The Poker House
A wounded Iowa teenager fights to protect herself and her sisters while growing up amid exploitation, addiction, and abuse.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- intimate
- raw
- serious drama night
- indie film viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized powerful performances and autobiographical truth while finding the filmmaking meandering, confused, and insufficiently shaped.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story dramatizes Lori Petty's teenage years and has been described as an intensely personal, wounded work.
Agnes and her sisters navigate rape, drug abuse, prostitution, and an unstable home environment during their teenage years.
The plot follows Agnes confronting exploitation and family danger while moving toward a defy-all-odds resolution.
The story takes place in a small town in Iowa, where private abuse exists beneath an ordinary local surface.
Films like The Poker House, and why
This Boy's Life
shared coming of age drama, sexual abuse themes, and intimate autobiographical perspective
Precious
shared wounded adolescent protagonist, domestic abuse, and bleak but resilient emotional register
An Unmarried Woman
shared female centered coming of age drama, trauma, and defiant survival
Movie Details
- Director
- Lori Petty
- Release Date
- 2008-06-20
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (147)
Cast
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Selma Blair
- Bokeem Woodbine
- Chloë Grace Moretz
- Sophi Bairley
- Casey Tutton
- Jayce Ryan
- Natalie West
- David Alan Grier
- Andrew Rothenberg
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon 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 The Poker House about?
- A wounded Iowa teenager fights to protect herself and her sisters while growing up amid exploitation, addiction, and abuse.
- What is The Poker House like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Poker House as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Poker House violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Poker House as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Poker House?
- Critics broadly recognized powerful performances and autobiographical truth while finding the filmmaking meandering, confused, and insufficiently shaped.
- Which films are like The Poker House?
- Films with a similar feel include This Boy's Life, Precious, and An Unmarried Woman.
- How long is The Poker House?
- The Poker House runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Poker House?
- In United States, The Poker House streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
