Overview
A thought-provoking exploration of human behavior through intertwined lives and choices.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- None
- witty
- cerebral
- reflective
- thoughtful evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's wit, ambition, and intellectual richness while remaining divided over its didacticism and the integration of scientific commentary with its fictional stories.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Henri Laborit's discussions of survival, reward, punishment, and anxiety run alongside the lives of René, Janine, and Jean.
The film alternates among René's factory anxiety, Janine's painful romantic dilemma, and Jean's career crossroads.
Laborit's theories explicitly address survival behavior, combat, rewards, punishment, and anxiety as forces shaping human action.
René's textile-company position is threatened by corporate downsizing, while Jean's political and literary ambitions expose bourgeois career competition.
Films like My American Uncle, and why
Je t'aime, je t'aime
experimental integration of scientific discourse, parallel character stories, and psychological determinism
Hiroshima mon amour
intellectual french drama using fractured subjectivity, memory, and formal experimentation
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
witty, philosophical social drama examining behavior, class, and emotional constraint
La nouvelle amie
interwoven relationship narratives shaped by social pressure and moral uncertainty
Movie Details
- Director
- Alain Resnais
- Release Date
- 1980-05-21
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (216)
Cast
- Gérard Depardieu
- Nicole Garcia
- Roger Pierre
- Nelly Borgeaud
- Pierre Arditi
- Gérard Darrieu
- Philippe Laudenbach
- Marie Dubois
- Henri Laborit
- Bernard Malaterre
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is My American Uncle about?
- Alain Resnais intertwines three lives with behaviorist ideas to create a witty, unsettling meditation on how biology, society, and habit constrain human choice.
- What is My American Uncle like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of My American Uncle as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is My American Uncle violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in My American Uncle.
- What did critics think of My American Uncle?
- Critics broadly admire the film's wit, ambition, and intellectual richness while remaining divided over its didacticism and the integration of scientific commentary with its fictional stories.
- Which films are like My American Uncle?
- Films with a similar feel include Je t'aime, je t'aime, Hiroshima mon amour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and La nouvelle amie.
- How long is My American Uncle?
- My American Uncle runs 126 minutes.
- Where can I watch My American Uncle?
- In United States, My American Uncle streams on Criterion Channel.
