Perhaps the heart of the matter is the false lure of the original: some books, such as Ironweed despite strung visual incidents and an almost palpable sense of place, just do not translate to the screen.

| Jan 28, 2020

If you enjoyed Richard E Grant and Melissa McCarthy as on-the-skids New Yorkers in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, here's an even starrier example of Hollywood poverty porn.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 3, 2019

Good performances, but If you're looking for an uplifting tale of hope against despair, look elsewhere.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 19, 2011

Watching "Ironweed" is like having a large, metal object lodged in your brain for 2 1/2 hours. It hurts.

| Dec 19, 2011

The film becomes becalmed and confusing; it lacks the novel's great unwavering trajectory.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 19, 2011

Unrelentingly bleak, Ironweed is a film without an audience and no reason for being except its own self-importance.

| Mar 26, 2009

At last, a real part for Nicholson to sink his teeth into.

| Jun 24, 2006

Despite its nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time, its superstar cast and its $23 million budget, Mr. Babenco's ''Ironweed'' is skeletal, a mere outline of Mr. Kennedy's far more resonant book.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 20, 2003

Comes about as close to being an unmitigated waste of talent as any movie in recent memory.

| Jan 1, 2000

Actors are said to like to play drunks, because it gives them an excuse for overacting. But there is not much visible "acting" in this movie; the actors are too good for that.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 1, 2000

"Ironweed" is decent fare, not excellent. It gets by on the strength of the unexpected.

| Jan 1, 2000