Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Whales of August

Play trailer Poster for The Whales of August 1987 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
64% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Two elderly sisters, Libby Strong (Bette Davis) and Sarah Webber (Lillian Gish), travel to their summer house in Maine. The pair couldn't be less similar: Libby is blind, cynical and mean-spirited; Sarah is sunny, optimistic and healthy. Yet their shared memories and hardships -- especially the deaths of their husbands -- help bind the two together. Still, the entrance of a local fisherman (Vincent Price) into Sarah's life threatens to reopen old wounds.

Where to Watch

The Whales of August

Critics Reviews

View More
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3/4
Here is a quiet film of a conventional story, a star vehicle designed to show everyone to advantage. Go to Full Review
Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com 08/26/2020
3.5/5
Gish rules the day as the more empathetic sister, but Anderson brings them to a masterful finale. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 06/04/2019
4/4
A quiet, unassuming masterpiece that deserves to be cherished, Go to Full Review
Hilary Mantel The Spectator 09/05/2018
This is not acting, but simply ex- isting in front of a camera. Go to Full Review
Robert Roten Laramie Movie Scope 10/30/2008
C
This is not my cup of tea, but it is a fascinating last picture show for a likeable legendary acting troupe. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/17/2005
3/5
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
helder f Jan 28 This movie revolves around two elderly sisters living on an island with their few neighbors. Despite their close bond, they harbor grievances and resentments, particularly since one sister has become bitter. There’s certainly a hint of Baby Jane… but in this movie, the sisters are tasked with mending their relationship. However, the plot is simply too flat, and the movie’s unfolding is equally unengaging. The acting is disjointed and lacks coherence, and the characters don’t blend well together. Ann Sothern and Vincent Prince offer a bit more acting, but not enough to rescue the movie. See more Suz B 09/22/2024 I am so late to the Lillian Gish party. Yes, I knew she was legendary. Yes, I knew she was huge. But I'd seen few, if any, of her films. Then I saw The Night of the Hunter, which she absolutely, but very quietly, stole. So I watched this. She was in her mid 90s in this movie but was believable as the healthier, happier sister to Bette Davis' shrill, negative blind woman, though Davis was in her 70s when this was shot. This is a quiet movie. It's atmospheric. Davis is hard to take, but she's supposed to be. And Gish is just marvelous - so much to read in her expressions, no grandstanding. This was her last movie, and it's a fine conclusion to an incredible career. See more Alec B 01/10/2024 Yeah its great to see the cast of legends they assembled for this movie but those actors should have been given a better screenplay. See more Matthew R 11/14/2023 A very touching film. Great cast and performances. See more dave s 12/09/2022 Known for his social critiques via cutting satire (O Lucky Man!, If…, Britannia Hospital), The Whales of August is a departure for esteemed British director Lindsay Anderson. Set in a summer home on the coast of Maine, two sisters (Bette Davis, Lillian Gish), wildly different in personality, come to terms with the fact that their lives will soon be over. Also featuring Vincent Price and Ann Sothern, it is interesting to watch from the perspective of seeing four actors in the twilight years of their impressive careers but, sadly, it really isn't all that good of a movie. While it looks nice thanks to Anderson's disciplined direction and some fine cinematography, the script is sure to induce some serious wincing and the performances are less than stellar. It's worth watching as a curiosity item, but doesn't offer much more than that. See more georgan g 06/30/2022 A little slow at the beginning, but extremely well acted and very touching. See more Read all reviews
The Whales of August

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
September 67% 52% September Watchlist Beaches 42% 88% Beaches Watchlist Desert Bloom 71% 71% Desert Bloom Watchlist Plenty 59% 52% Plenty Watchlist Ironweed 58% 58% Ironweed Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Two elderly sisters, Libby Strong (Bette Davis) and Sarah Webber (Lillian Gish), travel to their summer house in Maine. The pair couldn't be less similar: Libby is blind, cynical and mean-spirited; Sarah is sunny, optimistic and healthy. Yet their shared memories and hardships -- especially the deaths of their husbands -- help bind the two together. Still, the entrance of a local fisherman (Vincent Price) into Sarah's life threatens to reopen old wounds.
Director
Lindsay Anderson
Producer
Mike Kaplan, Carolyn Pfeiffer
Screenwriter
David Berry
Distributor
Alive Films
Production Co
Nelson Entertainment
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 16, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 19, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$127.3K
Runtime
1h 30m
Most Popular at Home Now