20th Century Women (2017)
83%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
13 wins & 73 nominations total
20th Century Women offers Annette Bening a too-rare opportunity to shine in a leading role — and marks another assured step forward for writer-director Mike Mills
20th Century Women” is a film that will make you feel like you’re part of the family. With its tender precision and warm candor, it’s a secret treasure that’s built to last. The characters are so relatable, and the conversations they have about life, death, and vulnerability are beautiful. It’s like a scrapbook of memories that will make you laugh, cry, and feel deeply connected to the characters. If you’re looking for a film that explores what it looks like to raise a male feminist, this is it. Shout out to writer/director Mike Mills for creating such a masterpiece!
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios,
Distributor
A24
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
East Beach, Santa Barbara, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual material, language, some nudity and brief drug use
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.00 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 2017 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2017
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Lucas Jade Zumann, Alison Elliott, directed by Mike Mills, written by Mike Mills, comedy, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jess Kibler, David Stratton, Sandra Hall, Candice Frederick, Tim Robey, Wendy Ide, Brian Eggert, Kip Mooney, Catherine Springer, Michael J Casey, Richard Crouse, Annette Bening as Dorothea, Elle Fanning as Julie, Greta Gerwig as Abbie, Billy Crudup as William, Mike Mills as writer-director, Anne Carey as producer, Megan Ellison as producer, Youree Henley as producer, A24 as distributor, Dolby Digital sound mix, 1979 Santa Barbara, California, cultural change, rebellion, single mother, adolescent son, free-spirited punk artist, teenage neighbor, raising a male feminist, self-discovery, hardships, fleeting moments, happiness, chasing happiness
Worldwide gross: $7,214,806
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,702,759
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,013
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 949,047
US/Canada gross: $5,664,764
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,833,043
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,719
US/Canada opening weekend: $111,200
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $134,133
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,827
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,443,653
Production budget ranking: 1,730
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,546,907
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$4,287,800
ROI to date (est.): -33%
ROI ranking: 1,580
Elle Fanning – Julie
Greta Gerwig – Abbie
Billy Crudup – William
Lucas Jade Zumann – Jamie
Alison Elliott – Julie’s Mother
Director(s)
Mike Mills
Writer(s)
Mike Mills
Producer(s)
Anne Carey, Megan Ellison, Youree Henley
Film Festivals
Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
13 wins & 73 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (229) | Top Critics (63) | Fresh (202) | Rotten (27)
The film feels brilliantly both of another time and of our own.
February 17, 2021
Jess Kibler
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Mills is clearly fond of all these characters, and is happy to dwell on their moments of happiness and sadness, all of which provide knowledge and worldly wisdom to the teenage boy whose life they will so profoundly affect.
June 2, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
It’s a nice film with some great moments but Mills’ touch is too tentative to make all that talk buzz and hum as resonantly as it should.
May 31, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
We finally have a good film that explores what it looks like to raise a male feminist, particularly during this crucial era. More importantly, we finally have a film that actually cares to do so (shout out to writer/director Mike Mills).
March 22, 2017 | Rating: B+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
There are louder films jostling for attention out there. This one is the secret treasure of the season, though – crafted with tender precision, and built to last.
February 12, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
There’s a certain arch self-awareness in the screenwriting that won’t appeal to everyone, but I loved the film for its scrapbook structure, its warmth and candour.
February 12, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
20th Century Women feels intimate beyond measure, and those who can relate will undergo a deep and meaningful connection to its characters.
April 5, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Just like Beginners, there’s so much beauty in the conversations that the characters have here — discussions about death and sex and vulnerability.
August 10, 2021 | Rating: A-
Kip Mooney
Central Track
Just like the characters themselves, the script roams free, filling in all the swirling colors of the world and expressing a time and place that might have just been the last when human connection was tactile and fearless.
July 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Catherine Springer
CathsFilmForum.com
Though there isn’t much story to speak of in ’20th Century Women,’ there are plenty of observations, enough to hold your attention. It also helps to have performances this good.
June 2, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Michael J. Cinema
Structurally the film suffers from the odd hiccup but tremendous performances that feels airy and grounded at the same time bring humanity and empathy to a story that is specific in its time and place but universal in its scope.
February 28, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
The dynamic of family, love, and living life that exist in Mike Mills newest film 20th Century Women is just about the greatest thing I have seen in a movie in a long time.
February 7, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Leo Brady
AMovieGuy.com…
Plot
In 1979 Santa Barbara, a single mother enlists the help of two younger women to help raise her adolescent son in a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion in 20th Century Women.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy, funny, or odd comment about the film 20th Century Women on Fresh Kernels.
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