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What They Had

What They Had

Drama · 2018

A woman must fly back to her hometown when her Alzheimer's-stricken mother wanders into a blizzard. The return home forces her to confront her past.

Movie details

What They Had

“A family united by the past. Divided by the present.”

2018 Drama 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

A woman must fly back to her hometown when her Alzheimer's-stricken mother wanders into a blizzard. The return home forces her to confront her past.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over What They Had?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Elizabeth Chomko

Written by

Elizabeth Chomko

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank

Bridget

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Nick

Robert Forster

Robert Forster

Burt

Blythe Danner

Blythe Danner

Ruth

Taissa Farmiga

Taissa Farmiga

Emma

Josh Lucas

Josh Lucas

Eddie

Sarah Sutherland

Sarah Sutherland

Mary

Court is in session

Put What They Had on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.