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Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly, Colm Feore ... see more see more... , Jason Butler Harner , Amy Ryan , Geoffrey Pierson , Frank Wood , Denis O'Hare , Peter Gerety , Reed Birney , Gattlin Griffith , Devon Conti , Eddie Alderson , Riki Lindhome , Michelle Martin

Los Angeles, 1928: On a Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, Christine said goodbye to her son, Walter, and left for work. When she came home, she discovered he had vanished. A fruitless search... read more read more... ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the nine-year-old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But, in her heart, she knows he is not Walter. As she pushes authorities to keep looking, she learns that in Prohibition-era L.A., women don't challenge the system and live to tell their story. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb, who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy.

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84% liked it

208,708 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

194 critics

R, 2 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date: October 24, 2008

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009

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Stats: 13,451 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (13,451)

  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 19, 2012
    FiLmCrAzY
    WOW Clint Eastwood is fantastic, as usual Eastwood directs another fantastic movie and its brilliant, If you liked Million Dollar Baby, Gran Tourino, Blood work and any others of his directional films then you'll love this movie as much as i have.
    Angelina Jolie needs to be recog... read morenized as well in this movie her and eastwood have made a brilliant time in this movie and she plays the part fantasticly making the part so convincing and her own.
    This is an emotional and heartwarming , enlightening true story that touches the heart, and its actually hard to believe that this movie is a true story because of the police thinking that the life of a child isnt worth that much compared to the integrity of the force!!
    As a True Story this movie is about a child vanishing but 5 months later apparently Jolie child is save and bought back to her but she is convinced he isnt her child this starts to unravel corruption , lies and sanity! Jolie will go to any lengths to find her child and no one will get in her way except the polie force . John Malkovich makes a brilliant supporting actor this movie is just completely worth a watch!
  • fb1463751009
    March 8, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Great movie with astounding performances and direction, this movie starts to lose its drive near the 3rd act. Not only that, but this movie also falls into the typical Hollywood cliche's.
  • paulkoh110
    October 26, 2011
    paulkoh110
    Its really good. Its heart churning and different. Jolie's acting helps blend Eastwood's directing to create a story that is memorable after the end.
  • ironclad1609
    October 11, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Eastwood is really on a winning streak in recent years. Here he tells the story of a mother who's victim of corrupt 1920s L.A. police in her search for her lost son. While the film starts out slowly, it gets more enthralling by the minute. The characters are strong and reliable: ... read morethe bad guys are despicable and corrupt and the good guys are reliable and decent. That makes for a very powerful combination and engages the audience, torn between the feelings of anger, satisfaction and grief. The acting is accordingly brilliant, Jolie delivers one of the strongest performances of her career and Malkovich is close behind. That makes for a moving, beautifully shot movie that will probably stay with the viewer for a very long time.
  • danperry17
    September 11, 2011
    danperry17
    I liked Changeling more than I didn't, but I have the same complaint about it that I did Gran Torino: Eastwood can't direct children. The person he did manage to direct, though? Angelina Jolie. She plays the kind of role you'd expect Sandra Bullock or Nicole Kidman to play - the ... read morebig-hearted, put-upon fighter/mother - and though she comes over the top a couple of times, on the whole she did a great job of driving this movie despite being cast against type. I enjoyed the supporting cast, and the look and feel of 1920s/1930s L.A., and I thought the latter half of the movie was downright spooky by times... even if it did get a bit formulaic. Not Eastwood's best - there can be only one Unforgiven - but much better than Invictus. Totally watchable, maybe even rewatchable - I've been thinking about it for a few days since I saw it, which strikes me as a good sign.
  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Changeling is a true account of son Walter Collins, presumed murdered; and mother Christine Collins, victim of excessive authority, circa 1928 California, USA. A brilliant fusion of mystery, drama, and thriller compounded by strong performances notably by Angelina Jolie, Changeli... read moreng is bound to reduce the audience into a disturbed crowd, but proud of faith, of justice, and of the steadfast human spirit. Uncompromising.
  • cosmo313
    August 21, 2011
    cosmo313
    Based on some actual events, this film is a grim yet fascinating study of the disempowerment of women and an examination of corruption within heirarchical structures. The story itself is that of the disappearance of a boy during the late 1920s. After an iffy investigation, a boy ... read morematching the description of the missing is returned ot the mother. However, it's not her son, and, despite all her attempts to convince people otherwise, the mother goes through hell tring to figure out the truth and get some closure.

    This is a long movie, and deliberately paced, and it is a little uneven, yet I was never really bored, always finding something great to look at or think about. The film is a litle overstuffed, trying to do perhaps too much, but given the running time, it's better to have too much going on instead of not enough. In any case, this is all extremely gripping stuff.

