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IMDbPro

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan

  • 20182018
  • RR
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
6.8K
YOUR RATING
Kit Harington in The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he once shared with the former, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Play trailer2:51
4 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
A decade after the death of an American television star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their l... Read allA decade after the death of an American television star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.A decade after the death of an American television star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
6.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Xavier Dolan
  • Writers
    • Xavier Dolan
    • Jacob Tierney
  • Stars
    • Kit Harington
    • Natalie Portman
    • Jacob Tremblay
Top credits
  • Director
    • Xavier Dolan
  • Writers
    • Xavier Dolan
    • Jacob Tierney
  • Stars
    • Kit Harington
    • Natalie Portman
    • Jacob Tremblay
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 60User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
    • 28Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 6 nominations

    Videos4

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:51
    Official Trailer
    International Trailer
    Trailer 2:47
    International Trailer
    Thandie Newton, 'John F. Donovan' Stars Sound Off on Perils of Social Media
    Interview 3:25
    Thandie Newton, 'John F. Donovan' Stars Sound Off on Perils of Social Media
    Kit Harington's "Game of Thrones" Costume Secrets
    Video 1:08
    Kit Harington's "Game of Thrones" Costume Secrets

    Photos157

    Emily Hampshire at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, and Thandiwe Newton at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Thandiwe Newton and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, Thandiwe Newton, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, Thandiwe Newton, Dave Karger, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, and Thandiwe Newton at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, Thandiwe Newton, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Emily Hampshire, Thandiwe Newton, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Thandiwe Newton at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Thandiwe Newton, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan, Thandiwe Newton, and Kit Harington at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
    Xavier Dolan at an event for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kit Harington
    Kit Harington
    • John F. Donovan
    Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman
    • Sam Turner
    Jacob Tremblay
    Jacob Tremblay
    • Rupert Turner
    Susan Sarandon
    Susan Sarandon
    • Grace Donovan
    Kathy Bates
    Kathy Bates
    • Barbara Haggermaker
    Ben Schnetzer
    Ben Schnetzer
    • Rupert Turner (21 Y.O.)
    Thandiwe Newton
    Thandiwe Newton
    • Journalist
    • (as Thandie Newton)
    Jared Keeso
    Jared Keeso
    • James Donovan
    Chris Zylka
    Chris Zylka
    • Will Jefford Jr.
    Amara Karan
    Amara Karan
    • Mrs. Kureishi
    Emily Hampshire
    Emily Hampshire
    • Amy Bosworth
    Michael Gambon
    Michael Gambon
    • Man in Diner
    Sarah Gadon
    Sarah Gadon
    • Liz Jones
    Susan Almgren
    • Aunt Faith
    Jane Wheeler
    Jane Wheeler
    • Aunt Anne
    Craig Eldridge
    Craig Eldridge
    • Uncle Patrick
    Lukas Rolfe
    • Cedric James
    Ari Millen
    Ari Millen
    • Big Billy
    • Director
      • Xavier Dolan
    • Writers
      • Xavier Dolan
      • Jacob Tierney
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Kit Harington's "Game of Thrones" Costume Secrets

    Kit Harington's "Game of Thrones" Costume Secrets

    The Death and Life of John F. Donovan star Kit Harington reveals crucial details about his "Game of Thrones" costume. Plus, Thandie Newton sounds off on the perils of social media.
    Image caption not available
    Image caption not available

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is Xavier Dolan's first English-language movie.
    • Quotes

      Audrey Newhouse: This last letter suggests he was full of hope...

      Rupert Turner: Which is why I am sure you will understand that, for obvious reasons, that is the version that I chose to believe.

    • Connections
      Featured in CTV News at Six Toronto: Episode dated 10 September 2018 (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Rolling In the Deep
      Written by Adele and Paul Epworth

      Performed by Adele

    User reviews60

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Overblown and over-wrought
    Dolan's movie creaks and groans and ultimately fizzles under the weight of it's own enormous ambition. And, to be fair, it's beautifully directed. Dolan has great visual stye, invests scenes with great energy and emotion, and gets wonderful performances from a very impressive cast. You can see why Sarandon and Bates and Portman would have placed their faith in him. Unfortunately, the script is too slight to withstand the epic treatment it's given, and the movie runs out of steam before even the halfway mark. It's at least 20 minutes, probably 30 minutes too long. But even a good hard edit wouldn't have saved it. Dolan is certainly a director to watch, but he's going to need better material than this.
    helpful•23
    22
    • ozjosh03
    • Sep 13, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 13, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Czech
    • Also known as
      • The Life and Death of John F. Donovan
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Film United
      • Lyla Films
      • Sons of Manual
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $35,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $152,713
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $33,340
      • Aug 25, 2019
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,326,364
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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