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Leaves of Grass (2010)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 35
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 13

Edward Norton delivers one of his finest performances in Leaves of Grass, but he's overpowered by the movie's many jarring tonal shifts.

Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 6

Edward Norton delivers one of his finest performances in Leaves of Grass, but he's overpowered by the movie's many jarring tonal shifts.

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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 13,596

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Movie Info

An Ivy League classics professor becomes mixed up in his lawless identical twin's drug dealings after receiving word that his brother has been murdered, and returning to Oklahoma to discover he's been hoodwinked. To say that Bill Kincaid (Edward Norton) is ashamed of his upbringing is an understatement at best. Turning his back on his working-class parents and working diligently to erase any traces of his Southern accent, Bill develops a reputation as a true scholar dedicated to excellence and

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

Directed By: Tim Blake Nelson

Written By: Tim Blake Nelson

In Theaters: Apr 2, 2010 Wide

On DVD: Oct 12, 2010

Box Office:$68.0k

First Look Studios

Leaves of Grass Trailer & Photos

More Photos (7)

Cast

Edward Norton
Bill Kincaid, Brady Kin...
Tim Blake Nelson
Bolger
Susan Sarandon
Daisy
Richard Dreyfuss
Pug Rothbaum
Keri Russell
Janet
Josh Pais
Ken Feinman
Pruitt Taylor Vince
Big Joe Sharpe
Melanie Lynskey
Colleen
Lucy DeVito
Anne Greenstein
Steve Earle
Buddy Fuller
Kent Jude Bernard
Philosophy Student
Amelia Campbell
Maggie Harmon
Randal Reeder
Shaver
Leo Fabian
Waddell
Tina Parker
Sharon
Ty Burrell
Professor Sorenson
Lee Wilkof
Professor Levy
Lisa Benavides
Suzie Feinman
Jenna Podell
Staci Feinman
Henry Max Nelson
Tommy Feinman
Theodore Kaiser Nelson
Gabe Feinman
Alyssia Dujmovich
Jilly
Ken Cheeseman
Jimmy Fuller
Naima Imani Lett
Sally
Maggie Siff
Rabbi Zimmerman
Tim Ware
Minister Davies
Tim Fletcher
TV Reporter
Robin McGee
Salesman
Chris Freihofer
Doctor

Critic Reviews for Leaves of Grass

All Critics (35) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (13) | DVD (4)

An offbeat thriller that is deepened -- rather than derailed -- by its tricky shift from darkly funny to just plain dark.

September 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

As a writer-director, Nelson keeps the laughs coming at a steady pace, and never condescends to his articulate redneck characters.

September 17, 2010 Full Review Source: New York Post

| Comment

Lou Lumenick

New York Post

Top Critic

Mr. Norton is a pleasure to watch, and so is everyone else.

September 17, 2010 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Neil Genzlinger

New York Times

Top Critic

It's not the violence itself that bothers me, it's just that it completely destroys the tone of the movie.

April 5, 2010 Full Review Source: At the Movies

| Comment (1)

A.O. Scott

At the Movies

Top Critic

You could get whiplash from his movie's mood swings.

April 5, 2010 Full Review Source: At the Movies

| Comment (1)

Michael Phillips

At the Movies

Top Critic

The movie bubbles with intellectual curiosity and narrative ambition. And for that I dig it, even if Leaves of Grass has the habit of swerving and sometimes lurching from tone to tone.

March 31, 2010 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly

| Comment

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Top Critic

Maybe too small-scale to be anything truly special, but an original and witty film that both surprises and entertains.

August 30, 2011 Full Review Source: The National

| Comment

James Luxford

The National Source: The National

Essentially Deliverance cross-bred with A History of Violence...Leaves of Grass is a peculiar rural yarn and a sweet, assured examination of lost innocence and brotherhood that succeeds largely because of Norton's multi-faceted performance.

February 22, 2011 Full Review Source: What Culture

| Comment

Shaun Munro

What Culture Source: What Culture

This is a very personal film from Nelson that is jam packed with ideas and heavily influenced by the Coen Brothers...

October 10, 2010 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews

| Comment

Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

The DVD extras give the film a boost with a well done "making-of?" featurette and a commentary of the film by director Nelson, star Norton and producer William Migliore.

October 10, 2010 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews

| Comment

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

It's a jarringly realistic hybrid that echoes the more surreal aspects of real, rural life, and Norton walks/ambles through it all, sporting dueling personalities and distinct accents, but one very serious heart.

September 24, 2010 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle

| Comment

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Many clich�s in uneven and odd mix of guffaws and philosophical analysis. . .[C]onsiderable violence surprisingly erupts...[M]ost fun is watching Norton interact with Norton.

September 23, 2010 Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com

| Comment

Nora Lee Mandel

Film-Forward.com

Suffice to say that Blake Nelson doesn't have the visual gifts of his Minnesotan mentors, leaving us undistracted by surface flair and fully focused on his cartoonish characters and ragged, oddly callow script.

September 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Movieline

| Comment

Eric Hynes

Movieline

... through it all, the two performances by Edward Norton feel natural, relaxed, utterly unlike a gimmick.

September 20, 2010 Full Review Source: HitFix

| Comment

Drew McWeeny

HitFix

This is Tim Blake Nelson's affectionate and curious vision of his native Oklahoma, and what he sees makes for a uniquely restless, ribald motion picture.

September 17, 2010 Full Review Source: Tulsa World

| Comment

Michael Smith

Tulsa World

The mirror image gag is one of the oldest in the book, and yet, if done well, it never really gets old.

September 17, 2010 Full Review Source: indieWIRE

| Comment

Karina Longworth

indieWIRE

Emerging director Tim Blake Nelson takes another step up with this comedy drama starring Edward Norton in what might go down as Norton's best performance yet.

April 9, 2010 Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics

| Comment

Ron Wilkinson

Monsters and Critics

The picture loses its mind on an abrasive hunt for irreverence, twisting something securely oddball into an affected, unnecessarily toxic tale of brilliant knuckleheads living up to their Tulsa potential.

April 2, 2010 Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com

| Comment

Brian Orndorf

BrianOrndorf.com

a fitfully enjoyable but unsatisfying playground of ambition and occasional wit

April 1, 2010 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

| Comment

Jesse Hassenger

Filmcritic.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Leaves of Grass

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I'm a big Edward Norton fan. "American History X", "The Score", "Primal Fear" are all three great movies, anchored by Norton. Even his take on playing "The Hulk" was fantastic. However, even he doesn't make great movies every time out. "Leaves of Grass" is about twin brothers Bill and Brady(both played by Norton).

January 1, 2012

Everett Johnson

Super Reviewer

A pseudo-philosophical comedy that begins well but then dives into sheer stupidity after the first forty minutes. Even if Edward Norton is great playing twin brothers, the plot seems absolutely pointless, shifting with no tact from light comedy to overviolent thriller and cheap melodrama.

October 31, 2011

Carlos Magalh�es

Super Reviewer

Leaves of Grass Quotes

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1. Brady Kincaid: You can't synthesize that. That is nature?s delivery system for goodness. Distilled into a pure form. It glides down into your belly, and blooms into a feeling of peace. In this world beset by evil.
– Submitted by Rob C (6 months ago)
1. Brady Kincaid: I was born just a few minutes before my brother, Brady. He lived life on his own terms, indifferent to fear - either his own, or those of others. And, let's be honest, by any normal measure my brother was a criminal and a colossal fuckup.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)
1. Daisy: What's your aversion to proper grammar?
2. Brady Kincaid: Rhythm maybe.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

Character	Quote
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