The Whole Wide World

1996

The Whole Wide World

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

72%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,885

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2

How did you get your ticket?
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you get your ticket?
- Fandango
- AMC (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Cinemark (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Regal (Coming Soon)
  
  We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
- Bought somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You haven’t finished your review yet, want to submit as-is?

You can always edit your review after.
Are you sure?

Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers.
Want to submit changes to your review before closing?

The Whole Wide World Photos

View All Photos (1)

Movie Info

A touching and unusual love story, The Whole Wide World was based on a memoir by Novalyne Price Ellis, in which she recalled her brief romance with Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and one of the finest and most prolific pulp writers of his day. In 1933, Novalyne Price (Renee Zellweger) is a pretty but shy Texas schoolteacher who would like to be a writer some day. A friend offers to introduce her to Howard (Vincent D'Onofrio), who writes broad, bold yarns about superhuman heroes and damsels in distress and has little patience for writers of more pretentious fiction. Novalyne likes Howard and he seems to like her, but she finds him a hard man to deal with. He lives in the world of his stories, and he devotes as much time as possible to his bedridden mother, which leaves him little time to pursue a romance. But when Howard discovers that another man has been courting Novalyne, he's heartbroken -- even if they didn't have a conventional romance, he felt there was a special emotional bond between them, and he hates to see it thrown away. Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'Onofrio both deliver fine performances and are a believable (if unconventional) romantic couple; D'Onofrio also co-produced.

Rating:

PG (adult situations)
Genre:

Drama, Special Interest, Romance
Directed By:

Dan Ireland
Written By:

Michael Scott Myers, Tara C. Hall
In Theaters:

Dec 1, 1996 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 29, 2003
Runtime:

106 minutes
Studio:

Sony Entertainment

Cast

Vincent D'Onofrio
as Robert E. Howard

Renée Zellweger
as Novalyne Price

Ann Wedgeworth
as Mrs. Howard

Harve Presnell
as Dr. Howard

Benjamin Mouton
as Clyde Smith

Helen Cates
as Enid

Chris Shearer
as Truett

Michael Corbett
as Booth Adams

Marion Eaton
as Woman on Bus

Leslie Berger
as Ethel

Sandy Walper
as Mammy

Dell Aldrich
as Mrs. Hemphill

Libby Villari
as Etna Reed Price

Antonia Bogdanovich
as Teacher

Elizabeth D'Onofrio
as Mrs. Smith

Stephen Marshall
as Director

View All

Critic Reviews for The Whole Wide World

All Critics (17) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (4)

I felt like I was watching two different movies.

Aug 16, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic
Novalyne is Renee Zellweger, who was magical as Tom Cruise's romantic partner in Jerry Maguire and is charming here, too, as a small-town school teacher who dreams of being a writer.

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic
Invest some patience and you'll be richly rewarded with rolling frontier vistas, butterscotch sunsets and a sweet, melancholy romance that will sneak up on you and grab your heart.

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4

Susan Wloszczyna
USA Today
Top Critic
It adroitly conveys author Robert E. Howard's slow disconnect from the world, and the effect that had on those around him.

Jan 24, 2003 | Rating: 3/5

Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
"well-acted and moving"

Jul 29, 2002 | Rating: 3/5

James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
Robert E. Howard himself may have been a more interesting character than any of his fantastic creations

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

View All Critic Reviews (17)

Audience Reviews for The Whole Wide World

Jan 09, 2013

Not a bad picture. This is back in the days when Renee Zellweger was tolerable. Period pictures don't stay with me for the most part however and that is my sentiment about this one. I stopped thinking about it once it was done.

John B Super Reviewer
May 07, 2012

Nicely done bio-drama based on the book written by Novalyn Price Ellis. It's about time we witnessed a woman making a decision about a man via her head, not her heart. She loved him, but he was just too damaged. From what I have read about this writer, he was quite a talented, yet strange man. This is an enjoyable glimpse into the life of an amazing and complex man and the woman who, aside from his own mother, probably knew him best.

Cynthia S Super Reviewer
Jun 27, 2008

Great performances from D'Onofrio and Zellweger.

Anthony V Super Reviewer
Jul 31, 2007

I liked the Movie. But really sad End.

Lilo C Super Reviewer