Manchester by the Sea

Name: Manchester by the Sea
Genre: Drama
Released: November 18, 2016
Duration: 137 min
Rating: 96
Cast: Casey Affleck, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams

2016

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Universal acclaim based on 53 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 1010 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 1010 Ratings

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Manchester By The Sea

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Movie Details & Credits

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: November 18, 2016 | R

Starring: Casey Affleck, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams

Summary: After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 15-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past thatAfter the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 15-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Bonded by the man who held their family together, Lee and Patrick struggle to adjust to a world without him.… Expand

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 137 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Fionnuala Halligan

Jan 24, 2016

Kenneth Lonergan’s deeply moving return after the travails of Margaret shows what a rare storyteller he is, measuring out his narrative beats in a world which crackles with life, guiding Casey Affleck’s magnificent performance, instantly recognisable as a career-be Read full review

100

Empire Phil de Semlyen

Jan 9, 2017

Masterfully told and beautifully acted, Manchester By The Sea is a shattering yet graceful elegy of loss and grief. Read full review

100

Stephen Whitty

Nov 16, 2016

Despite his draw to tragic subjects, Lonergan holds onto a sharp, dark, Irish sense of humor, and a feel for the absurd that comes out at the most unexpected times. A playwright's sense of what actors do, too. Affleck gives a career-best performance here. Read full review

100

Richard Roeper

Nov 24, 2016

This is one of the funniest films about coping with tragedy I’ve ever seen. Not that it’s a comedy, not for a second. It’s an immensely moving and beautifully resonant drama about the walking wounded and how they cope with a horrific event from many years past. Read full review

100

Rene Rodriguez

Dec 1, 2016

But this is also his funniest, nimblest picture: There are long stretches in it that could pass for a comedy. Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

Nov 21, 2016

Casey Affleck is both the soul and the anchor of the movie. Read full review

The Guardian Lanre Bakare

Jan 24, 2016

Manchester-by-the-Sea is a study of family dysfunction and the worse loss imaginable, but one held back by the fact it’s all filtered through Affleck’s withdrawn lead. Read full review

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User Reviews

ScarlettMi

Nov 23, 2016

I left this movie wanting to find an Oscar to immediately hand over to Casey Affleck. His restrained but deeply moving performance has easily been one of my favorites of the year. The movie is filled with impressive acting from everyone involved, but I feel like so much of it hinges on hisI left this movie wanting to find an Oscar to immediately hand over to Casey Affleck. His restrained but deeply moving performance has easily been one of my favorites of the year. The movie is filled with impressive acting from everyone involved, but I feel like so much of it hinges on his ability to make his character's quietest and stillest moments say so much.

The movie is a powerful exploration of grief that works so well because it remembers that people don't stop making sarcastic comments and stupid jokes when things are awful. It's the humor that makes the sadness more genuine and affecting, because the characters feel more human and real.

It's one of my favorite films of the year.… Expand

16 of 19 users found this helpful163

willingly_will

Nov 29, 2016

I love MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. Although I'm not a fan of YOU CAN COUNT ON ME or MARGARET, this one really moved me. The script is subtle, not everything is said but we know what the characters feel without them expressing in words. Casey Affleck is great (Oscar for him please) and LucasI love MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. Although I'm not a fan of YOU CAN COUNT ON ME or MARGARET, this one really moved me. The script is subtle, not everything is said but we know what the characters feel without them expressing in words. Casey Affleck is great (Oscar for him please) and Lucas Hedges gives a breakthrough performance. Even though everyone's raving about Michelle Williams, there's something off about her in this film, something's just missing. Touching with a lot of humour, great script, love it!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

garmonbozia

Aug 29, 2018

One of the best dramas I've ever seen. Honest, emotional, sad, warm, funny, scary, dark... - life in a capsule. A meditation on grief. A picture of a family in crisis. The actors are all phenomenal. The movie is slow paced but it grabs your attention and takes you on a journey intoOne of the best dramas I've ever seen. Honest, emotional, sad, warm, funny, scary, dark... - life in a capsule. A meditation on grief. A picture of a family in crisis. The actors are all phenomenal. The movie is slow paced but it grabs your attention and takes you on a journey into somebody's life. You care about the people you watch and you feel what they feel. Great experience.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Dec 21, 2016

Utterly devastating. Bleak and unrelenting, Manchester by the Sea is akin to being bludgeoned repeatedly by an axe aimed straight at your heart. Once in a while, a film will come along and leave me in a ball of tears. Films can only accomplish this, however, by putting the audience rightUtterly devastating. Bleak and unrelenting, Manchester by the Sea is akin to being bludgeoned repeatedly by an axe aimed straight at your heart. Once in a while, a film will come along and leave me in a ball of tears. Films can only accomplish this, however, by putting the audience right alongside the characters and making us feel their pain and agony. Their pain becomes our own and it makes the experience feeling entirely personal. Manchester by the Sea is this kind of film. By the end, Lee Chandler's (Casey Affleck) depression became my own and, as a result, the film left me feeling heavy. Elegantly written, score, and directed, Manchester by the Sea is an operatic and thoroughly depressing film. If you are in a tough spot right now, either this film will be oddly therapeutic or just leave you wallowing in tears.

