Rudderless

R

Released Oct 17, 2014

1h 45m

Drama

List

64%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

83%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

After a grieving father finds a box of demo tapes made by his now-dead son, he forms a band in hope of finding some peace.

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Critics Consensus

Rudderless asks its cast to carry an awful lot of weight for its occasionally manipulative story; fortunately, this talented bunch -- led by Billy Crudup -- is often more than up to the task.

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Godfrey Cheshire

RogerEbert.com

Contrived or not, the story is put across with pleasing, unpretentious conviction and skill by Macy.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 17, 2014

Full Review

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

Rudderless is humane and almost entertaining.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 17, 2014

Full Review

Bruce DeMara

Toronto Star

The film is a roller-coaster of emotions and the jolt, when it comes, will send you reeling.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 16, 2014

Full Review

Julian Lytle

Punch Drunk Critics

Rudderless is a pretty good character study about grief and guilt and how it can flip those left behind upside down.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 11, 2020

Full Review

Brandy McDonnell

The Oklahoman

The story is so heartbreakingly compelling, "Rudderless" sails beyond a sightseeing excursion and into great filmmaking.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 15, 2018

Full Review

Pablo Villaça

Cinema em Cena

It contains the seed of a much better film that is left unexplored. [Full review in Portuguese.]

Rated: 2/5

Dec 19, 2016

Full Review

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Luke B

it is a CRIME this movie is not being recognized or getting the praise it deserves.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

Full Review

Daniel G

Totally absorbing drama, with some great rock music, realistic protagonists and a wrenching ethical issue that's brilliantly touched upon in the last scene.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/24

Full Review

edgar p

Probably one of the best film i watched.. the critics are paid or just plain stupid!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/24/23

Full Review

isla s

I thought this was quite a good film, covering the theme of male (or parental) grief, although it is by no means overly sentimental or sweet, yet I did feel it was a bit touching at times. I thought Billy Crudup did well in portraying the father, Sam, clearly struggling to figure out how to move forward after losing his son - the way he used his voice to speak the thoughts of his late son through the lyrics he discovers. Some of the songs were amusing or thoughtful and I enjoyed the scenes in which the songs were played in public - they were quite buzzing. Its quite a good film at making you think of how you can express yourself (or close relatives) through music, To be critical, a part of me felt like perhaps more emphasis should, or could, have been put on Sams son, on learning more about his life but then I suppose its meant to be more about Sam than about his son. It is a good film, a decent music related drama but I didn't feel it was especially brilliant so as to deserve a 5 star rating. I can't quite put my finger on what didn't work for it not to get the higher rating, perhaps other than a lack of context maybe (and perhaps the ending was a little cheesy) but I did feel it was quite a good film regardless, so I'd recommend it on that basis.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great Music, Great Story, Great Twist

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's good, I enjoyed it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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William H. Macy

Director

Billy Crudup

Sam

Anton Yelchin

Quentin

Felicity Huffman

Emily

Jamie Chung

Lisa Martin

Selena Gomez

Kate

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Synopsis

After a grieving father finds a box of demo tapes made by his now-dead son, he forms a band in hope of finding some peace.

Director: William H. Macy
Producer: Keith Kjarval, Jeff Rice, Brad Greiner, Tyler Jackson
Screenwriter: Jeff Robison, Casey Twenter
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co: Unified Pictures, Dog Pond Films
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $56.0K
Runtime: 1h 45m

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