Winter Solstice | Rotten Tomatoes

Winter Solstice

R

Released Apr 18, 2005

1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

List

60%

81 Reviews

Tomatometer

43%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

It's been five years since a wife and mother was killed in a car crash, but her surviving husband, Jim Winters (Anthony LaPaglia), can't bridge the gap that has grown between him and his teenage sons. Pete (Mark Webber), who was with his mother when she died, is doing badly in school. Gabe (Aaron Stanford) talks of leaving town and pushes his sympathetic girlfriend away. But when Jim helps move new neighbor Molly (Allison Janney) into her home, the first possibilities of healing begin to stir.

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Critics Consensus

A deliberately paced, realistic portrait of a family's grief and healing.

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ashley h

Winter Solstice is an incredible film. It is about a widower who confronts his older son's decision to leave home and his younger son's self-destructive behavior. Anthony LaPaglia and Aaron Stanford give amazing performances. The script is well written. Josh Sternfeld did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. Winter Solstice is a must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

(***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Interesting and with a good cast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There's nothing particularly bad about this film it's just that there's nothing overly special about it either. It's a completely natural story complete with honest performances but it failed to leave an impact on me while watching it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was a movie in which nothing happened. For all 86 minutes, we were waiting for something, anything really. Right up to the closing credits. We were even hoping that poor Gabe would be wiped out at the intersection, just so that something had happened. But no. The credits rolled. Anthony Lapaglia was uninspiring and very square in form. CJ (Alison Janney) is usually such good value, but in this movie, the highlight was the return of the trolley. Poor Alison.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Okay movie ,,kinda slow .

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Quiet but tautly acted film about a father and two sons moving on after the death of their wife/mother in dull, suburban New Jersey. The obvious rebellion issues ensue as dad (Anthony LaPaglia) loses touch and control with this sones (Aaron Stanford and Mark Webber). Complicating matters is dad's budding relationship with new neighbor (Allison Janney). Nothing new here, but worth catching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

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Josh Sternfeld

Director

Anthony LaPaglia

Jim Winters

Aaron Stanford

Gabe Winters

Mark Webber

Pete Winters

Allison Janney

Molly Ripkin

Michelle Monaghan

Stacey

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Janice Page

Boston Globe

Ultimately undercut by its fictional elements and its flat characters.

Rated: 2/4

May 13, 2005

Full Review

Michael Booth

Denver Post

This movie deserves to be seen -- and learned from. It captures the moments in which each of us stares out across an emptiness, searching for a connection that will keep us from falling.

Rated: 3/4

May 6, 2005

Full Review

Robert Denerstein

Denver Rocky Mountain News

It's the kind of narrow-gauged drama that either will drive you crazy or absorb you in its low-key rhythms. Mostly, I went along for the ride.

Rated: B

May 6, 2005

Full Review

Bruce Feld

Film Journal International

Audiences may not get too excited about devastated people who conduct their social lives at the local Dairy Queen.

Mar 1, 2007

Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

Winter Solstice is an intense drama and all the action is internal. LaPaglia is such a fine actor and every nuance of his bottled up Jim comes through, as he struggles to not only be a good father, but to find a direction in his own life.

Nov 18, 2005

Full Review

Rory L. Aronsky

Film Threat

Winter Solstice thrives solely on how much understatement you can actually handle in a movie.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 20, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

It's been five years since a wife and mother was killed in a car crash, but her surviving husband, Jim Winters (Anthony LaPaglia), can't bridge the gap that has grown between him and his teenage sons. Pete (Mark Webber), who was with his mother when she died, is doing badly in school. Gabe (Aaron Stanford) talks of leaving town and pushes his sympathetic girlfriend away. But when Jim helps move new neighbor Molly (Allison Janney) into her home, the first possibilities of healing begin to stir.

Director: Josh Sternfeld
Executive Producer: Anthony LaPaglia, Jodi Peikoff
Screenwriter: Josh Sternfeld
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Sound Pictures
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 18, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $319.2K
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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