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The Earthling

Play trailer Poster for The Earthling PG,  1980,  1h 42m,  Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist - - 1 Reviews Tomatometer 88% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, Patrick Foley (William Holden) has returned to his native Australia to die in the peace and quiet of the wilderness. His simple plan is complicated, however, when he meets Shawn Daley (Ricky Schroder), a young boy who has just lost his parents in an accident, and takes him under his wing. Located far from any civilization, Patrick continues on his mission, but decides to teach Shawn the skills that he'll need to survive after his mentor is dead.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews May 10, 2018
C+
The melancholy disease film set somewhere in the wilderness of Australia was a box office bomb despite the star power of William Holden. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Finn M Jul 2, 2018 This film, released in 1980, has one foot in the world of 70's gritty realism and one foot in the world of 80's sentimentality. The blend works, because the writing, acting, directing and editing are so good. Making the character of Foley (William Holden) a disillusioned, cantankerous old man was essential to the film. Had he been kindly and paternal, the film would have turned out twee and forgettable. I saw this film on an airplane flight (not a great choice for a captive audience on a plane, but I'm grateful for it) when I was about 10, and though I was young, I never forgot it. Thirty years later, it still holds up. The ending moved me almost to tears. It's a monument to a time when filmmakers were still permitted to depict relationships that were complex and characters that you might learn to like with time. See more
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The Earthling

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Peter Collinson

Director

William Holden

Patrick Foley

Ricky Schroder

Shawn Daley

Jack Thompson

Ross Daley

Olivia Hamnett

Bettina Daley

Alwyn Kurts

Christian Neilson

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The Earthling

The Earthling (1980) The Earthling (1980) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, Patrick Foley (William Holden) has returned to his native Australia to die in the peace and quiet of the wilderness. His simple plan is complicated, however, when he meets Shawn Daley (Ricky Schroder), a young boy who has just lost his parents in an accident, and takes him under his wing. Located far from any civilization, Patrick continues on his mission, but decides to teach Shawn the skills that he'll need to survive after his mentor is dead.
Director
Peter Collinson
Producer
Elliot Schick, John Strong
Screenwriter
Lanny Cotler
Production Co
Filmways Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2020
Runtime
1h 42m
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