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Parents' Guide to

Wakefield

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Bitter husband checks out in fascinating, intense drama.

Movie R 2017 109 minutes
Wakefield Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 17+

Surreally challenging

On an inappropriate/appropriate content scale, Wakefield is certainly fine for those above 12, however in my opinion in order to fully comprehend the pure genius and viscerality behind Swicord's masterpiece it would most likely serve your child (now teenager) best to wait just a few years.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
age 14+

Bad Movie

It's super bad because of the ending u don't know if they get together or what happens super disappointed.Dont bother watching the movie

This title has:

Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This drama is disturbing, thought-provoking, and imperfect; it's good for you but also feels disingenuous. The questions it presents -- what is the place of resentment in a marriage? what is one owed, if anything, in a long-term relationship and a family? -- are urgent, interesting, and relatable. Cranston is undoubtedly the powerhouse behind Wakefield. The film is an examination of Howard's life as a husband and father, but that examination is conducted by Howard himself, which reveals more about how his mind and emotions work than the actual truth. (Though she spends considerably less time being heard, Garner is an able partner to Cranston's masterful turn.)

Despite its strengths, there's something claustrophobic about the movie, devoted as it is to sticking to Howard's version of his life. It also requires a lot of suspension of disbelief: Could a family really never have thought to look in the attic of the garage right across the street? What about the cops? And though Howard's voiceover does reveal his own blind spots, the movie's final moments end Wakefield on a maddeningly vague note.

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