The Neon Bible (1995)
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 10
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 4
No consensus yet.
Release Date: Mar 1, 1996 Wide
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 447
My Rating
Movie Info
A young boy comes of age in rural Georgia during the 1940s in Terence Davies' challenging, visually powerful drama. Acclaimed for his nostalgic, beautifully photographed reflections on England's past (The Long Day Closes, Distant Voices, Still Lives), Davies looks beyond his home country to America with this adaptation of a novel by John Kennedy Toole, author of A Confederacy of Dunces. The film is told through the eyes of David (Jacob Tierney), a teenage boy struggling to deal with life in a
Mar 1, 1996 Wide
Aug 24, 2004
Cast
-
Gena Rowlands
Aunt Mae -
Jacob Tierney
David at age 15 -
Diana Scarwid
Sarah -
-
Denis Leary
Frank -
Leo Burmeister
Bobbie Lee Taylor -
Frances Conroy
Miss Scover -
Bob Hannah
George -
Stephanie Astalos Jones
Testifier -
Peter McRobbie
Rev. Watkins -
Charles Franzen
Tannoy -
Virgil Graham Hopkins
Mr. Williams -
Tom Turbiville
Clyde -
Jill Jane Clements
Woman
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (19) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (4)
Though not one of Davies' strongest films, this coming of age tale, set in the American South, has nice, lyrical moments, and is well acted by Gena Rowlands.
What it lacks in dramatic thrust is made up for in the momentary (and sometimes sustained) glimpses of brilliance.
An old-fashioned type of coming-of-age film shot by the Englishman, Terence Davies.
Audience Reviews for The Neon Bible
In the ultra-racist, holy-rolling South of the 1940?s, there?s a boy that just doesn?t belong. Unable to fit in with his peers, all he has is his wife-thumping father and his mentally deteriorating mother until Aunt Mae, too old to work the honkey-tonks anymore, comes to live with them. Aunt Mae (Gena Rowlands), a social outcast among the town?s religious zealots, is David's window on the world.
The mostly bitter tale unwinds from 15-year old David's (Jacob Tierney - Twist) mind as he rides alone on a train. Director Terence Davies does a good job of staying within the boy?s mind as the scenes are reenacted. As a viewer, watching these events unfold from the perspective of a boy?s tortured soul is a challenge. Everything?s dramatic and over-amplified.
The toxic mixture of abuse, intolerance, and religion unfolds in something like a ?stage play musical.' The pace is deliberate with long camera pans and extended scene transitions. The film was both lauded (acting and direction) and disembowled (acting and direction). It may be a bit artsy for some.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for The Neon Bible yet.
What's Hot On RT
The Last Stand, Side Effects
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Rachel McAdams' time travel romantic drama
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- See the Best-Reviewed in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 9
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 82
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 37
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 106
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
Top Headlines
-
Damon Lindelof Talks Tomorrowland
0
-
10 Movies About Really Fast Cars
0
-
Poltergeist Remake Synopsis Hints at Plot Differences
0
-
Kristen Wiig Says Welcome to Me
0
-
David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Gets Bumped
0
-
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Remake in the Works
0
-
Alex Gibney Talks We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
