The River
A Tennessee farming couple fights economic collapse, flooding, and a powerful former suitor determined to profit from a dam that would erase their ancestral home.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- gritty
- serious
- reflective evening
- rural drama marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a grim and sincere rural drama elevated by strong performances, direction, music, and cinematography, despite an initially mixed response.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom insists on preserving the Garvey farm, owned by his family for generations, despite debt and flooding.
Joe Wade manipulates a senator, the local bank, and grain pricing while pursuing a dam that benefits his own properties.
The Garveys’ riverside cropland repeatedly floods, worsening the effects of falling land prices and agricultural hardship.
The river, farmland, and flooding are central visual elements within a grim, grounded account of Tennessee farm life.
Films like The River, and why
Country
shared rural family drama, economic hardship, threatened farmland, and determined domestic resilience
Places in the Heart
shared family devotion to a farm, institutional pressure, and period American rural realism
Norma Rae
shared working-class rural struggle, environmental threat, and emotionally grounded social drama
The Dollmaker
shared intimate family conflict, economic precarity, and serious American regional drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Mark Rydell
- Release Date
- 1984-12-01
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (142)
Cast
- Mel Gibson
- Sissy Spacek
- Scott Glenn
- Billy Green Bush
- Shane Bailey
- Becky Jo Lynch
- Don Hood
- James Tolkan
- Bob W. Douglas
- Andy Stahl
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The River about?
- A Tennessee farming couple fights economic collapse, flooding, and a powerful former suitor determined to profit from a dam that would erase their ancestral home.
- What is The River like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The River as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The River violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The River as mild.
- What did critics think of The River?
- Critics broadly found the film a grim and sincere rural drama elevated by strong performances, direction, music, and cinematography, despite an initially mixed response.
- Which films are like The River?
- Films with a similar feel include Country, Places in the Heart, Norma Rae, and The Dollmaker.
- How long is The River?
- The River runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch The River?
- In United States, The River is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
