Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 778
RT slug: stillwater_2020
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stillwater_2020
Release year: 2021
Runtime: 140 mins
Wide release date: 2021-07-30
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2021-08-19
Tomatometer final: 75%
Audience score final: —
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Directors: Tom McCarthy
Writers: Marcus Hinchey, Noe Debre, Thomas Bidegain, Tom McCarthy
Producers: Jonathan King, Liza Chasin, Steve Golin, Tom McCarthy
MPAA rating: R
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-06-16 21:11:02
Updated: 2026-06-16 21:11:02
Unemployed roughneck Bill Baker (Academy Award winner Matt Damon) travels from Oklahoma to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin). Imprisoned for a murder she claims she did not commit. Allison seizes on a new tip that could exonerate her and presses Bill to engage her legal team But Bill eager to prove his worth and regain his daughters trust, takes matters into his own hands. He is quickly stymied by language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system until he meets French actress Virginie (Camille Cottin), mother to eight-year-old Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). Together, these unlikely allies embark on a journey of discovery, truth, love and liberation.
Stillwater isn't perfect, but its thoughtful approach to intelligent themes -- and strong performances from its leads -- give this timely drama a steadily building power.
Canonical reviews: 197
Canonical fresh: 148
Canonical rotten: 49
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 75%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-06-16 20:42:51
Snapshot Tomatometer: 75%
Snapshot review count: 197
Snapshot fresh count: 148
Snapshot rotten count: 49
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #1360 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Focus Features | distributor |
| 3dot productions | production |
| Anonymous Content | production |
| DreamWorks Pictures | production |
| Participant | production |
| Slow Pony | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Damon | Bill Baker |
| 2 | Camille Cottin | Virginie |
| 3 | Abigail Breslin | Allison |
| 4 | Lilou Siauvaud | Maya |
| 5 | Deanna Dunagan | Sharon |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 794 | processed | — | 2026-06-16 21:11:02 | Processed successfully into movie_id=778 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1360 | 2026-06-16 15:42:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-06-16 20:42:51 | 75% | 197 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 197 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=197, fresh=148, rotten=49, tomatometer=75%. Net new reviews added=197, fresh=148, rotten=49. Current canonical totals=197 reviews, 148 fresh, 49 rotten, tomatometer=75% (75.127%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (197). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (75%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 176234 | Daryl MacDonald | InSession Film | Fresh | B | 2024-04-26T16:51:51Z | 2024-04-26 16:51:51 | What lifts Stillwater out of the doldrums of mediocrity is the performances of the actors and McCarthy’s admirable determination to steer away from the cliched idea of revenge actioner... |
| 176235 | Pablo O. Scholz | Clarín | Fresh | 3/4 | 2024-01-22T18:39:44Z | 2024-01-22 18:39:44 | The lack of genre identity does not always work in the film's favor. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 176236 | Mo Muzammal | Vague Visages | Fresh | — | 2023-07-27T01:13:52Z | 2023-07-27 01:13:52 | Stillwater refuses to belittle and judge its characters, and challenges viewers to do the same. |
| 176237 | Zach Pope | Zach Pope Reviews | Fresh | — | 2023-07-26T21:18:05Z | 2023-07-26 21:18:05 | Caught me by surprise with its fascinating journey of redemption, acceptance, & Beauty. Don’t get my wrong the movie evolves in ways I did not expect some for the better & some for the bad. |
| 176238 | Federico Furzan | Movie-Blogger.com | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2023-03-30T20:42:43Z | 2023-03-30 20:42:43 | Stillwater is pure drama that turns into a crime thriller when you least expect it. This is Matt Damon‘s best performance in the last 10 years. |
| 176239 | M.N. Miller | Ready Steady Cut | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2022-10-09T18:35:33Z | 2022-10-09 18:35:33 | A damn effective drama about the struggles accompanying second chances and unshakable reputations. |
| 176240 | Zoë Rose Bryant | Loud and Clear Reviews | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2022-09-01T07:25:19Z | 2022-09-01 07:25:19 | Stillwater is so much more than its simple logline would lead you to believe, blending sentimentality with suspense to create a brutally captivating concoction. |
| 176241 | Keith Garlington | Keith & the Movies | Fresh | 4/5 | 2022-08-17T15:40:46Z | 2022-08-17 15:40:46 | I prefer McCarthy’s approach which keeps the characters front-and-center, giving them and their relationships room to grow even if it means running a little long. |
