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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lynn Collins, Assumpta Serna, Olivia Thirlby, Louis Arcella ... see more see more... , Nelson Landrieu , Manoel Felciano , Jenn Colella , Gianna Luca , Sofia Luca , Ana Cruz Kayne , Saidah Arrika Ekulona , Ed Wheeler , Michaela Hill , Tiger , Angel David , Al Roffe , Marin Gazzaniga , Patrick Walsh , Ted Oyama , Rick Kain , Marcella Lowery , Robert C. Kirk , Doua Moua , Sonnie Brown , Fred Berman , Daniel Oreskes , Giana Luca , Sara Chase

Responsibility clashes with freedom as a young New York City couple experiences two decidedly different holidays in this drama from filmmaking duo David Siegel and Scott McGehee (Suture, The Deep End)... read more read more.... It's the Fourth of July, and Kate (Lynn Collins) and Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are struggling to make a decision: do they stick with tradition and spend the weekend with Kate's family, or do they set out on their own for a spontaneous adventure? After making their initial decision, an alternate narrative emerges to show just what would have happened had they chosen to do otherwise. While the decision-making process may seem mundane, the implications of each choice are profound. Sure, a holiday with the family doesn't seem nearly as exciting as an impromptu romantic trip, but that doesn't mean it will be any less dramatic. As the stories diverge and a "what if" scenario becomes reality, it soon becomes apparent how much one seemingly minor decision can ultimately affect the rest of our lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

35% liked it

1,901 ratings

Critics

52% liked it

25 critics

PG, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Scott McGehee, David Siegel

Release Date: November 13, 2009

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DVD Release Date: April 20, 2010

Stats: 259 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (259)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 26, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    The choice is theirs.

    This film is good. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great in the lead and shows his range here, while Lynn Collins isn't bad either. Uncertainty is all about this couple, the decision-making process and the implications that certain action courses have on our lives... read more. It's quite an unusual experience but definitely worth watching.

    A young couple, Kate and Bobby, flip a coin on the Brooklyn bridge to determine the paths their lives take that day, the Fourth of July. The green path takes them to Brooklyn where they spend a quiet day with Kate's family, coming to a better understanding of their status as a couple. The yellow path takes them to Manhattan where they are being chased by a gunman and are in the center of a dangerous crime ring involving large amounts of money. What does the future hold for Kate and Bobby?
  • blacksheepboy
    November 12, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    Uncertainty is actually a metalinguistic film, where it's the characters who have to decide, by flipping a coin, if they should be part of a sensitive family drama or an action thriller. An interesting indie experiment about uncertain paths, though sometimes a bit bland.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 24, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "I'm not afraid of either scenario, but it's just - I want this to be something we're doing, not something we're not doing."

    A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Broo... read moreklyn Bridge.

    REVIEW

    What struck me was the lopsided feel and disunity of the whole enterprise. The stories in the two alternate-universe flip-of-a- coin worlds do not really complement or enrich each other; rather each destroys what momentum the other has built. In addition neither thread is particularly compelling in itself, and switching from one to the other does not make them more so. The two principals do fine - Lynn Collins in particular is an actress I would love to see get more significant roles (she was excellent as Portia in the Michael Radford version of "Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino as Shylock), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt has charm and believability. However they are stranded in an unconvincing dual narrative. Perhaps in addition to improvising their dialog (as they did) they should have been allowed to scrap and rewrite the entire scenario! Many people have mentioned the similarity to the movie "Run Lola Run". I am surprised no one mentioned a film entitled "Sliding Doors" starring Gwyneth Paltrow that, while not a masterpiece, utilized the same alternate-universe framework to better effect.
  • neverteaseaweasel
    May 19, 2010
    neverteaseaweasel
    So, I understand that Uncertainty is a "bad" movie, but I absolutely loved it. I'm not even totally sure why, but the whole thing is intoxicating and tight. For a micro-budget film, it looks incredibly stylish. It is incredibly realistic and there is a total lack of effects, but ... read moreat the same time it is not tacky at all. Really, the whole film is realistic, making an exception for the obvious. Bobby and Kate's relationship seemed plausible and tender. The family relations and even the "thriller" storyline carried a lot of gravity. They were pleasant, but also plausble. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins really hold up the film. They truly become the characters they play. Those characters are also great. They are fully rounded, they have virtues, flaws, convictions and peeves. I guess, a lot of what I loved in Uncertainty is that ultimately it is believable. It is not placed in the pleasant fantasy land of the cinema. This is our world, and Bobby and Kate will not have a picture perfect relationship. There would be bumps in the road, but the promise of a happy ending doesn't seem far-fetched. Both stories come together to bring the realization that they have what it takes to take of each other, to raise a child, and ... live.
  • puffchunk
    April 29, 2010
    puffchunk
    They had a cool idea, but didn't know what to do with it. About half way through I stopped caring if the familiy liked the guy or if they get killed by phone man.
  • LWOODS04
    January 18, 2010
    LWOODS04
    JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, LYNN COLLINS, OLIVIA THIRLBY, ASSUMPTA SERNA, NELSON LANDRIEU

    A young couple, in love and facing a life-changing decision, find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge.

