Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

A Simple Plan

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
72K
YOUR RATING
A Simple Plan (1998)
CrimeDramaThriller
Three blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weav... Read allThree blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weave their way into the plan.Three blue-collar acquaintances come across millions of dollars in lost cash and make a plan to keep their find from the authorities, but it isn't long before complications and mistrust weave their way into the plan.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
72K
YOUR RATING
    • Sam Raimi
    • Scott B. Smith(novel)
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Billy Bob Thornton
    • Bridget Fonda
    • Sam Raimi
    • Scott B. Smith(novel)
  • Stars
    • Bill Paxton
    • Billy Bob Thornton
    • Bridget Fonda
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 466User reviews
    • 113Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Videos1

    A Simple Plan
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch A Simple Plan

    Photos92

    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Sam Raimi in A Simple Plan (1998)
    A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, and Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan (1998)
    A Simple Plan (1998)
    Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe in A Simple Plan (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bill Paxton
    Bill Paxton
    • Hank
    Billy Bob Thornton
    Billy Bob Thornton
    • Jacob
    Bridget Fonda
    Bridget Fonda
    • Sarah
    Brent Briscoe
    Brent Briscoe
    • Lou
    Jack Walsh
    • Tom Butler
    Chelcie Ross
    Chelcie Ross
    • Carl
    Becky Ann Baker
    Becky Ann Baker
    • Nancy Chambers
    Gary Cole
    Gary Cole
    • Baxter
    Bob Davis
    Bob Davis
    • FBI Agent Renkins
    Peter Syvertsen
    Peter Syvertsen
    • FBI Agent Freemont
    Tom Carey
    • Dwight Stephanson
    John Paxton
    John Paxton
    • Mr. Schmitt
    Marie Mathay
    • News Reporter
    Paul Magers
    • Anchorman
    Joan Steffand
    • Anchorwoman
    Jill Sayre
    Jill Sayre
    • Hospital Nurse
    Wayne A. Evenson
    • Bartender
    Tim Storms
    Tim Storms
    • Drinker
    • (as Timothy Storms)
      • Sam Raimi
      • Scott B. Smith(novel) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Sling Blade
    8.0
    Sling Blade
    The Gift
    6.7
    The Gift
    Blood Simple
    7.6
    Blood Simple
    Miller's Crossing
    7.7
    Miller's Crossing
    Frailty
    7.2
    Frailty
    Breakdown
    7.0
    Breakdown
    The Man Who Wasn't There
    7.5
    The Man Who Wasn't There
    Arlington Road
    7.2
    Arlington Road
    The Quick and the Dead
    6.5
    The Quick and the Dead
    Darkman
    6.4
    Darkman
    Misery
    7.8
    Misery
    One False Move
    7.1
    One False Move

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bill Paxton's father plays the old man who confronts Paxton's character in the feed store ("Are you mean to tell me that there were five weeks last month?")
    • Goofs
      A funeral scene in the latter half of the movie takes place in the middle of winter, but is a full burial service. In Minnesota, as is the case with other northern locales where the ground is frozen for several months of the year, the funeral for someone who died in the winter would occur in two parts: a "real-time" memorial service followed by spring interment.
    • Quotes

      [Hank talks to the FBI agent about their stories to the police]

      Neil Baxter: Looks like we're both gonna have an awful lot of explaining to do.

      Hank Mitchell: Just me.

      [Hank shoots the gun into Baxter's head]

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Babe: Pig in the City/Home Fries/Ringmaster/Very Bad Things/Savior (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Spirit in the Sky
      Written and Performed by Norman Greenbaum

      Courtesy of Trans/Tone Productions

    User reviews466

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Twisted, but exceptionally crafted.
    This is not the film to see if you're looking for a feel-good Hollywood anesthetic to cope with the end of the holiday season. If, however, you wish to experience a great film, then I highly recommend *A Simple Plan*. Its disturbing twist on the American dream may be too difficult for some--especially the very dark ending--but that is part of what makes the film such quality fare. Scott B. Smith's screenplay is tight and flawless. Sam Raimi's inspired direction may finally reveal to the rest of the film industry what fans of the Evil Dead trilogy have known for years: that, though his tongue is often firmly in his cheek, Raimi is a fine and grossly underrated filmmaker. Especially impressive is the way he and cinematographer Alar Kivilo approach the snow-covered landscapes. There is an immensity to the frozen wastelands of the film's crucial scenes that is almost worthy of David Lean. Also commendable is Raimi's skillful use of animals (among them crows and foxes) for symbolic purposes.

    But the cast, not to be outdone by their crew, is equally notable. Billy Bob Thornton gives his best performance to date, surpassing even his award-winning role in *Sling Blade*. Bill Paxton is phenomenal as a straight-laced-family-man- turned sociopath, and Bridget Fonda's convincing portrayal of Paxton's determined wife complements him well.

    Audiences at the screening I saw were commenting on the film's similarities to *Fargo* as they exited the theater, and seemed to belittle *A Simple Plan* for its lack of "originality." Granted, *A Simple Plan* is not entirely original. There are indeed vague shadows of *Fargo*, as well as *Macbeth* and Robert Frost, among others. But there is no such thing as an entirely original work, as great art is made by standing on the shoulders of giants. Make no mistake, this is NOT a cheap replay of *Fargo*. The differences are too numerous to note here, but suffice it to say that *A Simple Plan* is a great work in its own right, and deserves to be appreciated as such.
    helpful•134
    11
    • lordrob
    • Jan 4, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 22, 1999 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
      • France
      • United States
      • Japan
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Delano, Minnesota, USA
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • H2L Media Group
      • Mutual Film Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 1 minute
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    A Simple Plan (1998)
    Top Gap
    By what name was A Simple Plan (1998) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.