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The Yellow Handkerchief

PG-13 Released Feb 26, 2010 1h 36m Drama Romance List
65% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Former con man Brett Hanson (William Hurt) is imprisoned for six years before finally being released on parole. Now he needs to get back home to Louisiana and the ex-wife (Maria Bello) he left there, so when he meets Gordy (Eddie Redmayne) and Martine (Kristen Stewart) on a road trip south, he accepts their offer to give him a ride. While Brett wonders whether his ex-wife will want to see him again, Gordy harbors a crush on Martine, who is trying to recover from her painful past.
The Yellow Handkerchief

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Small and intimate -- occasionally to a fault -- The Yellow Handkerchief rises above its overly familiar ingredients thanks to riveting performances from William Hurt and Kristen Stewart.

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Critics Reviews

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Perri Nemiroff CinemaBlend Just as the relationships at the core of this drama, The Yellow Handkerchief is one big compromise. Make do with the lackluster parts and receive something uniquely pleasant. Rated: 3/5 Aug 13, 2010 Full Review Tom Long Detroit News This is basically brooding people doing awkward things in a humid environment. Rated: C+ Apr 2, 2010 Full Review Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle When The Yellow Handkerchief finally hooks into the meat of Hamill's source story, the narrative tension puts enough wind in the film's sails to arrive at its corny but sentimentally satisfying conclusion. Rated: 2.5/5 Apr 2, 2010 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The start of Yellow Handkerchief is promising, but the film declines the closer it gets to the inevitable finally. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 19, 2022 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens [A] lyric narrative style that is celebrated through the strength of [cinematographer] Chris Menges' stunning imager. Nov 3, 2019 Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture Although director Uduayan Prasad frames our three protagonists in beautiful bayou scenery and delicate sunlight, he does not give us enough to want to spend time with these people. Rated: 2/5 Oct 19, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member very moving and powerfully acted the title bears strong significance too a good film about one man struggling to find something to wipe his tears of life away Kristen Stewart, Maria Bello and William Hurt act very accordingly there are some faults to be had when they happen but it doesnt topple the picture completely this is a nice movie that thankfully relies on inspirational dialogue and acting Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review J B I Love this movie. Its simple but realistic and deep . Realistic senarios , emotion , situations . I love the characters, They feel relatable . Im an empath , this is my type of movie . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review steve d Predictable but likable. The cast is great and Stewart shows yet again with the right material she is extremely effective. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The apparent news from the in people in the industry was that no distributer wanted to buy this movie. Despite a respectable cast, The Yellow Handkerchief has sat on the shelf for nearly three years. The director, Udayan Prasad, is something of an unknown quantity (he does not have any "A list" films on his resume), and no major distributor was willing to take a chance on such a listless, dialogue-intensive motion picture. The Samuel Goldwyn Company paid a minimal amount for the rights, viewing this as a low-risk, high-reward endeavor. They will no doubt heavily promote Kristen Stewart's involvement, hoping to bilk Twilight fans into seeing this movie. There's little enough to appeal to them in The Yellow Handkerchief and almost nothing for anyone else.(pretentious mess). Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member will always be a fave Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review farah r William Hurt's impressive performance isn't enough to carry the weight of this entire dull story while the rest of the cast, although renown, float about with little to dispel the blandness resulting in an enjoyable but forgettable drama. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Yellow Handkerchief

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Movie Info

Synopsis Former con man Brett Hanson (William Hurt) is imprisoned for six years before finally being released on parole. Now he needs to get back home to Louisiana and the ex-wife (Maria Bello) he left there, so when he meets Gordy (Eddie Redmayne) and Martine (Kristen Stewart) on a road trip south, he accepts their offer to give him a ride. While Brett wonders whether his ex-wife will want to see him again, Gordy harbors a crush on Martine, who is trying to recover from her painful past.
Director
Udayan Prasad
Producer
Arthur Cohn
Screenwriter
Pete Hamill, Erin Dignam
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Arthur Cohn Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violence|Sexual Content|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 26, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 5, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$317.0K
Runtime
1h 36m