Life During Wartime Poster
69
metacriticBased on 30 Critics
57
Based on 15 Users

Release Date: July 23rd, 2010

DVD Release Date: July 26th, 2011

R|1 hr 38 min

Plot Summary
Nothing comes easily for Joy (Shirley Henderson) and her sisters, Trish (Allison Janney) and Helen (Ally Sheedy). Joy, unhappy with her job and her sleazy husband (Michael Kenneth Williams), is haunted by her dead boyfriend's ghost (Paul Reubens). Trish's pedophile husband (Ciarán Hinds) is behind bars, and she's ready to move on with her life. As an increasingly bitter Helen approaches middle age with a failing screenwriting career, it becomes clear her mother offers little comfort.

Cast: Shirley Henderson, Ciarán Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens

Director: Todd Solondz

Genres: Comedy drama

Production Co: Werc Werk Works

Distributors: IFC Films

More on Wikipedia

Watch Online

Cast & Crew

view all

Ratings & Reviews

view all
  • 80
    John AndersonWall Street Journal

    The common problem of Solondz's characters is an inability to see the world in shades of grey, which is fitting in a film where color-garish, boring or just plain ugly-is so important, and the actors are working off palettes of such extreme emotions. A few of them-notably Ms. Rampling, Mr. Hinds and Ms. Sheedy-are as good here as they've ever been. show more

  • 75
    Steven ReaPhiladelphia Inquirer

    Thanks to the evocative cinematography of Ed Lachman, it is bathed in a celestial light that cannot penetrate the existential darkness of its characters. show more

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter

    A heady mix of deadpan humor that boldly uses such topics as pedophilia, race and terrorism to plead the need for forgiveness at a personal and national level. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com