The Ice Storm
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Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Kline
  • Summary: It's November 1973 in New Canaan, Connecticut. Watergate has caught up with Richard Nixon. The Beatles are recording solo albums. Wife-swapping has come to the suburbs. And, the Hood family is skidding out of control. (Fox Searchlight)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    What we sense after the film is that the natural sources of pleasure have been replaced with higher-octane substitutes, which have burnt out the ability to feel joy.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    80
    The dazzling ensemble perfectly captures every nuance in one of the finest acting showcases you could hope for.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    An honorable film, beautifully acted, refreshingly un-camp in its take on wide lapels and progressive rock and occasionally coolly moving. It's just that ultimately, there's less here than meets the eye.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    30
    Unfortunately, the drama operates on a see-through, easily shatterable metaphor: the frigidity of the WASP soul. [17 October 1997, p.N32]
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See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. LeonardoF
    10
    Absolutely brilliant.
  2. BryanH.
    10
    By far the best film ever, not to have been nominated for best film. It was Kevin Kline's best work to date and Ang Lee established himself as the most sensitive director alive. The entire cast was flawless. The cinematography and soundtrack left me yearning for more, though the catharsis brought to bear was complete! It captures a glimpse of the disco era (minus the disco) that you will never see again. The warmth of its meaning made up for the sometimes cold Connecticut bourgeoisie. Despite it's icy backdrop, it heats the screen with a humanity and reality I have rarely seen on or off the screen.… Expand
  3. S.Gold
    9
    Can't name one bad thing about this film.
  4. BobD.
    0
    The most depressing, pointless movie I have ever seen. Pure crap. I must say, the acting is fairly good, but at the end I wanted to stick my head in an oven. One of the hallmarks of good dramas is that there is conflict and also resolution...there is plenty of conflict but not one good, happy, or decent thing happens. This was a movie written and directed for critics, typical Hollywood elitism. It was so awful I am shocked that it didn't win an Oscar!… Expand

See all 6 User Reviews

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