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Winter Solstice

Play trailer Poster for Winter Solstice R 2005 1h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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62% Tomatometer 81 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
It's been five years since a wife and mother was killed in a car crash, but her surviving husband, Jim Winters (Anthony LaPaglia), can't bridge the gap that has grown between him and his teenage sons. Pete (Mark Webber), who was with his mother when she died, is doing badly in school. Gabe (Aaron Stanford) talks of leaving town and pushes his sympathetic girlfriend away. But when Jim helps move new neighbor Molly (Allison Janney) into her home, the first possibilities of healing begin to stir.
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Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

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Critics Consensus

A deliberately paced, realistic portrait of a family's grief and healing.

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Critics Reviews

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Janice Page Boston Globe 05/13/2005
2/4
Ultimately undercut by its fictional elements and its flat characters. Go to Full Review Michael Booth Denver Post 05/06/2005
3/4
This movie deserves to be seen -- and learned from. It captures the moments in which each of us stares out across an emptiness, searching for a connection that will keep us from falling. Go to Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle 05/01/2005
2/5
The chill in the air is deadening for the viewer. Go to Full Review Adam Smith Radio Times 6d
4/5
Those who can't abide movies without action and incident should stay away, but for those who prefer their drama painted in the subtlest shades, this is a delight. Go to Full Review Bruce Feld Film Journal International 03/01/2007
Audiences may not get too excited about devastated people who conduct their social lives at the local Dairy Queen. Go to Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile 11/18/2005
Winter Solstice is an intense drama and all the action is internal. LaPaglia is such a fine actor and every nuance of his bottled up Jim comes through, as he struggles to not only be a good father, but to find a direction in his own life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ashley h @ashleyhobgood87 04/14/2015 Winter Solstice is an incredible film. It is about a widower who confronts his older son's decision to leave home and his younger son's self-destructive behavior. Anthony LaPaglia and Aaron Stanford give amazing performances. The script is well written. Josh Sternfeld did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. Winter Solstice is a must see. See more 02/19/2013 (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Interesting and with a good cast. See more 02/06/2013 There's nothing particularly bad about this film it's just that there's nothing overly special about it either. It's a completely natural story complete with honest performances but it failed to leave an impact on me while watching it. See more 09/24/2012 This was a movie in which nothing happened. For all 86 minutes, we were waiting for something, anything really. Right up to the closing credits. We were even hoping that poor Gabe would be wiped out at the intersection, just so that something had happened. But no. The credits rolled. Anthony Lapaglia was uninspiring and very square in form. CJ (Alison Janney) is usually such good value, but in this movie, the highlight was the return of the trolley. Poor Alison. See more 06/09/2011 Okay movie ,,kinda slow . See more 01/04/2011 Quiet but tautly acted film about a father and two sons moving on after the death of their wife/mother in dull, suburban New Jersey. The obvious rebellion issues ensue as dad (Anthony LaPaglia) loses touch and control with this sones (Aaron Stanford and Mark Webber). Complicating matters is dad's budding relationship with new neighbor (Allison Janney). Nothing new here, but worth catching. See more Read all reviews
Winter Solstice

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Cast & Crew

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Josh Sternfeld

Director

Anthony LaPaglia

Jim Winters

Aaron Stanford

Gabe Winters

Mark Webber

Pete Winters

Allison Janney

Molly Ripkin

Michelle Monaghan

Stacey

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Winter Solstice

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Movie Info

Synopsis It's been five years since a wife and mother was killed in a car crash, but her surviving husband, Jim Winters (Anthony LaPaglia), can't bridge the gap that has grown between him and his teenage sons. Pete (Mark Webber), who was with his mother when she died, is doing badly in school. Gabe (Aaron Stanford) talks of leaving town and pushes his sympathetic girlfriend away. But when Jim helps move new neighbor Molly (Allison Janney) into her home, the first possibilities of healing begin to stir.
Director
Josh Sternfeld
Producer
Doug Bernheim, John Limotte
Screenwriter
Josh Sternfeld
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Sound Pictures
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 18, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$319.2K
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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