Manchester by the Sea (2016)
88%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
129 wins & 269 nominations total
Manchester by the Sea delivers affecting drama populated by full-bodied characters, marking another strong step forward for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan
Manchester by the Sea is a movie that will make you feel all the feels. It’s a story about grief, guilt, and family that will leave you feeling empty, but in a good way. The performances are outstanding, especially Casey Affleck’s, who plays a mournful loner drawn back into his old fold. The film is a masterful, darkly American account of a heart in the dead of January. It’s not flashy or formulaic, but it’s a quietly suffering man’s story that defies description in a really, really good way. So grab some tissues and get ready for a modern day tragedy that will surely bring tears but also bring hope.
Production Company(ies)
BRON Studios, Bron Creative MACRO
Distributor
Amazon Studios, Roadside Attractions
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout and some sexual content
Year of Release
2016
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 17m
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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): Dec 16, 2016 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 21, 2017
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, C.J Wilson, Heather Burns, directed by Kenneth Lonergan, written by Kenneth Lonergan, drama, R rating, box office gross $47.7M, reviewed by K Austin Collins, Candice Frederick, Wenlei Ma, David Stratton, Nick Pinkerton, Tara Brady, Brian Eggert, James Luxford, David Gonzalez, Hosea Rupprecht, Matt Brunson, affecting drama, full-bodied characters, grief, family, self-imposed solitude, fishing village, Boston, janitor, teenage nephew, guardian, working-class family, past, tragedy, community, Michelle Williams underused, authentic, rewarding, Oscar-winning performance, emotional punch, masterful screenplay, direction, unforgettable performances, reality, top horror movies, MCU movies ranked by Tomatometer, renewed and cancelled TV shows 2022, best Netflix series and shows
Worldwide gross: $78,988,148
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $97,352,779
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,033
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,616,443
US/Canada gross: $47,695,371
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $58,784,476
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,001
US/Canada opening weekend: $256,498
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $316,133
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,522
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $11,092,487
Production budget ranking: 1,624
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,973,304
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $80,286,988
ROI to date (est.): 470%
ROI ranking: 274
Michelle Williams – Randi Chandler
Kyle Chandler – Joe Chandler
Lucas Hedges – Patrick Chandler
C.J. Wilson – George
Heather Burns – Jill
Director(s)
Kenneth Lonergan
Writer(s)
Kenneth Lonergan
Producer(s)
Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck, Kevin J. Walsh
Film Festivals
Sundance, Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
129 wins & 269 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (356) | Top Critics (74) | Fresh (342) | Rotten (14)
In Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan again explores the depth of grief.
August 10, 2017
K. Austin Collins
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan’s MANCHESTER BY THE SEA made me leave the theater feeling empty… it could easily be filed away as just another white male angst narrative.
March 22, 2017 | Rating: C+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
Manchester by the Sea may be a potent examination of grief, family and self-imposed solitude, but it’s also oddly life-affirming and uplifting.
January 31, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Wenlei Ma
News.com.au
TOP CRITIC
Not a moment in the film is wasted; though on the long side, this is from start to finish a rewarding and strangely beautiful drama with a conclusion that is immensely satisfying in its touching understatement.
January 27, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
With an outstandingly icy Casey Affleck as a mournful loner drawn back into his old fold, Kenneth Lonergan’s New England community study is a masterful, darkly American account of a heart in the dead of January.
January 20, 2017
Nick Pinkerton
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
In Manchester by the Sea, men are soulful and women are shallow, a gender gap that wounds this otherwise compelling drama.
January 12, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
Lonergan balances unrecoverable anguish with tender warmth in Manchester by the Sea, a film that considers a character unable to forgive himself and hesitant to engage with anyone ever again.
April 5, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
A showcase in the power of understatement…Manchester By The Sea achieves great impact by feeling devastatingly real.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
James Luxford
City AM
Manchester by the Sea is a study of guilt and the complexity of recovering from it. A modern day tragedy that will surely bring tears but also bring hope that Lee may one day say goodbye to his past and forgive himself.
February 14, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
Manchester by the Sea defies description in a really, really good way. It’s not flashy or formulaic in the way some fish-out-of-water stories are. Instead, the story of a quietly suffering man
August 26, 2021
Hosea Rupprecht
Pauline Center for Media Studies
The sort of understated, under-the-radar drama that can use all the help it can get to stand out in an increasingly overcrowded marketplace.
August 17, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Arguably 2016’s most notable film about loss and grief, one that tells its story with the scope of an epic while never leaving the Boston area.
April 13, 2021
Ian Brill
Battleship Pretension…
Plot
Lee Chandler is a brooding, irritable loner who works as a handyman for a Boston apartment block. One damp winter day he gets a call summoning him to his hometown, north of the city. His brother’s heart has given out suddenly, and he’s been named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew. As if losing his only sibling and doubts about raising a teenager weren’t enough, his return to the past re-opens an unspeakable tragedy.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Casey Affleck’s performance as Lee Chandler is described as “amazing” and “worth its weight in Oscar gold.”
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