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Rails & Ties
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Micky Levy
Directed by: Alison Eastwood
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 26, 2007
DVD: June 17, 2008
Running Time: 96 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, an accident scene, brief nudity and momentary strong language
Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Miles Heizer, and Kevin Bacon
Tom and Megan Stark always thought there would be time--—time to have children, time to take that trip to San Francisco, time to fix the problems in their marriage. But Megan's illness and Tom's inability to face the possibility of losing her are stealing all the time they have left. All Tom can do is bury himself in his job as a train conductor, where at least he feels in control and everything runs on a predetermined track--until now. Tom's train hits a car on the tracks in a tragic turn of events that, while not his fault, may still cost him his job. Worse, a young woman is dead and her son, Davey, has been left to cope with the loss of his mother, the guilt that he could not save her not only from the train but from herself...and the anger at the man he holds responsible: Tom Stark. The accident puts the Starks and Davey on their own collision course. But instead of leading to tragedy, this crossing could mean new hope for a woman who has only one chance left to fulfill her dreams, for a man who must learn to open his heart before it's too late, and for a young boy who has never known the true meaning of family. (Warner Bros.)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
The film's best and most carefully shaded performance belongs to Bacon.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
I found the opening third tremendously intriguing and involving, I thought the emotions were so real they could be touched, but then the film lost its way and fell into the clutches of sentimental melodrama.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Everything looks professional if undistinguished.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
Reserved, careful and largely predictable in the way it plays out its wrenching emotional crises.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Ella Taylor
Alison Eastwood's debut feature is slow, deliberate, assured, and shot with a graceful feel for place--none of which is enough to overcome the creaky themes that tie this hackneyed domestic drama together with fearsome symmetry.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Rails & Ties is like one bad TV movie that slammed into another.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Alison Eastwood, whose good looks and last name have served her well as a Hollywood actress, makes her directing debut with this mediocre cancer drama.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
While it features three strong performance and the debut of a promising filmmaker, the story line is obvious and rather melodramatic.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
As lovely as some of the footage looks and as committed as are the three lead performances, they serve only to make Rails & Ties play like an exceptionally well-acted and well-made Lifetime movie.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
A heartfelt but dramatically flat portrait of a couple grappling with one tragedy whose lives are profoundly affected by the outcome of another.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
All the astute acting in the world can’t bring such a preposterous story into the station on time and intact.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Nobody feels anything they're not explicitly told to feel. Not even the audience.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The film rings so consistently false that it's more likely to induce snickers and eye-rolling.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
The only conceivable reason for Warner Bros. to (barely) release this mush is as a favor to Clint Eastwood, whose daughter Alison directed.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Debra O gave it an8:
Well acted and directed. Good story line, a couple of surprises or turns could have brought it up a little and silenced the critics.
K C. gave it an8:
A feel good movie where tragedy and illness in life are balanced with something that is good. It's predictable but it solicits emotions out of you like a good movie should.
Rod M. gave it a10:
Excellent movies. My experience has been that if the critics don't like it, then it is a great movie! I loved the movie, and thought the actors did a supurb job, especially Marcia!
Jay H. gave it a6:
Certainly not the cheeriest of films. Well acted by Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, especially Bacon. But the film is too melodramatic and it is as depressing as hell. A little less sentiment and more substance and story would have been a plus.
