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The Dry Land (2010)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.4/10
Reviews Counted: 23
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 9

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 338

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Movie Info

A soldier comes home from the war but can't find peace in his heart and mind in this independent drama. James (Ryan O'Nan) returns to his hometown in Texas after serving a long hitch in Iraq, and is warmly welcomed by his wife, Sara (America Ferrera), and best friend, Michael (Jason Ritter). However, his homecoming party is awkward and it's clear James is not the same as he was before he left. Sara's father, David (Benito Martinez), arranges for James to get a job working beside Michael at a

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Drama

Directed By: Ryan Piers Williams

In Theaters: Jul 30, 2010 Wide

On DVD: Nov 9, 2010

Box Office:$7.4k

Freestyle Releasing

The Dry Land Trailer & Photos

Cast

America Ferrera
Sara
Melissa Leo
Martha
Ryan O'Nan
James
Jason Ritter
Michael
Wilmer Valderrama
Raymond
Benito Martinez
David
Diego Klattenhoff
Henry
June Diane Raphael
Susie
Ana Claudia Talanc�n
Adriana
Ethan Suplee
Jack
Barry Shabaka Henley
Col. Stephen Evans
Starwind
Clive
Kate Schroeder
Kathy
Jeremiah Bitsui
Luis
Candice Costello
Veronica
Zion Sandoval
Ian
Evan Jones
Joe
David Smith
Bill
Misty Upham
Gloria the Receptionist
Destiny Alvarez
Raymond's Daughter
Ybarra Reyes
Raymond's Son
Fredrick Lopez
Store Clerk
Therese Olson
Sasha
Jenny Gabrielle
Tina
Esodie Geiger
Nurse
Russell Friedenberg
Dr. Stephenson
Kiira Arai
Cindy
Sasha Spielberg
Sally the Checkout Girl
Ty Mitchell
Teddy
Donovan Thomas
Don
Arron Shiver
Police Officer #1
Johnnie Hector
Police Officer #2

Critic Reviews for The Dry Land

All Critics (23) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (9)

It's impossible to watch the film and not realize that war is folly.

July 30, 2010 Full Review Source: New York Post

| Comment

V.A. Musetto

New York Post

Top Critic

Williams draws upon countless earlier dramas without adding anything fresh or memorable to the discussion.

July 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Sincere performances elevate an underdeveloped script and awkward filmmaking.

July 30, 2010 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Top Critic

Well-intentioned, if unevenly executed.

July 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News

| Comment

Christopher Kelly

Dallas Morning News

Top Critic

Just another cost-of-war movie, you say? Yes, and that's exactly the point.

July 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly

| Comment

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Top Critic

O'Nan's shy, precarious performance keeps you with him to the edge of the abyss.

July 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comment

Nick Pinkerton

Village Voice

Top Critic

This typical covert censorship in war movies is so conventional and prevalent by now, that there's an actual office in existence called the US Army Entertainment Industry Liaison. Indeed, authenticity when it comes to locations and props, has its price.

October 14, 2010 Full Review Source: Reelrave

| Comment

Prairie Miller

Reelrave

Very well-made and well-acted.

September 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Kansas City Star

| Comment

Robert W. Butler

Kansas City Star

A strong first film, and with a better-honed script, Williams should prove to be a director to watch.

August 13, 2010 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle

| Comment

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

A very familiar Stateside war drama -- narratively, the film just goads when it's convenient and shrinks when it suits its purposes, never feeling like an honest exploration of its characters' problems.

August 9, 2010 Full Review Source: Shared Darkness

| Comment

Brent Simon

Shared Darkness

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Ryan Piers Williams's gloomy post Afghan/Iraq war drama is that there aren't more such coming-home movies being made by upstart filmmakers.

August 2, 2010 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Williams and Ferrera emphasize the heartache of coming home in their Iraq War drama The Dry Land, and the result is a worthy family melodrama for the Iraq War generation.

July 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine

| Comment

Steve Ramos

Boxoffice Magazine

Writer-director Ryan Piers Williams seems to be diligently working through a checklist of returning-warrior-movie clich�s.

July 29, 2010 Full Review Source: AV Club

| Comment

Nathan Rabin

AV Club

A moving drama about an Iraq war veteran suffering from PTSD and the soul loss he experiences.

July 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

| Comment

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

So is there a middle ground between supporting the troops but not condoning them? The military certainly hopes not. Which makes the film, however compassionate, a bitter pill to swallow. Or as they prescribe for whatever ails destroyed vets - Take a pill.

July 29, 2010 Full Review Source: WBAI Radio

| Comment

Prairie Miller

WBAI Radio

'The Dry Land' is appropriately slow low-key, in keeping with the war hero's bewildered face even in stress or violence.

July 29, 2010 Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews

| Comment

Donald J. Levit

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

The PTSD subject matter already feels worked over and [Ryan Piers] Williams doesn't find a new or memorable approach to take it to another level.

July 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Metromix.com

| Comment

Geoff Berkshire

Metromix.com

Reminiscent of The Messenger in its ability to capture unexpressed sorrow, its strong acting and story-telling make it a film that will haunt you.

July 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Hollywood & Fine

| Comment

Marshall Fine

Hollywood & Fine

If we'd wanted a sermon, we'd have gone to church, thanks.

July 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Time Out New York

| Comment

David Fear

Time Out New York

Brothers covered similar territory, but there are plenty of stories to go around about young soldiers and their families in pain, and Williams touches on a few more.

July 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Moving Pictures Magazine

| Comment

Annlee Ellingson

Moving Pictures Magazine

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Dry Land

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Cast: Ryan O'Nan, America Ferrera, Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Ritter, Melissa Leo, Ethan Suplee, June Diane Raphael, Sasha Spielberg, Evan Jones, Ana Claudia Talanc�n, Benito Martinez, Barry Shabaka Henley, Diego Klattenhoff Director: Ryan Piers Williams Summary: Upon returning after his tour of duty, an American war

December 30, 2009

♥˩ƳИИ ƜѲѲƉƧ♥

Super Reviewer

A powerful, if slightly overdone, look at the effect the gulf war can have on a returning veteran. This is relentless in its portrayal of a man whose war experiences prevent him from easily resuming his civilian life. America Ferrera is as beautiful as this viewer has seen her in the role of the wife who welcomes back

November 15, 2010

Mark Abell

Super Reviewer

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