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Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, William Mapother ... see more see more... , William Wise , Celia Weston , Karen Allen , Veronica Cartwright , Don Lewis , Andrea Walker , Justin Ashforth , Daran Norris , Christopher Adams , Sara Armstrong , Elly Barksdale , Erin Barksdale , Daniel Baxter-Leahy , Rebecca Benner , Bethany Berry , Hope Berry , David Blair , Terry A. Burgess , John Campanello , Brandon Carleton , Lisa Carlton , Kevin Chapman , Sam Cousins , Coomenic Cuccinello III , Bill Dawkins , Harriet Dawkins , Robert Demkowicz , Deborah Derecktor , Ryan Ecker , Alida P. Field , Henry Field , The Honorable Joseph Field , Rachel Freeman , Shyann Gauthier , Gwendolyn Gilchrist , Shauneen Grout , Brian Hagley , Jackie Hagley , Diane E. Hamlin , Daniel Hendricks , Adah Holman , Kenney Dale Johnson , Jessie Lanoue , Alicia Laplant , Iris Leslie , Matthew Maxwell , Francis Mazzeo , Elisabeth McClure , Jared Mekin , Joshua Mills , Camden Munson , W. Clapham Murray , Chelsea Peasley , Eric Rahkonen , Doug Rich , Natalie Russell , Misty Seekins , Tyler Shane Smith-Campbell , Parker Spear , Philip Spearing , Ben Staples , Owen Thompson , Erica Towle-Powers , Mackenzie Tucker , Jonathan Walsh , Evanne Weirich , Frank T. Wells , Nichole Wimbiscus , Robin Wimbiscus , Anna Winsor , Harold Withee , Ron Russell , Samuel Johnson

Character actor and noted photographer Todd Field made his directorial debut with this emotionally powerful drama, which earned enthusiastic reviews at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Frank Fowler (N... read more read more...ick Stahl) is a handsome and amiable young man who has recently graduated from high school and is spending the summer working as a lobster fisherman before heading off to college in the fall. Frank is also involved with Natalie (Marisa Tomei), an attractive woman ten years his senior who is separated from her husband Richard (William Mapother), though their divorce has not yet been finalized. Frank's parents, Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Ruth (Sissy Spacek) wonder if it's wise for their son to be pursuing a romance that he won't be able to continue in a few months; Matt trusts Frank and leaves him to make his own decisions, while Ruth quietly but firmly registers her objections. One day, Richard snaps, and breaks into Natalie's home; when he discovers Frank is there, he viciously kills him. The wheels of justice turn in an unexpected direction, and Richard is released on bail, free to go his own way as he awaits his trial. Matt and Ruth are both deeply traumatized by the event; while Matt tries to deal with his hurt by retreating into his work and avoiding his feelings, Ruth instead becomes increasingly withdrawn, losing interest in her job as a music teacher and spending her nights chain smoking in front of the television. In the Bedroom was adapted from the short story Killings by Andre Dubus. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

18,599 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

137 critics

R, 2 hr. 18 min.

Directed by: Todd Field

Release Date: November 23, 2001

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DVD Release Date: August 13, 2002

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Stats: 1,156 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,156)

  • yona71
    July 17, 2009
    yona71
    Analogous title for a flm that deals with this state in various ways. Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei shine in this dismal tale of devastation in a Maine lobster town.
    First-time director Todd Field did a brilliant job portraying the loss, rage, and desire for rev... read moreenge with the help of exceptional acting performances, and the observation of the taciturn anguish so readily available in our everyday lives.
  • fb619846742
    March 16, 2009
    fb619846742
    An expertly crafted film concerning a family dealing with grief. Tom Wilkinson impresses yet again, in his most accomplished performance yet as a respected man of a small town in Maine who feels he must avenge the terrible act committed against his son. The performances are all t... read moreop-notch, capped off with an arresting last thirty minutes of the movie that prove to be extremely well written and plotted. Although at times it appears to be a little too slow-moving, if you concentrate on the setting, characters, and how the story is told, you should be captivated.
  • aliceinpunderland
    February 24, 2009
    aliceinpunderland
    This film is nigh perfect until 1/3 of the way through, when it starts trying too hard to portray the subtlety of a grieving family. The fights - while magnificently acted - are completely unmotivated. Ruth claims Matt never wanted to talk about the incident, but it's not as if... read more she ever tried talking either. It's a cop-out to say that she is confused with grief and doesn't know what she's saying. Even so, the film would need more development to come to that realization. THEN the climax. Come on! Matt is not the killing kind, and the plan is full of holes! This film attempts a conscionable killing ala Woody Allen, but they neglect to properly build the motives, the atmosphere, and the aftermath.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 22, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Well done and great cast.
  • mwilliams078
    September 21, 2008
    mwilliams078
    In The Bedroom, is a very strong ensemble cast of a film. Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei, and Tom Wilkinson.

