Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- bleak
- melancholic
- oppressive
- serious drama night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation melodramatic and unfocused despite strong performances, especially from Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Cook family structure and patriarchal succession conflict adapt Shakespearean King Lear through Jane Smiley's novel.
The sisters' adult lives and conflicts are driven by traumatic abuse connected to their father and their shared past.
Larry Cook's thousand-acre Iowa farm organizes the family's wealth, identity, succession, and grievances.
Ginny's narration and delayed recognition of harsh family realities shape how the story's abuses and loyalties are revealed.
Films like A Thousand Acres, and why
The Ice Storm
family tragedy, literary adaptation, and emotionally confrontational domestic drama
Secrets & Lies
patriarchal family conflict, buried abuse, and intense ensemble performances
The Deadly Affair
modernized classical tragedy, destructive family power dynamics, and bleak melodrama
Movie Details
- Director
- Jocelyn Moorhouse
- Release Date
- 1997-09-19
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (84)
Cast
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Jessica Lange
- Jason Robards
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Colin Firth
- Keith Carradine
- Kevin Anderson
- Pat Hingle
- John Carroll Lynch
- Anne Pitoniak
Common questions
- What is A Thousand Acres about?
- On an Iowa farm, two sisters struggle to survive the patriarchal legacy, buried trauma, and tragic inheritance of their powerful father.
- What is A Thousand Acres like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Thousand Acres as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Thousand Acres violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Thousand Acres as mild.
- What did critics think of A Thousand Acres?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation melodramatic and unfocused despite strong performances, especially from Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer.
- Which films are like A Thousand Acres?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ice Storm, Secrets & Lies, and The Deadly Affair.
- How long is A Thousand Acres?
- A Thousand Acres runs 105 minutes.
