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Ellen Burstyn, Christine Horne, Cole Hauser, Ellen Page, Sheila McCarthy ... see more see more... , Kevin Zegers , Dylan Baker , Samantha Weinstein , Luke Kirby , Doreen Brownstone , Ryland Thiessen , Mackenzie Munro , Connor Price , Jordan Todosey , Ardith Boxall , Arne MacPherson , Ted Atherton , R. Morgan Slade , Hilary Carroll , Olie Alto , Aaron Ashmore , Peter MacNeill , Joyce Krenz , Jessica Burleson , Evelyne Anderson , Sarah Constible , Alicia Johnston , Chris Sigurdson , Blake Taylor , Jason Spevack , David Gillies , Noah Meade , Landon Norris , Trevor Chief , Cody Carver , Jean Paul Thomas , Devon Bostick , Josette Halpert , Wayne Nicklas , Christopher Read , Nada Abdel Shahid , Frank Adamson , Wings Hauser , Janet-Laine Green , Akalu Meekis , Peter Jordan , Ross McMillan , Sharon Bajer , Marcia Bennett , Leslie Stanwyck , Eric Rigler , Cameron Stone , Daniel Koulack , Dave Lawton , Daniel Roy , William Bonness , Richard Moody , Greg Lowe , William Spornitz

Director Kari Skogland takes the reins for a Buffalo Gals Pictures production starring Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn as author Margaret Laurence's much-lauded heroine Hagar Shipley. Hagar may by ... read more read more...90, but she not ready to lie down and die just yet. Her decisions stem straight from her heart, and that often alienates her family and friends. When Hagar's son, Marvin (Dylan Baker), takes his mother to look at a nursing home, she takes it as her cue to leave her family behind and set out on one great last journey. Her mission is to locate the seaside home she remembers from her youth, but Hagar's memory is quickly fading, making it difficult for her to distinguish the past from the present. As a young girl, Hagar was set to inherit her father's mercantile empire until she was disowned for marrying a bold young man named Bram Shipley (Cole Hauser). Later, when Hagar's romantic illusions fade and she begins to view her husband with contempt, her decision to deny her children the kind of parental approval that she so badly longed for from her own father provokes a deep hereditary flaw. As she makes her way toward the seashore, Hagar realizes her time is running far too short to make up for a lifetime of unacknowledged mistakes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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58% liked it

2,915 ratings

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41% liked it

22 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Kari Skogland

Release Date: September 12, 2007

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DVD Release Date: October 21, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (224)

  • LWOODS04
    May 30, 2010
    LWOODS04
    CAST: Ellen Burstyn, Christine Horne, Cole Hauser, Dylan Baker, Ellen Page, Kevin Zegers

    DIRECTED BY: Kari Skogland

    SUMMARY: Rather than succumbing to life in a nursing home, feisty Hagar Shipley (Ellen Burstyn) goes on the run. As she struggles to keep her mind clear, Haga... read morer relives passionate moments from early in her life and reflects on the many difficult experiences she's faced.

    MY THOUGHTS: " This movie was sad, touching, and brillantly acted by all the characters. It's a storytelling movie and it really puts you in that place at that moment. The story goes back and forth from the present to the past. At the cottage house, she reminisces in flashbacks about all the relationships, loves, and experiences she's had in her long life. This movie is mainly about life and its about the ups-and-downs that we face, but overall, we conquer. Just a great film. Ellen Burstyn and Christine Home are the stars in this movie and out shine everyone else. But I believe their meant too. I guess the only disappointment in watching this movie is how small the roles Ellen Page and Kevin Zegers have in the film. But when they were on screen they were great. It's a good movie that might even draw a few tears from you. Its well worth the watch."
  • gator681
    July 31, 2009
    gator681
    In "The Stone Angel," Hagar(Ellen Burstyn) is being pressured by her son Marvin(Dylan Baker) and daughter-in-law Doris(Sheila McCarthy) to move into a nursing home, to which she is fiercely resisting. At the same time, she senses the futility of her fight as she feels her body a... read morend mind beginning to betray her. So, Hagar sneaks out of the house and travels back to her old hometown before it is too late.

    As a young woman(Christine Horne), Hagar wants to be a teacher but her wealthy father(Peter MacNeill) keeps her in town in a creepy arrangement to do the accounting and controls who she can see. That only works when he is at home and Hagar attends a dance while he is on the road, meeting the roguish Bram(Cole Hauser).

