Flatliners (1990)
64%RT Audience Score: 59%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 4 nominations
While it boasts an impressive cast, striking visuals, and an effective mood, Flatliners never quite jolts its story to life
Flatliners is like a rollercoaster ride that starts off with a lot of promise but ends up being a bit of a letdown. The cast is great, but the story falls flat and the movie feels like it’s trying too hard to be something it’s not. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s not a great one either. If you’re looking for a fun, mindless thriller, then Flatliners might be worth a watch. Just don’t expect too much from it.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Humber Bay Arch Bridge, Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG – 13 for violence and terror, sexual content, language, thematic material, and some drug references
Year of Release
2017
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Auro 11.1 Dolby Atmos
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 51m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 10, 1990 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2001
Genre(s)
Sci-Fi
Keyword(s)
starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Kimberly Scott, directed by Joel Schumacher, written by Peter Filardi, sci-fi, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bill Cosford, John Hartl, Carrie Rickey, Jay Boyar, Michael Wilmington, Dave Kehr, Brian Eggert, Eve Tushnet, David Nusair, Brian Costello, Candice Russell, Tom Hutchinson, R rating, seeking answers about the afterlife, medical student, experiments, paranormal consequences, resuscitate, afterlife, Chicago, Nelson, Rachel Mannus, David Labraccio, Joe Hurley, Randy Steckle, Winnie Hicks, Michael Douglas, Rick Bieber, Dolby, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, CDS, Surround, 70mm, RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures
Worldwide gross: $45,158,254
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $54,471,515
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,292
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,940,187
US/Canada gross: $16,883,115
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,365,022
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,410
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,574,326
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,930,189
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,017
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $19,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $22,918,485
Production budget ranking: 1,294
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,341,604
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,211,425
ROI to date (est.): 54%
ROI ranking: 1,124
Julia Roberts – Rachel Mannus
Kevin Bacon – David Labraccio
William Baldwin – Joe Hurley
Oliver Platt – Randy Steckle
Kimberly Scott – Winnie Hicks
Director(s)
Joel Schumacher
Writer(s)
Peter Filardi
Producer(s)
Michael Douglas, Rick Bieber
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (25)
Goofily self-important.
August 18, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon all bring conviction to these scenes, and William Baldwin, as the most irresponsible of the students, continues to suggest an electric screen presence that rivals his brother Alec.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Except for the performances by Roberts and Bacon, which occasionally redeem it, Flatliners is exasperating, a compelling concept unfulfilled.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
All I remember is that, just before I came to, there was a sudden burst of brightness. At last the movie was over, and someone had turned on the lights in the theater.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 1/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s problem, like many others recently, is that it isn’t any deeper, dramatically or psychologically, than its own trailer. It is the trailer: the long version.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
Michael Wilmington
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
It`s much to Schumacher’s credit that Flatliners, for all of its crazy excess, does not turn into camp. Despite two or three bad laughs, the picture retains a basic conviction.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Epitomizes the sleek thrillers of the 1990s, offering an excessive visual presentation that occupies the space where a substantive commentary should go.
March 17, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
I think it’s not a reach to read this as an AIDS movie. But mostly I loved it because it is so, so, so well-made.
March 12, 2021
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
An intriguing premise in search of a compelling movie…
October 17, 2017 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
’90s thriller about near-death experiences is very violent.
August 16, 2016 | Rating: 3/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
Flatliners is moderately entertaining hocum at times, when it doesn’t reach too far. Roberts is the best of the adequate bunch — only her fans should make this a must-see.
July 1, 2013
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Schumacher puts more flash than flesh on the story, but still manages to deliver the expected chills with cool efficiency as the students’ extracurricular experiments take a sinister turn.
July 1, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Hutchinson
Radio Times…
Plot
A medical student, Courtney, is obsessed with the idea of the afterlife, wanting to find out what happens after death. She invites fellow students Jamie and Sophia to join her in an experiment, in an unused hospital room: using defibrillation to stop her heart for sixty seconds while recording her brain, and then reviving her. She assures them they would not be held responsible for any accidents. Sophia is against this, but Jamie does it anyway. After sixty seconds, they panic as they are unable to revive her, but eventually manage to with the help of fellow student Ray. Later, Marlo, a rival of Ray, arrives and learns of the experiment..
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Flatliners includes Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt.
Joel-Schumacher.jpg
