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Poster for The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Seen it?

1968 | 123 min | Drama

Friday Night Flickearly rating

Why it’s a Friday Night Flick

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it drew serious awards attention. Make plans for this one.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who remembers how big everything felt at sixteen and people who like stories about real, flawed people. Small moments carry real weight here, the way they do when you're young. Sits nicely alongside Risky Business.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Gives its people room to develop, at 2 hr 3 min.
What might put you off
  • Made in 1968: an older pace and style.
  • Skip it if you need something light and fast tonight.

Singer is a deaf-mute whose small world brings him in contact with a young girl, Mick, who cherishes a seemingly hopeless dream of becoming a concert pianist. At first hostile, Mick soon becomes friends with Singer, hoping to enlarge his small world. Three other central characters come to Singer for help also, each of them seeing in him a powerful force.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsStrong

    Nominated for 2 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes and 1 WGA Award.

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $1 million worldwide on a $1 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 59K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Robert Ellis Miller

  • Sondra LockeMargaret "Mick" Kelly
  • Alan ArkinJohn Singer
  • Laurinda BarrettMrs. Kelly
  • Stacy KeachBlount
  • Chuck McCannSpiros Antonapoulos
  • Biff McGuireMr. Kelly
  • Percy RodriguezDoctor Copeland
  • Cicely TysonPortia Copeland
  • Jackie MarloweBubber
  • Johnny PopwellWillie