Anchored by an impeccable lead performance by Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea tells the story of Lee Chandler returning home to Manchester to care for his nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Thrown into guardianship following the death of his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee is divorced from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams). Returning home brings up various bad memories for Lee, which makes the journey especially difficult. Suffering from a deep depression before and during his return as a result of these memories, Manchester by the Sea is an examination of the grieving process and how we cope with tragedy. For Lee, he has turned into an emotionally remote man who can hardly converse with anybody else. As he blames himself for his issues, his depression compounds upon itself and leaves him incredibly numb. For Patrick, losing his father only has an impact in quiet moments. Small elements - such as the fact that his father needs to be frozen until Spring when the ground is soft enough to bury him - bother him deeply. Otherwise, he continues on with his life and finds things to keep himself busy. For Randi, she is still deeply shaken by her own actions, rather than what actually happened and how she treated Lee as a result. Both Hedges and Williams are tremendous as well. Hedges truly shines when Patrick has a panic attack. Here, your heart truly breaks and Hedges' raw emotion and authenticity make the scene land even harder. For Williams, she absolutely deserves another Academy Award nomination. She gets very little to chew on, but when given the opportunity in a conversation with Lee, my God. Powerful barely scratches the surface of this scene. Williams is a revelation in this scene and, in one moment, steals the entire film. As a whole though, the acting in Manchester by the Sea is a step above the acting of any other film this year.

In examining grief, Manchester by the Sea takes the varied approaches as described above. Lee cannot get over his grief to the point that he can hardly be in Manchester. Patrick wants to continue to live his life. Randi is grieving the dissolution of her marriage because it did not need to happen. Though hardly profound, the film exemplifies that we all "grieve in our own way". Yet, the masterful element in this portrayal is its division between the sexes. When Lee is down, Joe steps up and cares for him. He shows emotion, yes, but he is in control. His emotion is bottled up and he is solely focused on helping his brother through this ordeal. For Lee, when Joe dies and after his own issues, he bottles it up. His only expression of his internal anger and pain is when he gets into bar fights. Part him needing to find out if he can still feel anything and part venting, these bar fights exemplify the way in which men often internalize their pain. Similarly, Patrick is headed down the same path with few scenes where he lets loose. Otherwise, as mentioned above, he simply goes along with his life of hockey, baseball, band, and his two girlfriends. Things do not alter much for him and, outwardly, he is laughing and as charismatic as he was before. His pain only comes in private when things remind him of his pain. Instead, he seeks distractions and constant chaos (depicted by Lee driving him all over God's green earth without end) in order to cope. Randi, however, has hardly internalized her pain. Instead, she vented at Lee in the past and, now, cried openly before him to express her agony of what went on between the two of them. Not to be too stereotypical, but women are certainly better at expressing their emotions and the film underscores this. When Lee and Patrick are together, there is a mutual understanding that they are both in pain, but neither divulge or open up as to how they are feeling. When Lee is with Randi, you can see how uncomfortable he is with this display of emotion, even if it is what he needed to hear.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

sensorglitch

Jan 9, 2017

Manchester by Z's seems like an appropriate name for this film. I understand how well this was filmed. The acting was brilliant, as a character Lee Chandler neither neither hatable nor likable. He's damaged and broken and the film does a great job of contrasting the changes which have comeManchester by Z's seems like an appropriate name for this film. I understand how well this was filmed. The acting was brilliant, as a character Lee Chandler neither neither hatable nor likable. He's damaged and broken and the film does a great job of contrasting the changes which have come about in his life. The dialogue is interesting as well, the characters have interesting lines and they move the film along interestingly.

However, the movie is one in which very bad things happen to people and are accentuated by smaller bad things happening to them. Intellectually I understand this is a great movie. The book is about a group of aimless characters who drift through life, drift through the movie and then drift out. They have no purpose just like this movie. I know you are probably reading this and wondering "Why is he giving this an eight if he doesn't have anything good to say about it?" Well objectively speaking I believe there are many elements which go into making a film really good : acting, directing, sound, plot. From a technical and objective perspective this movie is excellent. It is an extremely well made, well acted and technically well done film. However, i never really felt invested in the movie. I didn't want the movie to end up being some hackneyed film where the character finds redemption, find a new love in his old city, and moves forward in some way. But at the same time I wish there was more to it.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

ProfAmateur

Dec 31, 2021

Well this movie is basically about a guy who has to deal with **** - a lot of **** Or lets say it in other words: the live of nearly everyone. So i guess poeple like this movie because they can relate how ****ty live can be. It seems that americans love movies like this at the momentWell this movie is basically about a guy who has to deal with **** - a lot of **** Or lets say it in other words: the live of nearly everyone. So i guess poeple like this movie because they can relate how ****ty live can be. It seems that americans love movies like this at the moment (Nomadland). But i think its only average.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

WAAA

Mar 3, 2017

Manchester By The Sea doesn't go anywhere. I kept waiting for something profound to happen but it never did. The movie is boring and I can't figure out why it won awards..... Two thumbs Down... Booo

1 of 13 users found this helpful112

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2	#2 Best Movie of 2016
25	#25 Most Discussed Movie of 2016
22	#22 Most Shared Movie of 2016