Overview
A chilling exploration of friendship and moral ambiguity unfolds in suburban Connecticut.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- deadpan
- sardonic
- brooding
- late night viewing
- indie thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a stylish, well-written, refreshingly unpredictable teen thriller that juggles genres with confidence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Amanda initially approaches Lily because Lily has been paid to socialize with her, while both girls conceal their motives and gradually turn their renewed bond toward violent aims.
The story places detached, dangerous behavior inside upper-class homes, academic pressure, and suburban Connecticut privilege.
Amanda's emotionless responses and Lily's controlled social performance create dry humor that coexists with escalating threats and murder plotting.
Lily presents herself as popular and academically successful, while Amanda's unspecified disorder leaves her emotionally detached from ordinary moral reactions.
Films like Thoroughbreds, and why
Heathers
shares an unsettling teen-centered psychological thriller framework, dark humor, and emotionally detached characters
The Bling Ring
shares suburban privilege, corrosive friendship, moral transgression, and an unpredictable thriller tone
A Simple Favor
shares stylized psychological tension, upper-class social worlds, and a young woman entangled in violent manipulation
To Die For
shares bleakly comic suburban menace, murder plotting, and sharply controlled genre hybridity
Movie Details
- Director
- Cory Finley
- Release Date
- 2018-03-09
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1293)
Cast
- Olivia Cooke
- Anya Taylor-Joy
- Anton Yelchin
- Paul Sparks
- Francie Swift
- Kaili Vernoff
- Alyssa Fishenden
- Jackson Damon
- James Haddad
- Nolan Ball
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Starz Apple TV channel
- 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 Thoroughbreds about?
- Two estranged Connecticut classmates revive their friendship as emotional detachment and social ambition turn suburban privilege toward calculated violence.
- What is Thoroughbreds like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Thoroughbreds as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Thoroughbreds violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Thoroughbreds as moderate.
- What did critics think of Thoroughbreds?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a stylish, well-written, refreshingly unpredictable teen thriller that juggles genres with confidence.
- Which films are like Thoroughbreds?
- Films with a similar feel include Heathers, The Bling Ring, A Simple Favor, and To Die For.
- How long is Thoroughbreds?
- Thoroughbreds runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Thoroughbreds?
- In United States, Thoroughbreds streams on Starz Apple TV channel.
