Prozac Nation | Rotten Tomatoes

Prozac Nation

R

Released Jun 6, 2003

1 hr. 39 min.

Drama

List

28%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on the best selling novel, set in the mid 1980's before the prevalence of anti-depressants, it follows a young working class woman's (Christina Ricci) bout with depression during her first year at Harvard. The film explores this generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex, and an overbearing mother (Jessica Lange).

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Sally S

This was a good movie, not sure why the rating is so low.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/24

Full Review

Sena S

Even if there are obvious glaring mistakes in the editing, the viewing pleasure is high. The lead is a sweet girl, but sometimes you have to slap her in the mouth to behave properly. Such toxic youth is hard to find. When I learned that the author was describing his own life, I softened a little and wanted to give this point. It's considered a failed critique of American society. Meh if I don't get this rating just because I enjoyed her way of struggle, hoping they didn't tempt anyone with prozac in the end

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

Full Review

john w

Good movie about mental health and how depression can be a serious issue.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

the s

Critically, this is a mess of a film. And to be frank, it's a situation where the book didn't translate or lend itself at all to film and I'll tell you why. I read the book…and it's a deep dive into excessive egoism and self-examination. I'm not suggesting that the author is so self-absorbed that there's literally not a story here for anyone but her but it's something like that. My dysfunctional family, my problems, my writing, my awards, my neuroses, my depression, my chaos, my issues, my therapy, blah, blah, blah. It's like a love letter to herself and to be honest, the reason the book sold so well was that it was at the right place and the right time. Prozac had become the go-to solution for all of Generation X's ills and those who were taking it were interested in comparing notes and those who weren't taking it were curious about it. Then they bought the book and they found this narcisssim and self-examination and I think most people felt much better about themselves afterward. That's the purpose the book served. The movie? Served absolutely no purpose except as an extension of ego for the author. Christina Ricci did the best with what she had…the acting wasn't the problem here. It's just that it was a movie that shouldn't have been made based on a book that really wasn't much of a story except as a cautionary tale of how bad things can go when people are self-obsessed and feel like their problems are so unique and challenging that they think everyone should hear about them.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

steve d

Christina Ricci gives one of her best performances and the story is powerful.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I gave this movie 2 1/2 stars I was going to give it more but I went with 2 1/2 stars. Christina R. I think did a good job playing the original woman based on the true story of a depressed woman in the early days of Prozac really good but sad movie, I have not yet read the book but I plan to I'd watch this movie again.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Erik Skjoldbjærg

Director

Christina Ricci

Lizzie

Jason Biggs

Rafe

Anne Heche

Dr. Sterling

Michelle Williams

Ruby

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Noah

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John Leonard

New York Magazine/Vulture

Those of you who were waiting so impatiently for the release of this movie version of Elizabeth Wurtzel's chemically enhanced Weltschmerz will be as sorry as the film itself...

Jan 20, 2018

Full Review

Scott Tobias

AV Club

There's really no reservoir of sympathy deep enough to support a whiny, navel-gazing Harvard student who turns her depression into a show-stopping spectacle.

Jan 5, 2007

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

The self-centered brat at the center of Prozac Nation spends most of her time making life miserable for everyone around her, but there's little reason the public should have to pay for the same privilege.

Jan 5, 2007

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It should be no surprise that a flick about depressives turns into a depressing film.

Rated: C+

May 29, 2010

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Ricci commits fully, driven to bring Wurtzel's demons to life.

Rated: B

Sep 22, 2007

Full Review

Jason Gorber

Film Scouts

Prozak Nation is a manipulative, cloying take on depression, a watered down film from a watered down book.

Rated: C-

Jun 21, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on the best selling novel, set in the mid 1980's before the prevalence of anti-depressants, it follows a young working class woman's (Christina Ricci) bout with depression during her first year at Harvard. The film explores this generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex, and an overbearing mother (Jessica Lange).

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Executive Producer: Willi Bär, Danny Dimbort, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, John Thompson
Screenwriter: Frank Deasy, Larry Gross, Galt Niederhoffer, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Elizabeth Wurtzel
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax Films, Millennium Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Drug Content|Sexuality|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 6, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo