The Homesman
Seen it?2014 | 122 min | Western, Drama
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (80% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it's still drawing plenty of interest, despite a box office loss. 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 anyone who loves a strong drama. If you loved The Revenant or The Harder They Fall, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 2 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy. Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a low-life drifter, George Briggs, to join her. The unlikely pair and the three women head east, where a waiting minister and his wife have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threat.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 68 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.5 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Cannes award.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$3 million worldwide on a $16 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 281K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones
- Hilary SwankMary Bee Cuddy
- Tommy Lee JonesGeorge Briggs
- Grace GummerArabella Sours
- Miranda OttoTheoline Belknap
- Sonja RichterGro Svendsen
- Tim Blake NelsonThe Freighter
- James SpaderAloysius Duffy
- John LithgowReverend Alfred Dowd
- Evan JonesBob Giffen
- Barry CorbinBuster Shaver