| 176242 | Victoria Luxford | City AM | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-03T12:11:37Z | 2022-03-03 12:11:37 | The final act turns the heat up a bit, as Bill gets closer and turns to more desperate means. The conclusion will raise some eyebrows, but in the main Stillwater is a solid drama that plays to the crowd effectively. |
| 176243 | Carson Timar | Clapper | Fresh | — | 2022-02-12T05:11:06Z | 2022-02-12 05:11:06 | As a work of fiction, Stillwater feels near-masterpiece level with Tom McCarthy, Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin giving possibly the best performances of their careers. The movie, however, is undeniably tied to a real-life tragedy and feels manipulative |
| 176244 | Nick Boyd | Battle Royale With Cheese | Fresh | — | 2021-12-28T13:30:19Z | 2021-12-28 13:30:19 | The movie really keeps you guessing as to the true motives of the characters with its complex plot. |
| 176245 | Ben Turner | The Pink Lens | Rotten | 3/5 | 2021-12-07T07:30:11Z | 2021-12-07 07:30:11 | This might be a crime thriller, but thrill it does not. Slow, distracted and unfocused, its narrative makes giant leaps one moment and drags its feet the next. |
| 176246 | Douglas Davidson | Elements of Madness | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-10-26T16:10:23Z | 2021-10-26 16:10:23 | If we can't take responsibility for our own choices, then there can be no moving forward and your life will become a prison of your own making. |
| 176247 | Tessa Smith | Mama's Geeky | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-10-26T13:50:13Z | 2021-10-26 13:50:13 | A slow burn that is far longer than it needs to be to get its point across. However, Matt Damon brings a lot of heart to this one, and makes it worth watching. |
| 176248 | Matt Brunson | Film Frenzy | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2021-10-23T01:21:38Z | 2021-10-23 01:21:38 | If tied to the real-life case, it's irresponsible and irredeemable. Separated from these knotty ties to the real world and accepted as a piece of fiction, it's a decent drama that begins strong before eventually losing its bearings and its believability. |
| 176249 | Lynn Venhaus | PopLifeSTL | Rotten | C- | 2021-10-23T00:22:02Z | 2021-10-23 00:22:02 | Absent the sheen of a noble cause, Stillwater is a frustrating effort without a point. |
| 176250 | Eulàlia Iglesias | Fotogramas | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-10-18T16:30:57Z | 2021-10-18 16:30:57 | There's a dangerous lack of verisimilitude that hangs over the entire film. But McCarthy remains firm in his decision not to offer the usual satisfactions expected of these kind of American films. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 176251 | Yasser Medina | Cinefilia | Rotten | 5/10 | 2021-09-10T05:00:22Z | 2021-09-10 05:00:22 | Within half an hour its drama loses emotional records and dries up like an oil well in the desert when Matt Damon plays an ordinary hero lost in Marseille. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 176252 | Bennett Campbell Ferguson | Willamette Week | Fresh | 4/4 | 2021-09-02T22:33:45Z | 2021-09-02 22:33:45 | Stillwater's sharp emotional claws shred Bill's moral authority and the myth of American exceptionalism. In ways both shocking and right, director Tom McCarthy reinvents the story seemingly in real time. |
| 176253 | Eleanor Ringel Cater | Saporta Report (Atlanta) | Fresh | — | 2021-09-02T22:13:55Z | 2021-09-02 22:13:55 | Stillwater is the sort of film Hollywood used to make effortlessly: big stars, intriguing characters, glamorous setting, juicy set-up, some minor violence. |
| 176254 | Zehra Phelan | Flavourmag | Rotten | 3/5 | 2021-08-31T15:30:23Z | 2021-08-31 15:30:23 | Tom McCarthy's vision has its moments of thrills and uplifting humour but it takes on a very disjointed path that leads to a questionable resolution on a number of story points and an absurd route of justice. |
| 176255 | Filipe Freitas | Always Good Movies | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-30T18:10:37Z | 2021-08-30 18:10:37 | In the end, Stillwater proves "life's brutal" to be realistic. |
| 176256 | Eddie Harrison | film-authority.com | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-08-26T07:50:07Z | 2021-08-26 07:50:07 | ...as long as the audiences understand that this story is a fiction, Stillwater is refreshingly on-the-money... |
| 176257 | Matt Hudson | What I Watched Tonight | Fresh | 7.5/10 | 2021-08-25T13:40:11Z | 2021-08-25 13:40:11 | The familial dynamic provides a solid emotional foundation and, whilst contentious, the story of Stillwater is strong enough to make it a very decent watch. |
| 176258 | David Nusair | Reel Film Reviews | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-08-23T12:20:06Z | 2021-08-23 12:20:06 | ...boasts one of Damon's very best performances. |
| 176259 | Brett McCracken | The Gospel Coalition | Fresh | — | 2021-08-21T16:20:22Z | 2021-08-21 16:20:22 | For a film exploring moral authority, Stillwater cedes its own-unnecessarily-by recklessly blurring fact and fiction. |
