Far From Heaven

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Far From Heaven

PG-13,

2002,

1h 43m,

Drama/

LGBTQ+

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Watchlist

88%

220 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

220 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

The story - which crosses both sexual and racial lines - revolves around a privileged suburban family whose lives are filled with daily family etiquette, social events at the club, and an overall desire to keep up with the Joneses. The family is turned upside down when both husband and wife are faced with choices that not only create a gossip mill for the entire community but also change their entire lives forever.

Critics Consensus

An exquisitely designed and performed melodrama, Far From Heaven earns its viewers' tears with sincerity and intelligence.

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Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

Mar 16, 2020

When a movie gets it all impeccably, heartbreakingly right, as does Todd Haynes' stunning Far from Heaven, some critics are tempted to gush deepest purple...I'll try to stay anchored to more sensible levels of bliss.

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Barbara Ellen

The Times (UK)

Jan 3, 2018

With a classic storytelling style bordering on corniness, a deft tragicomic touch and a heroic refusal to use the safety net of irony, Haynes has managed to produce something of a gem.

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Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

Dec 3, 2015

4/5

Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid are outstanding as Cathy and Frank Whitaker, a perfect couple with a decidedly imperfect love life.

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jan 11, 2025

4/5

Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven is a sumptuous homage to the movies of Douglas Sirk that is elevated beyond pastiche by its gripping emotional center.

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Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Aug 12, 2023

78/100

It’s a ballsy move, molding your film so closely to a peerless classic, but Todd Haynes transcends thin pastiche to be a genuinely great film of its own.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Apr 15, 2023

In meticulously refashioning Sirk’s surfaces, Haynes isn’t revealing what Sirk hid. He’s just showing that what we saw is still what we see.

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Finn S

Apr 12, 2019

It's really FAR FROM ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS.

Ron P

Feb 6, 2019

Todd Haynes is an acquired taste but nobody can deny his gifted approach to filmmaking. Far from heaven is an interesting film starring Julianne Moore and with a look that evokes the films of the 50s. Everything about Far from Heaven playfully yet reverently alludes to the 1950s as a movie genre. The rich and digitally enhanced autumn leaves feature as tableaux, and as a discreet and tasteful design for the opening and closing credits. Elmer Bernstein's score imitates the lush foliage with its extravagantly emotional strings, later arranged with much emphasis on brooding keyboard and woodwind, dotting and crossing the drama's every "i" and "t". Mark Friedberg's production design is outstanding, surpassing his period work on Pollock and The Ice Storm. Sandy Powell's costumes are superb, especially for Moore herself who is allowed noticeably fuller skirts as the queen bee of her daiquiri-sipping ladies' circle, and some truly show stopping elbow-length gloves for a party scene.

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Feb 1, 2019

The best movie score ever composed!

Anakin S

Sep 11, 2018

Emulating with perfection the style of Douglas Sirk's melodramas from the 1950s and with a gorgeous cinematography, Todd Haynes relies on two splendid performances by Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid to make a powerful and still relevant statement on intolerance.

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Harry P

Nov 24, 2017

Oh, so beautiful and melancholic in the best way. Before the note-perfect Carol, there was Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes' loving homage to Douglas Sirk's 1950s melodrama. Written, directed, acted, filmed, and edited to perfection (visually striking as it is overwhelmingly moving). One of my favorite films of all time. It's a masterpiece.

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Hagrid M

Nov 20, 2017

Beautifully photographed (and probably inspired by Hopper's pictures), Far from heaven miss its depiction of this period of the history of the united states by its lack of ambiguity and contrasts in the portrait of this little town, where everybody seem to share exactly the same point of view, (except Cathleen of course). The actors and actresses are astonishing.

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Todd Haynes

Director

Julianne Moore

Cathy Whitaker

Dennis Quaid

Frank Whitaker

Dennis Haysbert

Raymond Deagan

Patricia Clarkson

Eleanor Fine

Viola Davis

Sybil

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Synopsis

The story - which crosses both sexual and racial lines - revolves around a privileged suburban family whose lives are filled with daily family etiquette, social events at the club, and an overall desire to keep up with the Joneses. The family is turned upside down when both husband and wife are faced with choices that not only create a gossip mill for the entire community but also change their entire lives forever.

Director: Todd Haynes
Producer: Christine Vachon, Jody Patton
Screenwriter: Todd Haynes
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: John Wells Productions, USA Films, Section Eight Ltd., Killer Films, Clear Blue Sky Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Violence|Mature Thematic Elements|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.9M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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