    Despite a nice example of stunt casting and an excellent performance from Ellen Burstyn, "The Stone Angel" has more than a hint of "A Trip to Bountiful" but with a sluggish pace, going on far too long with a cliched revelation in a vain attempt to neatly fit together all of the pieces of Hagar's past. Even then, one fairly big question remains. And it is hard to reconcile the repressed middle-aged Hagar with the profane old Hagar. The movie should have been more focused on Hagar's present and issues surrounding senior citizens while giving a more fractured view of her past which would better simulate the fading state of her mind. In recalling the past, Hagar has a way of staying on the negative side of the equation. The lack of nostalgia is refreshing, separating romance from relationships. Since marriage is hard, it is best to be very, very sure of what you are doing.
  • fb1144932598
    March 5, 2009
    fb1144932598
    A powerful performance by Ellen Burstyn as a woman (Hagar) at the end of her life, remembering the events that shaped it. Christine Horn plays the younger Hagar and one sees the elder in the younger woman. Great casting call. A story about love, and lust, and choices, and family ... read morepride, and hard-headedness. Ellen Page is only seen briefly, but she has an undeniable on-screen presence. The story itself is intense, but there are several lighter moments that keep it from imploding. Hard to feel sympathy for Hagar, as her life was defined by her choices, but she does not ask for sympathy. Respect is enough for Hagar, and that she has earned from this viewer.
  • crazydannielle16
    July 13, 2009
    crazydannielle16
    REALLY good acting and decent script. I lasted until the end out of curiousity but the story was kind of thrown together and I didn't really understand the purpose. WARNING SPOILER: I guess the message was that despite her troubled past and everyone in her life that died, Hagar f... read moreound peace with God on her death bed. I wish it explained more WHY she found peace...
  • merillupin
    October 3, 2008
    merillupin
    *yawn*
  • mrbicklethepickle
    May 21, 2010
    mrbicklethepickle
    It was just simply ok for me. Some sad and touching moments, but overall very boring. It was a good cast, and good acting, but I felt like the whole film just fell flat. It's such an average movie, that I don't even really have anything else to add to this review.
  • monkeybobbob
    May 4, 2010
    monkeybobbob
    When you see the poster for this drama adaptation and read what its about, you will be mislead into believing the brilliant Ellen Page plays a much bigger role in this, probably the younger version of the main character, played by Ellen Burstyn but no, Christine Horne does that a... read morend shes not even on the cover/poster! When you get past that evil betrayal, its not a bad old fashioned drama thing and christine Horne does put in a good performance and we do eventually see Ellen Page, in a small role as the main characters sons' girlfriend. Although not really my thing, its a bit boring, this is a pretty good little story with decent performances.
  • jjb3332003
    May 5, 2011
    jjb3332003
    What could've been a decent story a la "The Trip to Bountiful", "Away from Her," or "The Straight Story" is instead marred by weak directing and rambling writing. Cole Hauser has great presence though.
  • gms1yygy
    February 23, 2009
    gms1yygy
    It seems to be normal for "older folks" to spend some time recalling the past, particularly their past. If it's done with honesty and compassion, it can be a very good exercize. Ellen Burstyn is great in this movie. It is a bit tricky identifying the two Ellens, two husbands, two... read more sons (five actors), but it's an unusally fine movie.

View All The Stone Angel Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eddie Cockrell
October 18, 2008
Eddie Cockrell, Variety

A tastefully reverent, fundamentally sincere treatment of Margaret Laurence's 1964 Manitoba-based novel, a staple for Canada's 12th graders. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
July 11, 2008
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Despite a terrific lead performance by Ellen Burstyn, Kari Skogland's epic The Stone Angel is a lesson in the perils of trying to cram a hefty Canadian novel that spans decades into a movie running ju... Full Review

Joe Neumaier
July 11, 2008
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Writer-director Kari Skogland adapts a beloved Canadian novel gracefully and with plenty of spunk, the same way its main character moves through the world from cradle to grave. Full Review

Gary Goldstein
July 11, 2008
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Although talented newcomer Christine Horne is ideal as the younger Hagar, letting Burstyn play the character at around 50, despite best-effort lighting, was not the wisest choice. Full Review

Stephen Holden
July 11, 2008
Stephen Holden, New York Times

A film of tightly assembled bits and pieces that don't fit comfortably together despite clever dashes of magical realism connecting past and present.

Stephen Farber
July 8, 2008
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter

Ellen Burstyn deserves another Oscar nomination for this compelling drama.

Philip Marchand
May 9, 2008
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star

These elemental forces fuel a compelling narrative, but the second half of the movie starts to drift. Full Review

Liam Lacey
May 9, 2008
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

There is a reverence for the idea of Laurence's book but ultimately, in spite of its spiced-up sex scenes, it's much tamer and more conventional. Full Review

S. James Wegg
July 23, 2009
S. James Wegg, JWR

Too much story, too little time Full Review

Peter Brunette
October 18, 2008
Peter Brunette, Screen International

A perfectly respectable, solidly-made film which, beyond the expert performance by the always reliable Ellen Burstyn, has unfortunately little to recommend it. Full Review

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