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The Homecoming Photos

View All Photos (7)

Movie Info

British philosophy professor Teddy (Michael Jayston) comes back home from America the first time in nine years to visit his father, uncle and two brothers and introduce them to his wife, Ruth (Vivien Merchant). The family's working class background is vastly different from Teddy and Ruth's academic lifestyle, and the homecoming is uncomfortable for Teddy. But, unexpectedly, Ruth fits right in. While the men compete with one another, she not only enjoys herself but earns their respect.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Peter Hall
Release Date (Streaming):

Jun 11, 2007
Runtime:

1h 51m

Cast & Crew

Cyril Cusack
Sam

Ian Holm
Lenny

Michael Jayston
Teddy

Vivien Merchant
Ruth

Peter Hall
Director

Critic Reviews for The Homecoming

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (5)

It's weird. The most improbable things happen in The Homecoming, and its characters treat each other with total contempt, and yet somehow we ARE moved.

October 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
This is a work so sparkling with insight, so soaked in the mystery that lies between the lips that move and the words that emerge, that the closer the camera brings us to its bitter heart the better.

June 29, 2020 | Full Review…

Judith Crist
Texas Monthly
It's Pinter's words themselves that make this show.

December 17, 2019 | Full Review…

Dick Lochte
Los Angeles Free Press
Quote not available.

August 27, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
The Homecoming might be simple in its staging, but in a final tally, it overcomes its lack of cinematic device through its perceptiveness and stellar ensemble acting.

July 30, 2002 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

View All Critic Reviews (5)

Audience Reviews for The Homecoming

Nov 09, 2020

Its a little shocking that Pinter's play works as a movie at all, but it is perfectly cast which is the most crucial part of staging his work.

Alec B Super Reviewer
May 03, 2012

A man returns home with his wife, who draws the sexual desire of the rest of the men in the household. The source material is one of the best plays I've ever seen or read. Pinter's subtext and pregnant pauses are on full display in this masterpiece. But there's something special about live theater that isn't captured in this film, despite the compelling nature of Ian Holm's pensive glares. The tension on stage isn't as palpable as it is on film, but that doesn't change the fact that watching this film is a remarkable experience.

Jim H Super Reviewer
Jul 02, 2007

[font=Century Gothic]"The Homecoming" proves that it is hard enough bringing your wife home to meet your family for the first time, as Teddy(Michael Jayston), a philosophy professor living in America, is doing with his wife, Ruth(Vivien Merchant), of nine years and mother of three boys, arriving in the middle of the night to his old home in London, without his family, which is ruled over by Max(Paul Rogers), a retired butcher, being a nightmare. Max is used to terrorizing his brother Sam(Cyril Cusack), a chauffeur, and his slow-witted son, Joey(Terence Rigby), a boxer, but is getting on in age and his bite cannot match his bark anymore. And his quick-witted son, Lenny(Ian Holm), is now returning fire...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]On the surface, "The Homecoming" is a kitchen sink drama full of the bleak desperation of the working class in London. And then about halfway through, it makes a disturbing turn, revealing the characters to be even worse than previously thought, but in general it is still the exploitation of labor, especially women and society's mistreatment of them, that is being discussed. [/font]

Walter M Super Reviewer