The Lovely Bones poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli ... see more see more... , Saoirse Ronan , Rose McIver , Christian Ashdale , Reece Ritchie , Ryan Gosling , Amanda Michalka

Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is just experiencing the pangs of first love when she's viciously murdered by her neighbor Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci), a predatory wolf with a deceptivel... read more read more...y mundane appearance. As her family slowly begins drifting apart while struggling to make sense of their loss, Susie bravely attempts to find her footing in the hereafter. Meanwhile, down on earth, Mr. Harvey is feeling confident that he's covered his tracks well enough to get away with the crime, and begins honing in on his next victim -- Susie's younger sister, Lindsey (Rose McIver), who's beginning to suspect that he's not the harmless suburbanite he portrays himself to be. Director Peter Jackson reteams with King Kong and Lord of the Rings trilogy co-screenwriters Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh to adapt Alice Sebold's bestselling novel for the big screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

57% liked it

350,669 ratings

Critics

32% liked it

228 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 16 min.

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Release Date: December 11, 2009

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 20, 2010

Get It:

Stats: 20,000 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Lovely Bones Rachel Weisz Saoirse Ronan the lovely bones The Lovely Bones Saoirse Ronan The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones: New Poster Mark Wahlberg The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones Mark Wahlberg with Stanley Tucci the lovely bones the lovely bones Saoirse Ronan The Lovely Bones The Lovely Bones
Upload a Photo | View All The Lovely Bones Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (20,000)

  • garyX
    May 1, 2012
    garyX
    A 14 year old girl is murdered by a serial killer and watches from a fantasy land of her own creation as her family seek the truth as to what happened to her and come to terms with their loss. Released to a veritable mixed bag of love and loathing, Peter Jackson's adaptation of w... read morehat was essentially a "kid's book" is a combination of family drama, serial killer thriller and ghost story that actually works really well. Young Saoirse Ronan puts in a great central performance as the murder victim, and the treatment of her family and relationships lacks the usual saccharine and clumsy melodrama you'd usually associate with subject matter such as this. The imagery of her fantasy world is beautifully realised and Stanley Tucci's performance as the seemingly normal yet creepy killer combined with some great direction from Jackson subvert the mood of the film from normality to sinister and disturbing at will. Strangely uplifting for such dark subject matter, this film is an unpatronizing snapshot of life as a teenager with Lynchian themes and Hitchcockian suspense embellished with some lush Burtonesque imagery. Reminiscent of Jackson's earlier Heavenly Creatures and his most under-rated film.
  • fb1033186916
    April 11, 2012
    fb1033186916
    Sentiment has its limits, but nonetheless, The Lovely Bones presents a beautiful story, both moving and dazzling in its own artistic way. Brutal and horrifying in implied undertones yet it conveys the message in a subtle manner, at the same time surrounding it with dramatic tensi... read moreon and anti-climactic build-up.
  • fb100002359227440
    March 22, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    The Lovely Bones it's a dazzling and beautiful way to see another side of a murder. The boring and exhausting screenplay, with a cliche teen romance, a strange girl (this character is almost always in a teen movie) and the running time, just get worse Peter Jackson's sentimentali... read morest movie. The strong tension and violence with the appellative dramatic scenes doesn't have a good chemistry in the script. Almost everything don't make The Lovely Bones a, at least, nice film to watch, the only great and sincere thing in whole picture is the outstanding performance by Stanley Tucci, a very good actor that just now is recognized by the Academy. Rotten.
  • aquateen2
    January 18, 2012
    aquateen2
    The performance of the lead child actress is great. The visuals are pretty good and yet they're very confusing as if they were taken out of a level from super mario galaxy. But that's all there is to it. And of course, Jackson is faithful as ever with the novel as he was with his... read more adaptions of King Kong and Lord of the Rings. Difference is though between these films and The Lovely Bones, the first two are entertaining. Ultimately, watching it I was just bored bored bored bored bored.
  • MrsInsomnia
    October 2, 2011
    MrsInsomnia
    135 mins were like eternity,so if it was shorter or I better say bit faster at action, it could be more watchable .Though what was really annoying ,was the metaphysical mentions in the script which gave a bad fairy-tailing atmosphere in the air.
  • fb535316333
    September 24, 2011
    fb535316333
    The story lacks function, offers breath taking style but just might hurt itself with the whole idea that "less is more". The director fails to guide the viewers into any coherent conclusion as the actors prance around with so much contrive reverence.

    Unfortunate, as the premise ... read moreheld quite a lot of intrigue for me and I'm always a visual type of guy.
  • spielberg00
    September 11, 2011
    spielberg00
    First and foremost, please allow me to state quite honestly that the PG-13 rating for THE LOVELY BONES is kind of ridiculous. It's significantly disturbing, for one; and also, how about that one scene where Suzie is thrown against walls repeatedly, raped, and murdered (very litt... read morele of which is implied)? I think that's just a liiittle too much for an unrestricted MPAA rating. Enough said about that. THE LOVELY BONES wasn't a good film, as it was uneven with the acting, and each minute counted the screenplay growing worse and worse. I was surprised at how disappointing this was for a Peter Jackson movie, considering he directed the epic LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and the 2005 remake of the 1933 film KING KONG (which in and of itself was interesting, considering Naomi Watts became the new equivalent to Fay Wray). Now I didn't expect this to be brilliant--if I had, you would be seeing a slightly worse grade here. But I can admit, though, that even though it was not a great film, it was enjoyable and visually intriguing.
  • fb100000212943704
    August 19, 2011
    fb100000212943704
    An excellent film. Despite bad reviews from critics' I found the film very enjoyable yet disturbing. A very harsh and disturbing subject, the film dealt with the metaphor of murder in a clever way, as well as keeping you on the edge of the seat with some suepnsful moments. Fantas... read moretic acting by the cast and a well earned oscar nomination by Stanley Tucci, who plays George Harvey the murderer, scared me! Overall a great film by Peter Jackson, a one off masterpiece.
    **** 4 Star
  • DreamExtractor
    August 15, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Disappointed, but great performance from Stanley Tucci. The plot was proposterous and dull. The characters were interesting but some were really pointless. I really disliked this movie and its ending was stupid.
  • SajinPA
    June 30, 2011
    SajinPA
    Susie Salmon was killed at the age of 14,
    ... and AVENGED she will be.

    Only this time the poor audience had the misfortune of being on its receiving end. Listening to her babbling about afterlife for well over 2 hours, viewers are pushed beyond their endurance, to the point whe... read morere they just want to go screaming at her to get to the bloody point, or just piss off "Into the White Light ".

View All The Lovely Bones Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tom Charity
February 19, 2010
Tom Charity, CNN.com

Jackson seems more at home in the afterlife than in this one, rendering this off-kilter project creepy and pretentious. Full Review

Rick Groen
January 15, 2010
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Some books should stay between their covers, and The Lovely Bones may well be one of them. Full Review

Tom Long
January 15, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

Understand, the film still has power, just not as much as it should. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
January 15, 2010
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

The movie is often wise. Full Review

Chris Vognar
January 15, 2010
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

This is a distractingly busy movie, so in love with its own considerable craft that it can't stay still long enough for anything to settle in. Full Review

Linda Barnard
January 15, 2010
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

Jackson's grand, computer-generated vision of Susie's Dali-like "in between," while occasionally gorgeous, leaves the viewer feeling stuck between two worlds, too. The story suffers. Full Review

Randy Myers
January 15, 2010
Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News

Most often, Jackson's magical other world resembles the land of Oz on steroids or, in one scene, a feminine hygiene ad. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
January 15, 2010
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Tone is the first thing sacrificed in this shapeless, overlong, mawkishly muddled pop-up illustration of a movie. Full Review

Colin Covert
January 14, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Rarely has a film launched by a killing seemed so insistently alive. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 14, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The Lovely Bones is difficult viewing, a meticulously crafted experiment that, it turns out, wasn't worth it. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • What Dreams May Come
    What Dreams May Come (95%)
  • Stir of Echoes
    Stir of Echoes (100%)
  • Charlie St. Cloud
    Charlie St. Cloud (85%)
  • Shutter Island
    Shutter Island (33%)

More Movies like The Lovely Bones

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • George Harvey: Ducks... It's all about concealment, the art of concealment and staying up late waiting in the hours of the dark...
    • Susie Salmon: Nobody notices when we leave. I mean, the moment when we really choose to go. At best you might feel a whisper, or the wave of a whisper, undulating down.
    • Susie Salmon: My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name: Susie. I was fourteen years old when I was murdered on December 6th, 1973. I was here for a moment, and then I was gone. I wish you all, a long, and happy life.
    • Susie Salmon: I was in the blue horizon between heaven and earth. The days were unchanging, and every night I dreamt the same dream. The smell of damp earth. The scream no one heard. The sound of my heart beating like a hammer against cloth, and I would hear them calling, the voices of the dead. I wanted to follow them to find a way out but I would always come back to the same door. And I was afraid. I knew if I went in there I would never come out.
  • based on the best selling book by Alice Sebold,
  • Rape, Based on Novel, Afterlife, Serial Killer, Murder
  • The story of a life and everything that came after...
Submit a Fact | View All

The Lovely Bones : Watch Free on TV

The Lovely Bones Trivia

  • This Lord of the Rings may be Braindead, but he can never be accused of having Bad Taste. The Heavenly Creatures he's created put The Frighteners on us all, especially King Kong. But he does have The Lovely Bones deep down... just, don't Meet the Feebles.  Answer »
  • Peter Jackson, the director of "The Lord of the Rings," 'King Kong," and the upcoming "Lovely Bones," often works with the same crew from film to film, a habit common to many directors. Who has he never worked with?  Answer »
  • What is now a major motion picture, who is the author of the book 'The Lovely Bones'?  Answer »
  • What part of Susie's charm bracelet did George Harvey keep in the movie "The Lovely Bones"?  Answer »
More The Lovely Bones Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Lovely Bones Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Lovely Bones to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View The Lovely Bones News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

elvisrlz Skin by elvisrlz
352 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins