Brewster McCloud
A fugitive dreamer builds wings beneath Houston’s Astrodome while a bizarre murder investigation closes in around him.
Overview
A quirky tale of ambition and imagination unfolds in a unique setting.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- surreal
- sardonic
- eccentric
- cult movie night
- cinephile viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film’s inventive direction, eccentric performances, and startling atmosphere, while finding its story diffuse and uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Astrodome flight plot, police investigation, strangling deaths, lectures, and digressive character episodes are interwoven rather than subordinated to a single conventional storyline.
Brewster lives beneath the Houston Astrodome, constructs birdlike wings, and is surrounded by recurring avian imagery and bird-dropping clues.
Brewster’s dream of flying inspires elaborate preparation while his treatment of people who obstruct his plans becomes increasingly destructive.
The film’s Houston setting, genre hybridity, eccentric casting, and refusal of tidy comic or crime conventions exemplify its New Hollywood context.
Films like Brewster McCloud, and why
m*a*s*h
surreal new hollywood comedy, eccentric ensemble, and satirical social observation
being there
offbeat american comedy, unconventional structure, and countercultural absurdism
the king of comedy
stylized crime comedy, bizarre characters, and darkly comic violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Altman
- Release Date
- 1971-08-18
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (102)
Cast
- Bud Cort
- Sally Kellerman
- Michael Murphy
- William Windom
- Shelley Duvall
- René Auberjonois
- Stacy Keach
- John Schuck
- Margaret Hamilton
- Jennifer Salt
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Brewster McCloud about?
- A fugitive dreamer builds wings beneath Houston’s Astrodome while a bizarre murder investigation closes in around him.
- What is Brewster McCloud like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brewster McCloud as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Brewster McCloud violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Brewster McCloud as moderate.
- What did critics think of Brewster McCloud?
- Critics broadly admire the film’s inventive direction, eccentric performances, and startling atmosphere, while finding its story diffuse and uneven.
- Which films are like Brewster McCloud?
- Films with a similar feel include m*a*s*h, being there, and the king of comedy.
- How long is Brewster McCloud?
- Brewster McCloud runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Brewster McCloud?
- In United States, Brewster McCloud is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store.
