James White (2015)
83%RT Audience Score: 70%
Awards & Nominations: 9 wins & 34 nominations
Led by powerfully complementary performances from Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon, James White offers an affecting calling card for debuting writer-director Josh Mond
James White” is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s a ride through agony, vomit, and terror. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a refreshing take on terminal illness that doesn’t sugarcoat the experience. Plus, Christopher Abbott’s performance is a revelation, showing off his leading-man potential. Sure, it’s a bummer of a movie, but it’s an accomplished and compelling film that resonates honestly with its audience. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
The Film Arcade
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Metropolitan Surgery Center – 433 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for drug use, some sexuality/nudity, and language
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 26m
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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): Nov 13, 2015 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Kid Cudi, Ron Livingston, Makenzie Leigh, David Call, directed by Josh Mond, written by Josh Mond, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ryan Gilbey, Suzanne Condie Lambert, Soren Andersen, Alison Willmore, Steven Rea, J.R Jones, C.J Prince, Tori Brazier, Naila Scargill, Bernard Boo, Glenn Heath Jr., Pat Padua, produced by Max Born, Sean Durkin, Melody C Roscher, F.A Eric Schultz, Antonio Campos, R MPAA rating, cancer, alcoholism, New York City, family, relationships, coming of age, emotional, powerful, affecting, debut film, independent film, Sundance Film Festival, The Film Arcade
Worldwide gross: $101,368
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $126,534
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,000
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,799
US/Canada gross: $101,368
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $126,534
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,626
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,007
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,988
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,604
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Cynthia Nixon – Gail White
Kid Cudi – Nick
Ron Livingston – Ben
Makenzie Leigh – Jayne
David Call – Elliot
Director(s)
Josh Mond
Writer(s)
Josh Mond
Producer(s)
Max Born, Sean Durkin, Melody C. Roscher, F.A. Eric Schultz, Antonio Campos
Film Festivals
Sundance, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
9 wins & 34 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (6)
It’s not easy viewing by any means. But it is strangely refreshing for a movie to show us that terminal illness involves agony and vomit and terror, despite what Beaches might have told us.
February 24, 2016
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Whether you want to spend time with “James White” depends on your tolerance for yet another film about how hard it is for guys who just feel too much.
December 17, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Suzanne Condie Lambert
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
The experience of watching “James White” is like being shut up in a small, dark, airless room … a sickroom.
December 10, 2015 | Rating: 2/4
Soren Andersen
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s Abbott who’s the revelation, showing off all sorts of previously unseen leading-man potential.
December 4, 2015
Alison Willmore
BuzzFeed News
TOP CRITIC
An accomplished and compelling film by writer/director Josh Mond, James White is also pretty much a bummer.
December 3, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Abbott contributes a smart, soulful performance, but Nixon keeps threatening to walk away with the movie as the mother, who can’t get enough of life and whose physical decay is colored by rage, defiance, and terror.
December 3, 2015
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It gives a very brief, specific glimpse of a situation touching on the universal experience of loss, and through it delivers an incredibly strong drama.
May 31, 2019
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
James White is not an enjoyable film, but it amply fulfills its goal in being a piece that resonates honestly with its audience.
April 22, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Tori Brazier
One Room With A View
A minimal approach creates an unflinching character study that relies on performance over traditional narrative.
March 4, 2019
Naila Scargill
FilmLand Empire
A chillingly up-close-and-personal observation of a young man bubbling with so much emotion that he exists perpetually at the precipice of physical and psychological implosion.
February 22, 2019
Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
An unnervingly personal character study about alienation and self-pity in the millennial age.
November 3, 2018
Glenn Heath Jr.
San Diego CityBeat
James White is a heartbreaking movie that runs on emotional adrenaline more than dramatic structure.
August 28, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
Pat Padua
Spectrum Culture…
Plot
A young man in New York City struggles to come to terms with his reckless behavior while his mother battles cancer in James White.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Christopher Abbott delivers a “phenomenal” performance in the lead role.
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