The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

TV-MA

2017

1h 33m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 1951, cancerous cells from Henrietta Lacks led to breakthroughs that change the face of medicine forever. Aided by writer Rebecca Skloot, Deborah Lacks embarks on a quest to learn about the mother she never knew.

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Critics Consensus

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fairly standard biopic, but it's distinguished by a great leading performance from Oprah Winfrey,

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

Sep 26, 2017

Imagine having to endure the emotional labor of seeing your own story told, without the comfort of knowing that you control it or enjoying compensation for it either. Henrietta Lacks raises questions about ethics, both artistic and biomedical.

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Michael Hogan

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jun 13, 2017

3/5

As a portrait of unlikely female friendship and impassioned campaigning it did justice to little-known heroine Lacks.

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Lucy Mangan

Guardian

Jun 13, 2017

If the film pushes Henrietta to the edges, it is at least to make room for a performance from Winfrey that tells us all there is to know about the damage that loss, lies and injustice can do to a child, to an adult, to a family and to a society.

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Hannah Giorgis

The Ringer

Sep 10, 2019

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks stop short of directly indicting specific parties on the family's behalf. The resulting film is moving and accessible, but it offers no absolution.

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Aug 6, 2019

3.5/5

The stand out is Winfrey herself as the emotionally, mentally and physically ill Deborah.

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Keith Reid-Cleveland

Black Nerd Problems

Jun 14, 2018

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will resonate with audiences as a story of major loss and finding something worthwhile to hold onto despite it.

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VITALII H

@freakynickison Oct 28, 2025

I don't even know where to start. The movie can be hard to watch. It's based on the true story and it's about the woman called Henrietta, whose cells are immortal. Researchers found out that her cells can live outside of the human's body and even more, they can multiply and overcome various viruses and diseases like polio, HIV, AIDS and many more... And yes, her cells are literally in everyone's body because they wer used to produce vaccines and pills almost for everything... The movie is about the family of Henrietta who didn't received a penny for the big contribution what she did and how they are suffering with her loss knowing that her cells (which are still alive) went through lots of experiments. Acting was amazing. Oprah did her thing and truly embodied Henrietta's daughter Deborah. The cast in general did an absolutely amazing job!

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Teresa R

@RT94936287 Sep 17, 2025

Oprah again delivers the drama but filled with touching moments where she delves into herself to reveal a complex loving and raw emotional performance. Oprah brings out the best in cast members in that they dont hold back either. a must see movie.

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Sal D

@JustTheLaw Sep 3, 2023

A fascinating true story turned into bland made for cable TV style film.

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Oct 6, 2021

I enjoyed this one based on a true story of an incredible woman who has affected so many lives positively through science over the years without us realizing it. It was also a grim look at the reality of the early science experiments conducted by big organizations without the approval or legal rights of the people or families involved

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Dec 19, 2020

I liked the movie. I read the book in college so to see the movie brought to life was nice. The movie was told very well. So sad to see the daughter died 9m before the book released. That was heartbreaking to read. Good movie overall and would recommend it.

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Jun 23, 2020

I did not think Oprah was good in this. So much extra was added for dramatic effect that was unnecessary and took away from the amazing story. The book was much better.

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George C. Wolfe

Director

Oprah Winfrey

Deborah Lacks

Rose Byrne

Rebecca Skloot

Renée Elise Goldsberry

Henrietta Lacks

Rocky Carroll

Sonny Lacks

Courtney B. Vance

Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Featurette - The Lacks Family Legacy

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Trailer 1

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Teaser Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In 1951, cancerous cells from Henrietta Lacks led to breakthroughs that change the face of medicine forever. Aided by writer Rebecca Skloot, Deborah Lacks embarks on a quest to learn about the mother she never knew.

Director: George C. Wolfe
Screenwriter: Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, George C. Wolfe
Production Co: Cine Mosaic
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2017
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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