Natural Selection

Name: Natural Selection
Genre: Comedy
Released: March 16, 2012
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 57

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Natural Selection

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Movie Details & Credits

Cinema Guild | Release Date: March 16, 2012 | R

Summary: Linda White, a devoted Christian housewife, leads a sheltered existence in suburban Texas. Her world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe, has a 23-year old illegitimate son named Raymond living in Florida. Somewhere on the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe's final wish and sets off on a quixoticLinda White, a devoted Christian housewife, leads a sheltered existence in suburban Texas. Her world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe, has a 23-year old illegitimate son named Raymond living in Florida. Somewhere on the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe's final wish and sets off on a quixotic journey to find Raymond and bring him back. Along the way, Linda's wonderfully bizarre relationship with Raymond will teach her more about herself than she ever imagined possible and force her to come to terms with her troubled past. (The Cinema Guild)… Expand

Director: Robbie Pickering

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 90 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

Jun 20, 2012

Linda is a truly good woman, and Rachael Harris' performance illuminates Natural Selection. Read full review

Peter Travers

Mar 15, 2012

Best known as Ed Helms' nagging fiancée in "The Hangover," Harris is just perfect without ever looking down on Linda's faith in God and herself. Her performance earns a special kind of glory. Read full review

Amy Biancolli

Apr 26, 2012

The results are often comical, but Pickering who made the film in tribute to his mother, the real Linda White - imbues them with faith in something, maybe dignity, maybe love, maybe just the simple human urge to keep on moving. Read full review

Joe Leydon

Mar 12, 2012

This filmed-in-Texas road movie finds a smooth groove between self-conscious quirkiness and broadly played farce. Read full review

Joe Williams

Jul 13, 2012

Snark is not art. In the evolutionary spectrum of cinema, Natural Selection is like the duck-billed platypus, pretending to be warm-blooded but more than a little fowl. Read full review

Ben Sachs

Jun 21, 2012

However gritty this indie comedy may look (cinematographer Steve Calitri seems to be aping William Eggleston's photographs of the American south), it isn't all that different from an Adam Sandler vehicle: writer-director Robbie Pickering spends much of the movie mocking his characters' stupidity, then pulls an about-face with a sentimental conclusion that feels unearned. Read full review

Mark Feeney

Jul 5, 2012

The movie has elements of road picture, social satire, and odd-couple romance, but mostly it's about lack of pacing and tone. Somewhere very (very) deep in here is a whiff of "Citizen Ruth," and who knows what Alexander Payne might have done with this material. Instead we know what writer-director Robbie Pickering has done with it, and that ain't much. Read full review

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TVJerry

May 30, 2020

Rachael Harris stars as a sheltered Christian wife who discovers that her dying husband has a 23-year old son (Matt O'Leary). She travels cross country to find him and bring him back to his father. Turns out he's just broken out of jail, so their subsequent road trip takes them on severalRachael Harris stars as a sheltered Christian wife who discovers that her dying husband has a 23-year old son (Matt O'Leary). She travels cross country to find him and bring him back to his father. Turns out he's just broken out of jail, so their subsequent road trip takes them on several misadventures, while struggling to come to terms with their vastly different experiences and beliefs. This pretty much revolves around their two performances and they deliver suitably conflicted characters. There's a low-budget quality that has an indie feel, a slightly quirky script that doesn’t always work and earnest performances that keep it interesting.… Expand

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