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Orphans

Play trailer Poster for Orphans R 1987 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Two desperate brothers (Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson) hold a drunken Chicago gangster (Albert Finney) hostage in New Jersey.
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Orphans

Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader May 10, 2022
3/4
The characters are kept alive and unpredictable through the careful counterbalancing of their separate acting styles. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 1, 2000
2.5/4
Orphans is a good play about behavior that has been turned into a mediocre movie about nothing much at all. That is not intended as a criticism of the filmmakers, but simply as an observation about the nature of the material. Go to Full Review
Irish Independent Staff Irish Independent Jan 7, 2026
It's very convincingly acted and well directed with a fine sense of claustrophobia by Alan J. Pakula. All quite sad, basically sentimental but ultimately depressing. Go to Full Review
Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy Nov 13, 2009
7/10
Great performances and characters feel a bit imprisoned by the walls of the film frame. Go to Full Review
Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Oct 9, 2005
4/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 31, 2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Aug 27, 2016 A very underrated movie with really good performances from Albert Finney, Matthew Modine, and Kevin Anderson. See more Aug 19, 2016 Great acting by all and a really compelling story. See more Mar 1, 2015 A masterpiece! This film shows that with few characters it is possible to create among the best works film art may offer. The 3 main actors are brilliant, the story deep-reaching, and it is a shame this film wasn't received and appreciated the way it genuinely deserves. See more Nov 6, 2013 Sometimes it feels like a play, which it originated from, but overall the acting is pretty good. See more Jun 3, 2013 A very different kind of movie. But good!! See more Feb 27, 2011 While this is a good adaptation of the play, it lacks much of the emotion and depth it had on the stage. In comparison, it seems a bit two-dimensional. It's worth seeing, especially if you've seen the stage version and would like to relive it, but don't settle for this if you have the opportunity to see the play. I wasn't disappointed, but there's just nothing like seeing it live. See more Read all reviews
Orphans

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Movie Info

Synopsis Two desperate brothers (Matthew Modine, Kevin Anderson) hold a drunken Chicago gangster (Albert Finney) hostage in New Jersey.
Director
Alan J. Pakula
Producer
Alan J. Pakula, Susan Solt
Screenwriter
Lyle Kessler
Production Co
Lorimar Motion Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 22, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$239.7K
Runtime
2h 0m
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