Wildlife

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Wildlife

PG-13

Released Oct 19, 2018

1h 44m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

94%

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220 Reviews

72%

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1,000+ Ratings

Fourteen-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry -- a housewife and a golf pro -- in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job -- and his sense of purpose -- he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother's struggle as she tries to keep her head above water.

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Critics Consensus

Wildlife's portrait of a family in crisis is beautifully composed by director Paul Dano -- and brought brilliantly to life by a career-best performance from Carey Mulligan.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

There's no shaking the feeling that this sort of study of all-American repression has been done to death.

Feb 29, 2020

Full Review

Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Few could play a character so ordinary with as much empathy as Oxenbould brings to the role. He's one to watch, here and in the future.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 3, 2019

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

The jittery physicality of Mulligan's portrayal is frequently surprising.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 17, 2018

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JD Duran

InSession Film

Paul Dano’s direction is one of the most confident I’ve seen in recent years from a first-timer at the helm.

Aug 7, 2024

Full Review

Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

It’s pretty to look at, and harbours strong visual storytelling alongside its top-notch acting.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Wildlife” has such a strong emotional core, and even as a fiery metaphor burns on the horizon (I’ll let you discover it for yourselves) the film never loses its heart.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

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julie b

Moving, tender, and heartbreaking, with lots of space and silence to sit in; it’s subdued (a little too much so for me) yet unravels quickly. Has that aftersun vibe of seeing your parents as real, complicated people, not just your parents. Someone please give sweet Joe a big hug!!! Great performances - especially Carrie as a woman unraveling, and Ed as our eyes and the poor son trying to hold it together; Jake is also good but not much air time. Also very strong for a first film by Paul Dano, surprised that it’s a debut and also to not have seen more since then!! “I feel like I need to wake up. But I don’t know what from. Or to”

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

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David W

While the pace is on the slow side for my preference, the superb acting from its leads and excellent cinematography more than made up for it. I would watch this again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

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Ian W

Paul Dano directs. Jake Gyllenhaal and Carrie Mulligan star. What could possibly go wrong. Well, it transpires lots. Dull, dull, dull. Slow moving. Glacial pace. Mulligan has an improbable liaison with a deeply unattractive second hand car dealer. Depressing stuff. I was glad when it was all over. Critics got this one badly wrong because they'd made their minds up it was 'great' before watching. It wasn't great. It was boring.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

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peter S

I love these actors but the movie is nothing short of terrible thanks to the director and the adaptation of the novel. Are these people supposed to be in their mid thirties or in their mid eighties? Because they have them sleep through life or pretend to be in their 80s, I was not sure. This movie has no energy. The characters don't seem to be alive. That being said there is not much action in the story either. Did the director think it could make a 15 minutes story into a 90 minutes movie by telling the actors to go super slow like a slow motion through life? Ridiculous.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

casnien

Still can't get over the camera work in this movie on my second watch, incredible. Carey Mulligan is incredible in this movie, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Oxenbould. The screenplay is so interesting, how someone can become someone so evil, just for the money and the regonition. I really dont know much else i can say about this movie, experience it for yourself and you will see what i mean by that.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Actor-turned-director Paul Dano's intimate indie is compelling of course but in a 100 minute runtime the film doesn't seem to have much of a third act or fitting resolution.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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Paul Dano

Director

Carey Mulligan

Jeanette Brinson

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jerry Brinson

Ed Oxenbould

Joe Brinson

Bill Camp

Warren Miller

Zoe Margaret Colletti

Ruth-Ann

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Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry -- a housewife and a golf pro -- in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job -- and his sense of purpose -- he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother's struggle as she tries to keep her head above water.

Director: Paul Dano
Producer: Alex Saks, Paul Dano, Oren Moverman, Ann Ruark, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, Andrew Duncan
Screenwriter: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Sight Unseen Pictures, June Pictures, Nine Stories Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language|A Sexual Situation|Smoking|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Runtime: 1h 44m

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