The Road Home
Seen it?1999 | 89 min | Drama, Romance
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (89% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made about 6 times its budget, despite little lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Emotional (bring tissues), warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 29 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
89% on Rotten Tomatoes, 71 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.4 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Won 1 Berlin award: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. Plus 3 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$7 million worldwide on a $1 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 23K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Zhang Yimou
- Zhang ZiyiYoung Zhao Di
- Zheng HaoLuo Changyu
- Yulian ZhaoZhao Di
- Sun HongleiLuo Yusheng
- Li BinGrandmother
- Song YunchengVillage Chief
- Guifa ChangMayor
- Wencheng SungYoung Mayor
- Liu QiCarpenter Xia
- Ji BoYoung Carpenter Xia