20th Century Women

R

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1 hr. 58 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

88%

230 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1979 Santa Barbara, Calif., Dorothea Fields is a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie, at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Dorothea enlists the help of two younger women -- Abbie, a free-spirited punk artist living as a boarder in the Fields' home and Julie, a savvy and provocative teenage neighbor -- to help with Jamie's upbringing.

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Critics Consensus

20th Century Women offers Annette Bening a too-rare opportunity to shine in a leading role -- and marks another assured step forward for writer-director Mike Mills.

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kxr l

i love the shots in this film and the vast spectrum of perspectives shown in each character <3 [[ jan302024 ]]

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Very engaging, often candid, extremely memorable characters and performances. Becomes deeper as you think back on it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

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Alec B

Mills has refined his style and writing here, crafting a unique character study that deliberately avoids simplistic resolutions. One of the few period films set in the 70s that never gets overpowered by cliched aesthetics.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

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The Great John A

The film is good except for the characters, setting, dialogue and the story... oh and the acting too. Shame really, I quite like Elle fanning.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

David C

Missing something called a plot or story line. That can work in some ways where the characters become central but the characters in this were of little interest and their story lines or, rather character lines, seemed random more than anything else.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/03/23

Full Review

Matthew D

A loving tribute to an odd single mother and the lives that shaped Mike Mills' childhood. Director Mike Mills' indie drama 20th Century Women (2016) is an artful scattershot of memories of these really unique people from Mills' teenage years. He gives each person a sympathetic backstory and their eventual outcomes, but it's the smaller dialogue and intimate conversations that make his filmmaking feel so raw and tender. I adore Beginners and C'mon C'mon, so 20th Century Women feels similarly earnest and honest. Mills' direction feels almost like dream sequences with how he'll cut to other moments in time. I appreciate his feminist perspective and how that shaped his view of women, largely from the influence of his freewheeling mother, an artistic photographer, and his girl best friend from childhood being so close to him during his teenage years. Writer Mike Mills is completely honest and open with talking about awkward subjects, attempting to normalize sex talk, menstruation, periods, pregnancy tests, miscarriages, depression, boredom, frustration, single parenting, growing up, desperation, and love with equal care. His jokes are super funny and he finds the shocking trauma of bad sex very sympathetic or the humor in Black Flag fans beating up a Talking Heads lover. I love that he clearly cares that the audience will relate to every woman and man in 20th Century Women, so that you really feel their perspective. He's respectful and understanding and perhaps that's all you can ask a writer of films to be now. Casting directors Laura Rosenthal and Mark Bennett found great talent for this dramatic ensemble. I empathize with each of them. Annette Bening is fiercely individualistic and yet also needs the strength of others as Jamie's mother Dorothea Fields. She's a career woman, single mother, and lover of Humphrey Bogart all in one. I like how she reaches out to the other girls, but cannot abide by their open sex talk, it's so funny. Bening is very elusive and yet relatable at once. Elle Fanning is lovely, sweet, playful, forlorn, tragic, and sympathetic as Jamie's best friend Julie Hamlin. You know he loves her terribly, but that she merely wants a guy friend to talk to openly and hang out with even if that's selfish or hurts him. It's interesting and very realistic how there's a fine line for guys and girls that want to be or remain friends, but one person may feel more strongly. Mills finds that place and lets these characters soak in that awkward place. Greta Gerwig is hilarious as the redhead punk photographer Abbie Porter. She's also tragically heartbreaking that she suffers from cancer and may not have kids. Gerwig finds all the joys in life and dances to them, while also pointing out the strangest lucid thoughts with a fun offbeat delivery. Billy Crudup is interesting and amiable as the happy go lucky hippie car mechanic William. He wants to fool around with Greta Gerwig, but may love Annette Bening. He's odd, yet steadfast and reassuring. It's a nice performance. Lucas Jade Zumann is very odd as Jamie Fields in that he's totally normal and well adjusted, but everyone acts like he's the problem child. He likes Talking Heads more than Black Flag and wants to understand his mother and go out with his crush. He's fairly normal. Alia Shawkat is cute as Abbie's friend Trish. Editor Leslie Jones will do slick montages of past photos and videos or simply cut way into the future of these characters with ease. The fluid movement keeps 20th Century Women light and engaging. Cinematographer Sean Porter uses all these pretty wide shots of beaches and forests with characters centered in frame as they wander through life. The stylish close-ups and medium shots during conversations are gripping. It's a beautiful film. Production designer Chris Jones makes 70's homes and cars with quaint and cozy set decoration from Aimee Athnos and Neil Wyzanowski. Composer Roger Neill's gentle film score is pretty, but the musical star of 20th Century Women is all the 1970's hardcore punk bands like Black Flag or artsy synth pop stylings of The Talking Heads. Sound designers Frank Gaeta, Rick Ash, Guy Francoeur, and Jo Caron let you clearly hear each whisper or burst of musical expression. Costume designers Jennifer Johnson and Claudia Sarbu make every guy look like Shaggy from Scooby Doo or like they're in Black Flag. All the women have these cute button down blouses. Makeup artists Erin Ayanian and Jorjee Douglass do very pretty eye shadow. I love the look for Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig. Hairstylists Shandra Page and Vanessa Price give Elle long flowing blonde tresses and Greta this short red punk hair that's delightful. In all, 20th Century Women is 119 minutes of people trying to relate to one another and it's beautiful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

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Mike Mills

Director

Annette Bening

Dorothea

Elle Fanning

Julie

Greta Gerwig

Abbie

Billy Crudup

William

Lucas Jade Zumann

Jamie

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20th Century Women: Trailer 2

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20th Century Women: Trailer 1

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Jess Kibler

Bitch Media

The film feels brilliantly both of another time and of our own.

Feb 17, 2021

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

Mills is clearly fond of all these characters, and is happy to dwell on their moments of happiness and sadness, all of which provide knowledge and worldly wisdom to the teenage boy whose life they will so profoundly affect.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 2, 2017

Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

It's a nice film with some great moments but Mills' touch is too tentative to make all that talk buzz and hum as resonantly as it should.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 31, 2017

Full Review

Tina Kakadelis

Beyond the Cinerama Dome

20th Century Women encapsulates the beautiful way parents and children love each other, but may never fully understand one another.

Jul 25, 2023

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CJ Sheu

Review Film Review

Mike Mills’s 20th Century Women (2016) is a masterpiece of intuitive plotting. The one part that doesn’t feel complete is Jamie’s (Lucas Jade Zumann) arc.

Apr 20, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

20th Century Women feels intimate beyond measure, and those who can relate will undergo a deep and meaningful connection to its characters.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 5, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1979 Santa Barbara, Calif., Dorothea Fields is a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie, at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Dorothea enlists the help of two younger women -- Abbie, a free-spirited punk artist living as a boarder in the Fields' home and Julie, a savvy and provocative teenage neighbor -- to help with Jamie's upbringing.

Director: Mike Mills
Executive Producer: Chelsea Barnard
Screenwriter: Mike Mills
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Annapurna Pictures, Modern People, Archer Gray
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Material|Some Nudity)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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