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Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch)

Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch) (1971)

tomatometer

100

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 0

No consensus yet.

audience

75

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 616

My Rating

Movie Info

Also known as Never Give an Inch, this film was based on a novel by Ken Kesey. Paul Newman (who also directed) stars as Hank Stamper, the oldest son of an Oregon logging family headed by Henry (Henry Fonda). Hank's half-brother, Leeland (Michael Sarrazin), embittered over Henry's treatment of his late mother, returns after a ten-year absence to work in the family business. Leeland's presence causes friction with Henry, who resents his prodigal son's hippie mindset, and Hank, who perceives

PG,

Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

Ken Kesey, John Gay

Universal Pictures

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Cast

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All Critics (12) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (0) | DVD (2)

A New Hollywood movie suffused in Old Hollywood values.

November 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Village Voice
Village Voice
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It's not a classic, in the sense of being perfectly formed. But the craft work is one of a kind.

November 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Time Out New York
Time Out New York
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The result is rather good -- a sort of contemporary 'western' in the timber territory.

June 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
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Newman's handling of the outdoor scenes, especially those involving work, is -- like his own acting -- restrained but powerfully evocative.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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Surprisingly effective.

May 9, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
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Newman starts tunneling under the material, coming up with all sorts of things we didn't quite expect, and along the way he proves himself as a director of sympathy and a sort of lyrical restraint.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
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Based on Ken Kesey's book, Newman's second film as helmer is not effective or cohesive as the first (Rachel Rachel), but Oregon locations and good acting by Henry Fonda and others compensate for uneasy fit between melodrama and action

July 29, 2009 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com
EmanuelLevy.Com

When the film cuts away from the family soap opera dramatics and shows the macho men at work wielding their chainsaws at the logging camp among the giant trees, it has a buzz.

January 18, 2009 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Kesey's 600-plus-page novel would have made a fine six-hour mini-series, and it's a tribute to scenarist Gay that he managed to condense that much material into under two hours.

June 17, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Terrific family drama

April 20, 2007
Atlantic City Weekly

Newman handles the emotional drama well and directs one outdoor scene with consummate brilliance.

May 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

Audience Reviews for Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch)

Okay but overlong logging drama would have benefitted by being a half hour shorter. Has a fine cast, with Lee Remick giving the best performance even though her screen time is limited, but they don't have enough to work with. It just should have been more involving.
February 24, 2011
jjnxn
jay nixon

Super Reviewer

It was a pretty decent film. Not a whole lot of action, but director Newman paced the movie quite nicely nonetheless and when that pacing does reach a climax, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat. Also, the photography of the logging scenes are visually stunning.
June 10, 2013
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