    Uncertainty.. Well after watchi... read moreng this movie, that is were it leaves me.. With uncertainty if I liked this movie or not. Definitely didn't love it, but I guess I did like it. It wasn't a bad movie. Just slow and boring at times. I hate saying that about any film Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in, but this wasn't his best movie. Great acting, just an OK film. Nothing special. Plus I have read some reviews that it is like another movie called 'Run Lola Run'. I have never seen that movie so I can't make the same accusation. The concept is interesting though. Flip a coin and then play out how either scenario would have went. Of course one having an better out come then the other. A movie about the 'what if''s'. The performances by both JGL and Lynn Collins were great. Just the movement of the movie was slow for my liking. Still a movie worth watching. But not one that would probably be watched more then once. This movie has action, romance, a touch of comedy, and a little bit of suspense. Just wish the flow of the movie would have been a little faster and the ending wouldn't have left me unsatisfied. Still in the end great performances by the leads and a good concept.
  • fb796967648
    December 14, 2009
    fb796967648
    Even my (considerable) affection for Joseph Gordon-Levitt can't make this too-clever-by-half indie head-scratcher more than a novelty. Two parallel but unconnected stories happen on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge at the same time with the same two lead characters. They don'... read moret comment on each other, intersect or have anything to do with each other, except those two people existing in both stories. I'm all for narrative experimentation but this thing just huffs and puffs along, one side of the bridge (the Brooklyn side) containing a sleepy family story and the other side (Manhattan) containing a ridiculous action-y story. Both sides made me very glad I live in Queens.
  • gator681
    November 15, 2009
    gator681
    Friday night, I was in Brooklyn. Yesterday, I was in Manhattan.

    "Uncertainty" starts at the Brooklyn Bridge as Bobby(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Kate(Lynn Collins) are at a crossroads in their relationship and cannot even decide how to spend the July 4th holiday. So, they flip... read more a coin...

    Kate runs to Manhattan and is met by Bobby in a yellow cab where he finds a cell phone. Wanting to do the right thing, he calls numbers, trying to locate the owner. Eventually, he has success of sorts but they instead witness a murder, just before he has a chance to hand off the phone.

    Bobby runs to Brooklyn where he meets Kate driving a green car. Along the way to a picnic at Kate's family home for their extended family and friends, they rescue a stray dog before she gets hit by a car.

    Written, directed and produced by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the thought-provoking "Uncertainty" owes a debt to Tom Tykwer's "Winter Sleepers" and "Run Lola Run" with its color coded philosophical thrills. Yellow is caution and danger, while green is go, safe and home.(Correct me if I'm wrong but Kate and Bobby even keep exclusively to the Broadway line in Manhattan. Good thing they don't have to go further north than 60th Street.) What's important is how well the halves complement each other, even while raising more questions than the movie answers. The Brooklyn section fills in the personal history for the couple, so the viewer cares about what happens to them in the Manhattan section while utilizing New York City to its best advantage. However, its themes concerning choices and how they affect not only our own lives are universal, as is its examination of the responsibilities of altruism. In being so kind, Kate and Bobby make a statement against the stereotype of the uncaring New Yorker, even if Bobby is from Calgary.

    But why did the lead character have to be named Bobby Thompson? And the only George Perez I've heard about is the comic book artist.
  • xas5
    March 6, 2012
    xas5
    Uncertainty never quite comes off big time but still carries the Indy time feel auspiciously. The inclusion of Joseph Gordon-Levitt creates a higher caliber experience and ultimately makes the film worth more than most Indy films that lack star power.
  • michaelcorleone
    May 23, 2010
    michaelcorleone
    A conceptually mixed indie film. I've been singing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's praises for a long time, so it's no surprise to me that he's excellent again in this film. The same cannot be said for his co-star Lynn Collins. I think people are often too critical of film actors, but she... read more is really awful in this role and she drags the whole project down several notches. Some of the ideas in the screenplay are fascinating, while others feel cheap and underdeveloped. Overall, it's a fairly interesting watch.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Kennedy
January 8, 2010
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Rain Li's crisp cinematography gives the entwined stories different but complementary visual styles. Paul Zucker's editing supports each genre then poses fresh questions by leaping from one to the other. Full Review

Walter V. Addiego
December 11, 2009
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

The film bets everything on an unconventional structure, but fails to do much with it. Full Review

Stephen Holden
November 13, 2009
Stephen Holden, New York Times

A taut, skillful exercise in cinematic clockwork. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
November 13, 2009
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Excellent New York City location shooting and the ever-reliable Joseph Gordon-Levitt can't salvage this gimmicky, overlong thriller from Scott McGehee and David Siegel... Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
November 11, 2009
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins are so interesting that it's easy to put up with the decision-making dithering that goes along with the title. Full Review

Ella Taylor
November 10, 2009
Ella Taylor, Village Voice

The result is some nice atmospherics tethered to a cripplingly half-baked existentialism. Full Review

September 25, 2011
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Unfortunately, the movie lacks narrative balance -- not in terms of screen time but in terms of raw audience interest. Full Review

Christopher Long
May 1, 2010
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis

Perhaps Uncertainty is a metaphor for the writing process. You start with a blank page then you have to make a decision, any decision, and follow it as far as you can. Full Review

Stan Hall
December 24, 2009
Stan Hall, Oregonian

Uncertainty is a long gimmick stylishly filmed and moderately enjoyable but plagued by tedious stretches and constant reminders of its own artificiality. Full Review

Philippe Garnier
December 14, 2009
Philippe Garnier, L.A. Weekly

You either swallow it and learn to love it, or you start running. Full Review

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