    Angelina Jolie does a wonderful job as the mother, John Malkovich, actually portraying a benevolent character, is also quite good. For me though, it's Jeffrey Donovan and a bunch of the character actors in supporting roles who all show up throught who really bring the house down acting wise.

    There's a lot of attention to period detail here, and the film does a really good job of getting the sets, styles, and attitudes of the period down correctly. It was cool seeing the retro Universal Pictures logo at the beginning as well. Even though the films does have a few issues, I bet no one will argue that it is a goregous looking film with some truly stunning camera work. Tom Stern, who has been working with Eastwood since 2002 is really an unsung hero of the cinematography world.

    One little thing I liked is the filter that was used to give the film an older look, similar to what was done on O Brother Where Art Thou, only not as extreme.

    You should give this film a look. It's ambitious, filled with tension and dread, and filled with food for thought. It's a nicely played drama, despite trying to do so much and having a story that shifts from a mystery thriller to a serial killer yarn.
  • DreamExtractor
    August 18, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Changeling is a phenomenal film that is one of the most deepest dramas I have ever seen in my life. In 1928 Los Angelos a mother (Angelina Jolie) left her son at home for work, when she returned he was gone. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the ... read morenine-year-old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But, in her heart, she knows he is not Walter. As she pushes authorities to keep looking, she learns that in Prohibition-era L.A., women don't challenge the system and live to tell their story. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb, who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy.
    The plot of the film is so good and so beautiful i had a hard time not watching it. The cast is amazing and I can honestly say this is Angelina Jolie's best movie, and her best performance ever. This movie was touching, beautiful, and you will not want to leave until you see the incredible and mysterious ending.
  • SirPant
    June 17, 2011
    SirPant
    There is an element of 'film making by numbers' with Changeling but as far as historical accuracies and projecting the emotion and frustration that Christine Collins must have felt, Mr. Eastwood has done a fine job. It's an interesting story though, so I think it would have been ... read morehard to go wrong, I do however, think that a number of other directors could have made a much better film. I does seem to go on a little longer than it should but I'm glad that Mr. Eastwood didn't take the lazy option and reduce years of interesting story into seconds of written information, he keeps going and in doing so only highlights the hope that Christine Collins had even though her plight, especially now with hindsight, was ultimately hopeless. I'm not a huge Angelina Jolie fan but she doesn't do anything wrong here, as much as she doesn't really do much either. John Malkovich was good but didn't have a lot of screen time and Jeffrey Donovan and Jason Butler Harner both played their very different roles as villains convincingly. A frustrating, horrific but fascinating story, adequately told.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    April 2, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A sad and convincing story of a mother who lost her son. Performances are brilliant and the story runs well and you believe Christine and want her to get her son back. Thankfully they didn't do a "happy ending" and have her son come back. That would be a bit cheesy.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards
November 10, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

Eastwood, who has made fine movies in recent years, has got hold of a humdinger of a story. But he's too detached and lazy here. Full Review

James Berardinelli
October 31, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Clint Eastwood's Changeling falls into a common trap: by trying to do too much, it accomplishes too little. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
October 31, 2008
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

This is one movie where the star really is the star. And delivers a performance of which any actress can be truly proud. Full Review

Adam Graham
October 31, 2008
Adam Graham, Detroit News

It is a misfire, a silly and borderline absurd story that cannot excuse its twists and turns with the simple 'a true story' declaration that opens the film. Full Review

Eric D. Snider
October 30, 2008
Eric D. Snider, Film.com

How could a story as genuinely bizarre as this one seem so generic and rambling on the screen? Full Review

Colin Covert
October 30, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Changeling is a brilliant, demanding film, a mystery-cum-character study about which we finally have to make up our own minds. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
October 30, 2008
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

With its many tonal shifts and dangling subplots, J. Michael Straczynski's sprawling script is a problem. Jolie's performance is another. Full Review

Roger Moore
October 30, 2008
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

If the film is too long and a little unwieldy in its later acts, the consummate craftsman in Eastwood glosses over that with detail and righteous rage. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
October 30, 2008
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Changeling is a fine-enough movie. It's just that it's aware of the fact, and neither Eastwood nor Jolie ever lets the audience forget it. Full Review

Peter Rainer
October 28, 2008
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This hothouse Changeling is freeze-dried. Full Review

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    • Christine Collins: Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
    • Christine Collins: Never start a fight, but always finish them.
    • Chief James E. Davis: Better a short inconvenience than a lingering problem.
    • Det. Lester Ybarra: Nobody can just up and kill 20 kids, okay?
    • Sanford Clark: We did.
    • Det. Lester Ybarra: It's raining cats, dogs, and democrats out there, this better be worth it.
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