I was quite bored. But I admire the movie having many relatable elements when it comes to this kind of family drama.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

I first watched the movie when released in 1990, and watched again. This movie is very layered and many references for African Americans - especially those of us that grew up in the south. See it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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scott s

One of Danny Glover's best films as a drifter whose presence seems to expose the hearts of the people in the household as tensions arise between brothers, siblings, and parents, and culture change.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Charles Burnett

Director

Danny Glover

Harry

Paul Butler

Gideon

Mary Alice

Suzie

Richard Brooks

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Synopsis

Vagabond Harry (Danny Glover) pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie (Mary Alice). However, after Gideon falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic.

Director: Charles Burnett
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co: SVS Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround

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