    The movie centers around a small town that has many secrets such as a younger man (Nick Stahl) having an affair with an older woman (Tomei) whom is married. Her hsuband is ... read morean abusive man and this tells a story of how all people deal with what is going on in the bedroom.....
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 27, 2008
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Supposely this movie was nominated for best picture and I really dont know why cause it wasn't a big deal except the beauty of Marisa Tomei. When a film with such emotional resonance and visual poise as In the Bedroom makes it to the screen, it seems an unexpected gift meant to r... read moreemind us of the medium's possibility for sensitivity and epiphany. First-time director Todd Field, who adapted the film from a story by Andre Dubus with screenwriter Rob Festinger, quietly observes the loss, rage, and inexorable desire for revenge that follows the murder of a 21-year-old son. The film opens with Frank (Nick Stahl), back from college for the summer, taking up with Natalie (Marisa Tomei), a slightly older, sexually alluring woman with two boys and an estranged husband prone to violence. It is the tender portrayal of love between Frank and his parents, even as Frank and Natalie's relationship reveals the prejudices of all involved, that makes the subsequent anguish of the film so acute. Matt and Ruth Fowler (Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek), middle-class denizens of a Maine lobster town where everyone knows each other, toil through weeks of devastation and blame following Frank's murder before their outrage obliterates all else. Field's exact handling of jealousy, class division, and grief is abetted by career-highlight performances from Wilkinson and Spacek.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 9, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    painstakingly real.
  • tsigur
    December 10, 2007
    tsigur
    There are a couple of really powerful scenes, like that fucking slap. I love you, Marisa.
  • jennifxu
    September 28, 2007
    jennifxu
    YAWN. This is one of those movies that slowly builds up and builds up and climaxes with...absolutely nothing. It has big names and so-called "great" acting but doesn't deliver at all. Inconsistent piece of crap.
  • kiriyamakazou
    September 2, 2007
    kiriyamakazou
    One of the purest and most perfect films ever to be made. A real subtle look into the workings of an aging couple after tragedy strikes. The film boils with intense emotions without a single bubble coming to the surface. The performances and dialogue are restrained until the char... read moreacters and audience can no longer take it. Heart pounding, grim and uneasy. Every scene is expertly crafted whether it be the lobster metaphor at the very beginning or the heart breaking scene as Wilkinson takes down a swing set. Stunning, real and quiet, a film that demands respect and deserves all it's praise.

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Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar
January 10, 2002
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

So emotionally pure and rigorous that you're more than willing to go along with it.

Desson Thomson
December 28, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The story and direction are powerful enough. But it's the acting that takes In the Bedroom higher.

Peter Howell
December 28, 2001
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Lingers in the mind, suffusing melancholy with the fateful pall of dread that hangs over all of life's pleasures. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
December 28, 2001
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Field has a talent for drawing us directly into his characters' lives and making us feel what they feel. Full Review

Joe Baltake
December 28, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

A film of great empathy and healing power and it comes at exactly the right time. Full Review

Liam Lacey
December 28, 2001
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

There has probably not been a more adult American film made in the last year. Full Review

Susan Stark
December 26, 2001
Susan Stark, Detroit News

A film that owes its impact to the sounds of silence and to exquisitely careful work from its lead actors.

Jay Carr
December 26, 2001
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

The surehandedly wrought, beautifully acted, almost unbearably tense In the Bedroom is a rare film, not to be missed.

Steven Rosen
December 25, 2001
Steven Rosen, Denver Post

Gets at what most Hollywood movies are afraid to say about the way we live on the edge of tragedy. Full Review

Glenn Lovell
December 25, 2001
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

This is the kind of restrained, deeply human relationship picture that Hollywood -- in its rush to keep us from ourselves -- has forgotten how to make. Full Review

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In the Bedroom Trivia

  • In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, According to Toula's mother, Greek women are lambs in the kitchen and __________ in the bedroom  Answer »
  • What does Julie Andrews make clothes for the Von Trapp children out of in 'The Sound of Music'?  Answer »
  • Sissy Spacek was nominated foe an Oscar for her role in the film In The Bedroom ?   Answer »
  • Marissa Tormei won an Oscar for her part in the film In The Bedroom ?  Answer »
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