The Ice Storm | Rotten Tomatoes

The Ice Storm

R

Released Sep 27, 1997

1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

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for The Ice Storm: Trailer 1

List

86%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the 1970s, an outwardly wholesome family begins cracking at the seams over the course of a tumultuous Thanksgiving break. Frustrated with his job, the father, Ben (Kevin Kline), seeks fulfillment by cheating on his wife, Elena (Joan Allen), with neighborhood seductress Janey (Sigourney Weaver). Their teenage daughter, Wendy (Christina Ricci), dabbles in sexual affairs too -- with Janey's son Mikey (Elijah Wood). The family's strained relations continue to tauten until an ice storm strikes.

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Critics Consensus

Director Ang Lee revisits the ennui-laden decadence of 1970s suburban America with deft humor and gripping pathos.

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KB B

I'd watched this years ago and now after a 2nd viewing thought it was okay. Watch if there's nothing else on.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

David F

An ensemble drama about a group of people in Connecticut in the 1970s who interact with one another. There's everyone from teens to middle aged couples in floundering marriages. It all comes together in an ice storm just after Thanksgiving.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/15/23

Full Review

Simon J

One of the greatest movie ever made. Emotional and precise.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/08/23

Full Review

Kenneth K

Grew up in the70's and this movie felt spot on with me on how messed up it was back then. Alsol loved Siggy and Christina Ricci.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Good F

A masterpiece. Thrilling, evocative, and emotionally satisfying. This is the kind of movie that's so authentic, well acted and well-written, that you can't help but feel connected to every person on screen. The music is haunting, and probably one of the best parts of the movie. The Ice Storm should be remembered for the simple yet thrilling sequences that could honestly happen to anyone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/23

Full Review

dave s

There really aren't very many characters in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm who have anything even closely resembling redeeming qualities, but they sure are interesting to watch as they wallow about in their existential angst. Set in the suburbia of the ‘70s, the film follows a pair of upper-middle class families as they stumble their way through life, desperately digging about in search of some sort of moral compass. The script is smart, the symbolism is bold, the cast is great (including the likes of Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Christina Ricci, and Tobey Maguire), and the acting is solid throughout. Some may find that the pace is a little too languid, but those who are willing to stick it out will be rewarded with an insightful viewing experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Ang Lee

Director

Kevin Kline

Ben Hood

Joan Allen

Elena Hood

Henry Czerny

George Clair

Adam Hann-Byrd

Sandy Carver

David Krumholtz

Francis Davenport

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11 Most Disastrous Movie Thanksgivings Ever

The Ice Storm: Trailer 1

2:30

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Nothing less than one of the year's best pictures, a portrait of wealthy Connecticut suburbanites in the 1970s whose lives have no emotional or spiritual rudder.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 28, 2019

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

The Ice Storm captures this place, this season, this garish and confused moment in history, with surgical precision...It's Lee's sympathetic detachment that gives the movie its paradoxical power.

Feb 27, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Vice

Among its many virtues, 'The Ice Storm' keenly captures the sheer, visceral terror of puberty-of grappling with these urges, trying to do what you think you're supposed to, and lashing out when you can't.

Oct 7, 2017

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

In fact, just about everything sexual that happens in the film is dirty, unpleasant, unsatisfying, and led to pain and heartbreak for just about everyone involved (25th anniversary)

Rated: 4/5

Sep 30, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The Ice Storm contains a deeply human authenticity and willingness to portray, but not resolve, its characters' collective alienation.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 14, 2022

Full Review

David Thomson

Esquire Magazine

Family life -- the real focus of The Ice Storm -- is rendered as having something like the alienating density of prison; each solitary feels enclosed in his or her own sentence and injustice.

Aug 12, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the 1970s, an outwardly wholesome family begins cracking at the seams over the course of a tumultuous Thanksgiving break. Frustrated with his job, the father, Ben (Kevin Kline), seeks fulfillment by cheating on his wife, Elena (Joan Allen), with neighborhood seductress Janey (Sigourney Weaver). Their teenage daughter, Wendy (Christina Ricci), dabbles in sexual affairs too -- with Janey's son Mikey (Elijah Wood). The family's strained relations continue to tauten until an ice storm strikes.

Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriter: Rick Moody, James Schamus
Distributor: Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Fox Searchlight, Good Machine
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1), 35mm

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