X
  • 2019
  • TV-MA
  • A24
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2019
  • TV-MA
  • A24
  • 1 h 44 m

Summary Bigger “Big” Thomas, a young African American man, lives with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Half-heartedly involved with a girlfriend, he sports green hair and a punk jacket, smokes weed, and carries a pistol—but rebuffs his buddy’s “easy-money” scheme to knock off a corner store. Full of self-determination, Big accepts a job as th...

Directed By: Rashid Johnson

Written By: Suzan-Lori Parks, Richard Wright

  • 2019
  • TV-MA
  • A24
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 2019
  • TV-MA
  • A24
  • 1 h 44 m

Native Son

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews
63
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 17 User Ratings
5.5
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Bigger “Big” Thomas, a young African American man, lives with his mother and siblings in Chicago. Half-heartedly involved with a girlfriend, he sports green hair and a punk jacket, smokes weed, and carries a pistol—but rebuffs his buddy’s “easy-money” scheme to knock off a corner store. Full of self-determination, Big accepts a job as th...

Directed By: Rashid Johnson

Written By: Suzan-Lori Parks, Richard Wright

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews
63
67% Positive
8 Reviews
33% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews
63
67% Positive
8 Reviews
33% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
91
Feb 2, 2019
It may have moments where it feels unwieldy—like a runaway train gone off its tracks—but it never flags for one second. A movie this bold doesn’t dare lose momentum.
FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 2, 2019
It’s a fiery, flawed, often stunningly made film that provokes uncomfortable discussion, rather like the Richard Wright novel it was based on, although purists might argue over some key changes.
By Benjamin Lee FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 17 User Ratings
5.5
35% Positive
6 Ratings
41% Mixed
7 Ratings
24% Negative
4 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 17 User Ratings
5.5
35% Positive
6 Ratings
41% Mixed
7 Ratings
24% Negative
4 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

70
Feb 2, 2019
While this slow-motion tragedy sometimes risks more than it can deliver, the film’s cumulative effect stuns nonetheless. Ashton Sanders heads a fine cast that forcibly articulates the everyday landmines African-Americans have to navigate in a white society that often seems intent on destroying them.
By Tim Grierson FULL REVIEW
67
Feb 2, 2019
For every scene that doesn’t work there is another that’s spellbinding. It’s gutsy and provocative and, frankly, that’s a compliment you can’t give many independent films these days.
By Gregory Ellwood FULL REVIEW
67
Feb 2, 2019
The early stretch of the movie is its strongest, as Johnson lays out the bric-a-brac of Bigger’s life, which involves a good deal of code-switching, and carefully tweaks the novel’s key relationships, updating the condescension of his employer’s rich-kid daughter, Mary (Margaret Qualley), to a new era of white guilt and microaggressions.
By A.A. Dowd FULL REVIEW
50
Apr 5, 2019
Screen adaptations of well-known books are a tricky art. Stray too far from the source material, and purists will be upset. Stick too close to the text, and you risk alienating others. Native Son sits somewhere in-between paint-by-number loyalty and artistic interpretation.
By Monica Castillo FULL REVIEW
50
Feb 2, 2019
Though it has some problems as a film — some of which are part and parcel of translating a book to the screen — Native Son still packs a punch, one that connects directly with the gut.
By Alissa Wilkinson FULL REVIEW
See All 12 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company Bow and Arrow Entertainment, The Domain Group
Release Date Apr 6, 2019
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating TV-MA
Genres
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Awards

Image Awards (NAACP)
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Black Reel Awards for Television
• 3 Nominations
Golden Trailer Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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