Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- darkly comic
- pointed
- uneasy
- thanksgiving viewing
- political movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a pointedly funny and often sharp political satire whose discomfort and targets outweigh its unevenness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Thanksgiving gathering becomes increasingly tense as political disagreements and government scrutiny invade the family home.
Chris's refusal to sign a national loyalty oath and his fixation on the political news drive the film's central conflict.
Agents arrive after Thanksgiving to interrogate Chris, making governmental pressure an immediate threat to family safety.
Chris and Kai are an interracial married couple whose family holiday is destabilized by a national loyalty dispute.
Films like The Oath, and why
The Hunt
politically charged black comedy using family conflict and escalating social tension to satirize contemporary America
Four Lions
sharp political satire combining dark humor, paranoia, and ordinary people caught in an escalating national crisis
The Ref
irreverent holiday family comedy that turns domestic gathering into a pressure cooker of ideological conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Ike Barinholtz
- Release Date
- 2018-10-12
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (108)
Cast
- Ike Barinholtz
- Tiffany Haddish
- Billy Magnussen
- John Cho
- Carrie Brownstein
- Jon Barinholtz
- Meredith Hagner
- Chris Ellis
- Nora Dunn
- Priah Ferguson
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 Oath about?
- A politically polarized couple’s Thanksgiving turns into a darkly comic fight for family safety when government agents enforce a controversial loyalty oath.
- What is The Oath like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Oath as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Oath violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Oath as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Oath?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a pointedly funny and often sharp political satire whose discomfort and targets outweigh its unevenness.
- Which films are like The Oath?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hunt, Four Lions, and The Ref.
- How long is The Oath?
- The Oath runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Oath?
- In United States, The Oath is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