| 176260 | Jordan Ruimy | World of Reel | Fresh | B- | 2021-08-20T21:51:00Z | 2021-08-20 21:51:00 | Even amidst a bumpy screenplay, Damon's chilled out intensity retains our attention throughout. |
| 176261 | Mark Meszoros | The News-Herald (Willoughby, OH) | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-08-20T14:00:27Z | 2021-08-20 14:00:27 | In the hands of less-talented folks behind and in front of the camera, Stillwater easily could have fallen very flat. Instead, it's the rare case where less is, in fact, more. |
| 176262 | Eric Eisenberg | CinemaBlend | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2021-08-20T01:11:10Z | 2021-08-20 01:11:10 | Instead of fully committing to its plot, Stillwater instead tries to shoehorn in a full character study... |
| 176263 | Kate Rodger | Newshub (NZ) | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2021-08-20T00:01:23Z | 2021-08-20 00:01:23 | While the film as a whole didn't entirely work for me, it's worth the ticket price for Damon. |
| 176264 | Shawn Edwards | Fox 4 Kansas City | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-19T23:31:08Z | 2021-08-19 23:31:08 | Matt Damon keeps things watchable as the filmmakers try their best to... derail the film with poor execution. |
| 176265 | Jackie K. Cooper | jackiekcooper.com | Fresh | 7/10 | 2021-08-18T18:10:49Z | 2021-08-18 18:10:49 | Matt Damon shines as a fish out of water Dad trying to get his daughter out of a French prison. |
| 176266 | Ryan McQuade | AwardsWatch | Fresh | B- | 2021-08-18T17:20:34Z | 2021-08-18 17:20:34 | Beyond its dissatisfying ending, the highlight of the film is Matt Damon's performance as Bill. |
| 176267 | Matthew Bond | The Mail on Sunday (UK) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-17T01:10:18Z | 2021-08-17 01:10:18 | This is a long watch as well as a tough one. |
| 176268 | Michael Medved | The Michael Medved Show | Rotten | 2/4 | 2021-08-13T22:10:50Z | 2021-08-13 22:10:50 | Whodunit? Who cares. The characters generate so little sympathy that it doesn't even matter when the limp ending answers none of the plot's fundamental questions. |
| 176269 | Aine O'Connor | Sunday Independent (Ireland) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-13T22:00:43Z | 2021-08-13 22:00:43 | There are lots of unlikely things in the film and the middle section is far too long. But if you're not a stickler for realism and just want a drama with a bit of mystery then this will do the trick. |
| 176270 | Trevor Johnston | Radio Times | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-12T20:21:36Z | 2021-08-12 20:21:36 | Held together by Damon's astutely observed performance, the film is undeniably absorbing, though at 140 minutes it's perhaps too baggy and discursive to grip as strongly as one would like. |
| 176271 | Graeme Tuckett | The Post NZ | Fresh | — | 2021-08-12T19:51:36Z | 2021-08-12 19:51:36 | Stillwater is a portrait of stolid, uncertain and ambiguous people, adrift in a storm. |
| 176272 | Irene Crespo | Cinemanía (Spain) | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2021-08-11T18:11:45Z | 2021-08-11 18:11:45 | A social thriller that talks about this radicalized world that we live in, either in the US or in France. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 176273 | Edwin Arnaudin | Asheville Movies | Fresh | B- | 2021-08-11T16:41:30Z | 2021-08-11 16:41:30 | 90 minutes of intelligent drama, followed by 45 minutes of knuckleheaded sensationalism that nearly sinks the whole film. |
| 176274 | Pat Mullen | That Shelf | Fresh | — | 2021-08-11T13:00:08Z | 2021-08-11 13:00:08 | Bill isn't an especially likable character, yet Damon's subdued performance presents Bill as a man who is a prisoner of his own prejudice. |
| 176275 | Carla Renata | The Curvy Film Critic | Fresh | — | 2021-08-11T06:10:12Z | 2021-08-11 06:10:12 | Matt Damon gives the performance of career as Bill Baker which is only enhanced by the lovely Camille Cottin and Lilou Siauvaud. Your heart will break in a million pieces and the shocking ending will make you jaw drop |
| 176276 | Louisa Moore | Screen Zealots | Fresh | — | 2021-08-10T19:40:33Z | 2021-08-10 19:40:33 | Matt Damon is becoming this generation's "Old Reliable" when it comes to dependable leading men, and here's another solid performance. |
| 176277 | Dennis Harvey | 48 Hills | Fresh | — | 2021-08-09T17:21:40Z | 2021-08-09 17:21:40 | Stillwater is a complicated movie, very well-acted and sometimes powerful, yet far from "inspirational," and fully intending to leave you with a lot of unresolved feelings. |
| 176278 | Susan Granger | www.susangranger.com | Fresh | 7/10 | 2021-08-09T16:30:22Z | 2021-08-09 16:30:22 | Tom McCarthy adds several new twists to a mystery that was loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox case. |
