American Honey

Name: American Honey
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: September 30, 2016
Duration: 163 min
Rating: 79

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 113 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 113 Ratings

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American Honey

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Movie Details & Credits

A24 | Release Date: September 30, 2016 | R

Summary: Star (Sasha Lane), a teenage girl from a troubled home, runs away with a traveling sales crew who drive across the American Midwest selling magazine subscriptions door to door. Finding her feet in this gang of teenagers, one of whom is Jake (Shia LaBeouf), she soon gets into the group's lifestyle of hard-partying nights, law-bending days,Star (Sasha Lane), a teenage girl from a troubled home, runs away with a traveling sales crew who drive across the American Midwest selling magazine subscriptions door to door. Finding her feet in this gang of teenagers, one of whom is Jake (Shia LaBeouf), she soon gets into the group's lifestyle of hard-partying nights, law-bending days, and young love.… Expand

Director: Andrea Arnold

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 163 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Allen Salkin

Oct 6, 2020

The film slowly, slowly blossoms into an emotional wildflower by the end, leaving us with a scene that is kind of spontaneous road baptism, an unsure note of spiritual birth. Read full review

100

The Film Stage Rory O'Connor

May 20, 2016

It’s visually astonishing and often devastating, too. This might be the freshest film about young people in America since Larry Clark’s Kids. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

May 20, 2016

It's the closest thing to a magnum opus in Arnold's blossoming career. Read full review

Dana Stevens

Oct 1, 2016

The performances, whether from novices like the sensational Lane or professionals like LaBeouf, Keough, and Patton, are at once naturalistic and emotionally precise. Read full review

Calvin Wilson

Oct 13, 2016

In an Arnold film, plot is pretty much beside the point. Instead, she focuses on the subtleties of character — and her insights can be both enlightening and terrifying. Read full review

David Rooney

May 20, 2016

The film works best as a poignant character study, observing Star as she settles into her independence and figures out who she wants to be, framed by a vast physical landscape that stretches socioeconomically from privileged wealth to squalid poverty. There's a wonderful intimacy in the way Arnold examines young women in her films. Read full review

Josh Cabrita

Sep 28, 2016

The characters are despicable and insufferable, but worse yet, interchangeable and not particularly interesting. Read full review

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User Reviews

Juttybomb

Oct 1, 2016

Andrea Arnold found truthful and beautiful characters in real people, and allowed us to share in an actual road trip of moments in their life. The aspect ratio of the film gives a personalized experience. The soundtrack inspired me to literally dance in the theatre throughout the movie.Andrea Arnold found truthful and beautiful characters in real people, and allowed us to share in an actual road trip of moments in their life. The aspect ratio of the film gives a personalized experience. The soundtrack inspired me to literally dance in the theatre throughout the movie. Sasha and Shia show some real chemistry, and when Mazzy Star drops while their in the car, it literally gave my entire body chills. This movie made me feel something while watching it, and the feeling has stayed with me for hours. To me the experience of watching this film is comparable to the moment when you are dancing, and you completely let yourself go, and allow yourself to get lost in the moment. It's a moment when nothing else matters. A car ride with the friends you love, while singing a song that resonates with everyone in the car. Go see this film, you won't be disappointed. Hats off to the director, cast and crew.… Expand

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

zech147

Aug 7, 2020

Wow! This movie is way more entertaining than you would expect from a low energy road film, but between the cinematography, acting, and plot it blew me away. The realness of the acting allowed me to vicariously join the cast on an epic road trip that was both over the top and completelyWow! This movie is way more entertaining than you would expect from a low energy road film, but between the cinematography, acting, and plot it blew me away. The realness of the acting allowed me to vicariously join the cast on an epic road trip that was both over the top and completely realistic! On top of that, a great soundtrack pulls you in and leaves you hoping it will never end. When it does draw to a close you will have bonded with the characters and may find yourself wishing them well, until you remember it was only a film. I don't know why this movie wasn't more widely acclaimed, but I do recommend it to anyone who will listen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mahmus

Sep 25, 2020

A masterfully made movie with great performances and great pacing, especially for such a long film.

Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf are amazing.

It got a bit repetitive after a while, but never to the point where I wasn't completely interested in what was happening.

This was really damn good

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

Jan 14, 2017

To redefine the life and to discover the love.

