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IMDbPro

The Greatest

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, and Carey Mulligan in The Greatest (2009)
A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.
Play trailer2:32
1 Video
35 Photos
DramaRomance
A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
    • Shana Feste
    • Shana Feste
  • Stars
    • Carey Mulligan
    • Aaron Taylor-Johnson
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Shana Feste
    • Shana Feste
  • Stars
    • Carey Mulligan
    • Aaron Taylor-Johnson
    • Pierce Brosnan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 60User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Greatest
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch The Greatest

    Photos35

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Carey Mulligan in The Greatest (2009)
    Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon in The Greatest (2009)
    Shana Feste in The Greatest (2009)
    Garrett Hedlund at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Johnny Simmons at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Johnny Simmons at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Tobey Maguire at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Tobey Maguire at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Tobey Maguire and Shana Feste at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Carey Mulligan at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Carey Mulligan at an event for The Greatest (2009)
    Carey Mulligan at an event for The Greatest (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Carey Mulligan
    Carey Mulligan
    • Rose
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson
    • Bennett Brewer
    • (as Aaron Johnson)
    Pierce Brosnan
    Pierce Brosnan
    • Allen Brewer
    Susan Sarandon
    Susan Sarandon
    • Grace Brewer
    Johnny Simmons
    Johnny Simmons
    • Ryan Brewer
    Kevin Hagan
    • Priest
    Amy Morton
    Amy Morton
    • Lydia
    Deirdre O'Connell
    Deirdre O'Connell
    • Joyce
    Miles Robbins
    Miles Robbins
    • Sean Brewer
    Cara Seymour
    Cara Seymour
    • Janis
    Ramsey Faragallah
    Ramsey Faragallah
    • Dr. Shamban
    Jennifer Ehle
    Jennifer Ehle
    • Joan
    Colby Minifie
    Colby Minifie
    • Latent
    Maryann Urbano
    • Cheryl
    Zoë Kravitz
    Zoë Kravitz
    • Ashley
    Portia
    Portia
    • Toni
    Michael Shannon
    Michael Shannon
    • Jordan Walker
    Dante E. Clark
    • Dante
      • Shana Feste
      • Shana Feste
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Susan Sarandon was initially reluctant to tackle the role of the grieving mother in the film, as she's played similar parts in recent years, most notably in Moonlight Mile (2002) and In the Valley of Elah (2007). She was impressed with Writer and Director Shana Feste's eccentric script, and the fact that the film would shoot close to her New York City area house on a quick twenty-eight-day schedule was also appealing. Still, it took a phone call from Pierce Brosnan (who had just signed on to co-star) to finally convince her to commit to the film.
    • Goofs
      The scene of the accident is described in dialogue (particularly by Grace Brewer) as having surveillance cameras which recorded the crash and its aftermath, and Jordan Walker, the driver who smashed into Bennett and Rose, claims that he "had a green light", clearly referring to an intersection. Yet when the Brewer family and Rose visit the crash site, it is on a narrow country road in a wooded area, with no intersections, traffic lights or cameras in sight.
    • Quotes

      Rose: I knew this boy... who was really wonderful to me. The first time I saw him was in freshman English. He wore a baseball hat on the first day of school, and our teacher made him take it off and his hair was all pasted on top of his head, and he smiled at me while he tried to fix it. We watched each other after that. And I started to feel like I knew him. I looked at his yearbook picture so often I knew his face by heart. Our senior year I took piano, and he had soccer, so we would pass each other every day after school in the exact same spot. And it became something I looked forward to. So much so that I could tell you all the days that he was absent because those were the days I was disappointed. And sometimes he would look at me, sometimes he would turn away, and sometimes it would be so intense that we would start looking at each other from the very beginning of the steps. And then on the last day... he talked to me. And everything he said was exactly how I pictured it would be. And he felt the way he felt in my dreams and I thought everything was happening exactly the way it was supposed to. And I was the happiest I've ever been. Happy and scared all at the same time. And if he had signed my belly he would have written something comforting. I was in love with him. That's why I'm keeping this baby. I was in love with him for four years. I barely knew him, but everything was exactly how I imagined it, everything was just how I pictured it. I had to keep this baby. I think he was the love of my life.

    • Soundtracks
      Neutral Ground
      Performed by Sea Wolf

    User reviews60

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Sentimentality is its strength ...or its downfall
    "The Greatest" feels like a Hallmark Channel movie with top A-list actors. Depending on what you think of the Hallmark Channel, this is either a compliment or an insult. As my title implies, sentimentality drives this story, not suspense or plot twists. Everything is (deliberately) predictable, meaning the actors' performances are the real attraction.

    The story is about a dysfunctional family dealing with mourning and the extreme ways each person handles it, mostly in unflattering ways as if to show us how NOT to handle tragedy. The plot focuses on how they slowly attempt to reconcile their differences. The father (Pierce Brosnan) plays the stereotypical head of the household who refuses to break. The mother (Susan Sarandon) plays the self-absorbed victim who feels like she's the only one who's in pain. The son/brother (Johnny Simmons) totally disconnects as if he doesn't care. And a mysterious stranger who was the secret girlfriend (Carey Mulligan) represents the objective voice of reason with her wise, tolerant perspective, never really revealing her own struggle but instead seeking to draw the others out of their respective prisons.

    If that description bores you, then you'll probably be bored by the movie. But if the core premise interests you, then give it a shot.

    Although I said there are no plot twists, there are a few interesting complications (revealed right in the beginning) which spice up the story. Themes of infidelity, drug addiction, convicted criminals and unplanned pregnancy add some interesting flavor. But those remain off to the side so not to upstage the main story.

    The climax and resolution comes down to a painful cliché which made me hate the movie at first, but now 24 hours later I think sometimes a cliché is the best way to make a point. I'm just mentioning that in case you have a similar reaction: give it some thought.

    If you are looking for other quiet movies that focus on themes of loss and grieving, I recommend "Morning" (2010) - five chapters, or days, in the life of a couple suffering a tragedy; and on the lighter side I highly recommend "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School" (2005) - the only movie that has multiple tragic deaths but manages to get your toes tapping to the Lindy Hop.
    helpful•4
    0
    • rooprect
    • Apr 30, 2018

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 5, 2009 (Israel)
      • United States
      • The Greatest Facebook
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Rockland, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Barbarian Films
      • Oceana Media Finance
      • Silverwood Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 39 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby
      • Dolby Digital

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