| 176279 | Rene Sanchez | Cine Sin Fronteras | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-08-09T07:50:16Z | 2021-08-09 07:50:16 | A solid and well-acted family drama about the difficult roads to find redemption and acceptance. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 176280 | Simran Hans | Observer (UK) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-08T20:50:38Z | 2021-08-08 20:50:38 | This is a thoughtful, knotty character study, albeit one nestled inside a polished, and less interesting, action thriller. |
| 176281 | Tom Shone | Sunday Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-08-08T20:50:37Z | 2021-08-08 20:50:37 | Damon is unshowy, subtle and affecting. He may even get a long overdue acting Oscar nod... |
| 176282 | Linda Cook | OurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois) | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-08-07T07:00:08Z | 2021-08-07 07:00:08 | This crime drama contains one of Matt Damon's best performances. |
| 176283 | Marie Asner | Phantom Tollbooth | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-06T21:02:23Z | 2021-08-06 21:02:23 | The mood of the film is still. |
| 176284 | Paul Whitington | Irish Independent | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-08-06T21:02:22Z | 2021-08-06 21:02:22 | Though there are moments of violence and spikes of high tension, for the most part, Stillwater is a down and dirty character study, and there's something admirable about Bill's dogged campaign, however many egregious mistakes it might entail. |
| 176285 | Allen Adams | The Maine Edge | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-08-06T20:22:19Z | 2021-08-06 20:22:19 | [A] perfectly fine film that is elevated to something more courtesy of an absolutely masterful central performance. It's a story of a man's crusade to undo a perceived wrong, even though he likely isn't fully up to the task. Stillwater runs deep. |
| 176286 | Clarisse Loughrey | Independent (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-06T15:50:52Z | 2021-08-06 15:50:52 | It seems Marseilles's immigrant population, as with Knox herself, are treated as mere casualties in Stillwater's grand vision. If only that vision had some substance to it. |
| 176287 | Rubén Rosario | MiamiArtZine | Rotten | — | 2021-08-06T15:30:56Z | 2021-08-06 15:30:56 | In terms of its perspective, it feels as if the movie never left Oklahoma. It's beset by too much hand-holding, and cushions its blows when what it really needed was a little more tough love. |
| 176288 | Dulcie Pearce | The Sun (UK) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-06T13:30:55Z | 2021-08-06 13:30:55 | Damon is always a compelling presence and delivers an admirable performance here, giving layers to regretful roughneck Bill that many actors would not be able to achieve. |
| 176289 | Brian Viner | Daily Mail (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-06T13:20:53Z | 2021-08-06 13:20:53 | All films fall broadly into one of three categories: they are either more than, equal to, or less than the sum of their parts. Stillwater belongs squarely in that third group. |
| 176290 | Andy Lea | Daily Express (UK) | Fresh | — | 2021-08-06T13:20:52Z | 2021-08-06 13:20:52 | While the plot doesn't hold much water, the human drama is compelling. |
| 176291 | Amber Wilkinson | Eye for Film | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-06T13:10:49Z | 2021-08-06 13:10:49 | It progresses in the same sort of manner as leading man Damon in that it's big and bulky, slow and purposeful but somehow, despite this, quite compelling. |
| 176292 | Lucy Buglass | The Cinemaholic | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-06T09:20:14Z | 2021-08-06 09:20:14 | There is a disappointing lack of character development between Bill and Allison, especially given the fact their relationship is meant to be estranged and complex |
| 176293 | Jared Mobarak | Jaredmobarak.com | Fresh | 6/10 | 2021-08-06T02:21:44Z | 2021-08-06 02:21:44 | So much of what's put on-screen is similarly one step away from greatness before losing its balance and falling backwards towards disappointment. |
| 176294 | Michael Calleri | Niagara Gazette | Rotten | — | 2021-08-06T00:11:43Z | 2021-08-06 00:11:43 | This revelation sets the unfailingly polite Baker on the trail to solving the mystery. Suddenly he's Columbo, asking questions as he schlepps around Marseille in a baseball cap and denim jacket and speaking no French. |
| 176296 | Brad Keefe | Columbus Alive | Rotten | 2/5 | 2021-08-05T23:50:33Z | 2021-08-05 23:50:33 | For me, the unexpected and sometimes unwelcome turns of the third act derailed what could have been a solid film. |
| 176295 | Nick Johnston | Vanyaland | Rotten | — | 2021-08-05T23:50:33Z | 2021-08-05 23:50:33 | The problem is that the procedural/thriller aspects are genuinely boring compared to the film's human side, where its often heartwarming-yet-hurt sensibility is often engaging and, surprisingly, wise. |
| 176297 | Rich Cline | Shadows on the Wall | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2021-08-05T23:40:30Z | 2021-08-05 23:40:30 | It's riveting, and the script knowingly grapples with larger issues that provide plenty of extra texture. |
| 176298 | