You'll be shocked to discover how much of the novel's richness has been lost.
Comment
05/20/03
A Thousand Acres (1997)
24
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:46
Fresh:11
Rotten:35
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: A Thousand Acres makes disappointingly sudsy stuff out of the source material, but benefits from solid performances by a strong cast.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A THOUSAND ACRES, director Jocelyn Moorhouse's screen adaptation of Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, finds skeins of KING LEAR-like conflict running through the bedrock of a midwestern... [More]
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jason Robards
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Reviews for A Thousand Acres
Pfeiffer excepted, the filmmakers reap little from the rich soil they have been handed.
01/10/03
It's worth overlooking the movie's weaknesses for the sake of those strong, memorable performances from the stars.
10/15/02
Click to read the article
04/12/02
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/24/02
Top CriticThis intimate and riveting portrait of sibling hate, forgiveness, and love hits the mark.
02/28/02
I don't know anything to redeem the movie except for an understated performance from Leigh -- unless you're into masochism. Avoid.
01/01/00
Episodic and occasionally annoying and bland, the movie goes melodramatic long before the finale.
01/01/00
While many scenes are passionately acted and directed, the overall film is disjointed, and lacks a logical progression of time.
01/01/00
That Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres would become a movie was inevitable. Another virtual certainty was its bowdlerization.
01/01/00
A parcel of high calibre stars isn't enough to save the morbid and dragging A Thousand Acres.
01/01/00
Ploddingly literal, A Thousand Acres is basically a star vehicle that relies on superior acting to redeem it. It does have superior acting, but that's not nearly enough.
01/01/00
It deals with real people in a genuine setting with strong female roles.
01/01/00
I haven't read the book, but can only presume it's a heck of a lot better than this messy and morose film.
01/01/00
Although the plot is undeniably overwrought at times, the characters remain strong and reliable, and it's their believability that pulls us through.
01/01/00
at the heart of this sometimes strident movie are two magnificent performances, which redeem everything that surrounds them.
01/01/00
Think obsessive-compulsive Lady Macbeth or Ophelia with an eating disorder, and you have an idea of just how simplistic that seems.
01/01/00
Top CriticIf nothing else, the film deserves credit for bringing together actresses Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer.
01/01/00
When they're done like this, touchy-feely dramas are no improvement on Hollywood's usual testosterone-laced fare.
01/01/00
Click to read the article
01/01/00
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