From the British director of 'Fish Tank' fame, this is another a young struggling girl's story. Being brought up in a low income and abusive family, and because of that trying to redefine the life. Not about heading the wrong way like drugs andTo redefine the life and to discover the love.

From the British director of 'Fish Tank' fame, this is another a young struggling girl's story. Being brought up in a low income and abusive family, and because of that trying to redefine the life. Not about heading the wrong way like drugs and other related stuffs. So this is the story of an older teen girl named Star who flees the home to find her new life and love. It all begins when she meets a youngster in a supermarket and since then she followed him everywhere. Actually the film focused to tell a gang of youth who are door to door magazine subscription dealers. They travel all over the country and have all kinds of enjoyment.

In order to stay in the group, Star has to prove her worth. She reserves her spot, but working on her own way. I always feared the narration might go to take a nasty twist. There came a couple scenes near to that, but compromised not to change the mood of the storytelling. Because it seems the writer was interested to reveal a girl try to achieve two goals. After coming to know one of it was staged, how she contemplates the other one crafted carefully. Not to forget, her fate, the future depends on it, since she's not well qualified to go out in the world to do whatever she wants.

So I think it was a decent film with a decent message. If you know the director, you would know what her films talk about. Unlike 'Fish Tank', this is about an American girl. The influence of lifestyle, culture, almost everything related to youngsters covered. The lead actress was good. It was not Shia Labeouf's film, but in a supporting role, he did his best. There are a few others I knew, but they did not get big part. The only issue with it was the length. If you are okay with it, especially for a slow drama, then the film is enjoyable. 'American Honey' is like 'American Money', one of the ways people try to make their 'American Dream' come to true. This film is exclusively for drama genre fans.

7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Oct 20, 2016

You may have had young people come to your door selling magazines. This film follows a group of them as they travel around the country in a van, listening to hip hop, shooting the **** drinking and smoking. Their free-spirit attitude is captured with compelling charisma by this group ofYou may have had young people come to your door selling magazines. This film follows a group of them as they travel around the country in a van, listening to hip hop, shooting the **** drinking and smoking. Their free-spirit attitude is captured with compelling charisma by this group of mostly "street cast" youth. Sasha Lane (also a non-actor) plays a young woman who runs away from her extremely dysfunctional family to join them. Her journey is not much about the magazines; more about her own stubborn, spunky attitude and the relationship she establishes with the lead seller (Shai LeBeouf). While this film rambles (2.5 hours), there's an undeniably captivating allure to the cast and a winningly free-spirited approach in the filmmaking… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ScarlettMi

Nov 23, 2016

American Honey is the perfect example of a movie that earns a mixed rating from me. There's a lot of originality and energy and life to the movie. There are interesting performances and some great cinematography. The fact that the story feels messy and unfocused isn't even necessarily a badAmerican Honey is the perfect example of a movie that earns a mixed rating from me. There's a lot of originality and energy and life to the movie. There are interesting performances and some great cinematography. The fact that the story feels messy and unfocused isn't even necessarily a bad thing, as that works for the characters in the film.

It's just so damned long. There's not enough story here to justify almost three hours spent in the company of characters making poor life choices and doing little else. It dragged along slowly and had me wondering how much longer it could go on the way it was.

I can absolutely understand why it earned a 10 from some people. I can absolutely understand why someone would rate it lower. This is a movie that I can appreciate the quality of while not being entertained by. It has an original voice and Andrea Arnold is a director that I will make a point to watch more from in the future. It just didn't fully work for me.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Scraper

Dec 1, 2017

Brutally dull render of an American adventure flick that seems to think that the stoned, teenage, mall crowd is holding a profound secret. Like The Beach before it, they seek the simple pleasures in life: sex, freedom, and insobriety. Each character is some jackass you've seen before,Brutally dull render of an American adventure flick that seems to think that the stoned, teenage, mall crowd is holding a profound secret. Like The Beach before it, they seek the simple pleasures in life: sex, freedom, and insobriety. Each character is some jackass you've seen before, hanging out, smoking a blunt, saying something stupid, except for Shia Labeouf. He's a special kind of grime. Someone meant to be seen as an attractive free-spirit who instead comes off as filthy, smarmy, and disingenuous. A nauseating combination. In real life I imagine Shia sees this character as his actual kindred spirit, his ora. He isn't grown up enough, or perhaps is too insulated by his own fame and inexperience, to tell that stoned, drunken, extroverted, know-it-alls are one of society's most repellant products.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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