Synopsis
Hoping to reclaim who she was before marriage and children, an empty nester retreats to Cape Cod where she embarks upon a quest to set herself free.
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Cast
- Karen AllenJoan
- Yannick BissonCahoon
- Celia ImrieErikson
- S. Epatha MerkersonLiz
- Monique Gabriela CurnenLuce
- Jane HajdukJudy
- Michael CristoferRobin
- Amy Van NostrandBrenda
- Andria BlackmanMannequin Woman
- Tyler HainesAndrew
- 67
The Film Stage
Joan’s peculiar kind of charm is mostly owed to Allen, who gives what might be the most complex, layered performance of her career. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Joan’s story unfolds all too neatly, but in Allen’s spark and grace there’s a real sense of discovery. - 50
The New York Times
The movie is not entirely my cup of tea, although it is refreshing in its depiction of diverse, older female characters. - 50
Village Voice
It’s less the story of a woman taking a year off from city life and her husband than it is a pleasant revue of sketches and scenarios on that topic. - 50
Washington Post
Instead of a hearty chowder of emotional highs and lows, first-time director Alexander Janko, who also adapted the script, settles for a diluted, Campbell’s-Soup version of getting one’s groove back. - 40
Los Angeles Times
Unfortunately, this overlong picture rarely feels particularly authentic. - 38
Movie Nation
Nothing much happens here. It’s scenic, but writer-director Alexander Janko has cast the thing with no flavor. Nobody has an accent, not even the local Cape Cod characters. - 38
Boston Globe
Year by the Sea is for audiences who don’t trust the shiftiness of nuance and craft, of messages that rise up from dramatic situations rather than being pasted on top of them, and who would prefer their life lessons stated loudly and for maximum applicability.
