Synopsis
A sweeping multigenerational story set against the backdrop of the raw, roaring New York City of the late 1980s; adoption, teen pregnancy, drugs, hardcore punk rock, the unbridled optimism and reckless stupidity of the young—and old—are all major elements in this heart-aching tale of the son of diehard hippies and his strange odyssey through the extremes of late 20th century youth culture.
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Cast
- Ethan HawkeLes Horn
- Asa ButterfieldJude Keffy-Horn
- Emily MortimerDiane Urbanski
- Julianne NicholsonHarriet
- Hailee SteinfeldEliza Urbanski
- Emile HirschJohnny
- Avan JogiaTeddy McNicholas
- Nadia AlexanderPrudence
- Jeff O'DonnellTory Ventura
- Henry KelemenYoung Jude
Recommendations
- 100
The Playlist
Though it’s dealing with difficult subject matter, the film teems with life throughout every funny, bittersweet, and wild moment, slapping a smile on your face that won’t go away and you don’t know why. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's Ten Thousand Saints offers both a premise and a setting ripe for nostalgic sentimentality but indulges in little of it. - 80
The New York Times
If you are one of those people who romanticize the East Village in New York when it was at its grungiest, Ten Thousand Saints might be the movie of your dreams. Even if you’re not, it’s still a very fine film, full of quietly impressive performances and young characters who register as authentic. - 70
Variety
Part teen romance, part awkward love triangle, part generational-clash portrait, and almost all powered by nostalgia, this warmly conceived dramedy will likely resonate strongest with audiences who have a direct connection to the story’s place and time. - 70
Village Voice
The movie has a lilting, generous spirit: Springer Berman and Pulcini, the filmmaking team behind the 2003 American Splendor, have a feel for human eccentricities and weaknesses, and they know how to draw the best from their casts. - 60
Los Angeles Times
As always, Berman and Pulcini suffuse their movie with a let's-try-anything spirit — and liberate most of their actors. What keeps Ten Thousand Saints from being another "American Splendor" (2003) or "Cinema Verite" (2011) is that this time, their tapestry has a hole in the center, where their pale antihero cannot pull the colorful threads together. - 58
The A.V. Club
The result, unfortunately, is a movie featuring a teenage hero who spends most of his screen time watching from the sidelines, passively observing events that just sort of happen around him. - 50
IndieWire
The movie casts a wide net, but doesn't explore its themes long enough to make any substantial points. Despite its authentic setting, Ten Thousand Saints never gets around to providing a gratifying story to accompany it.
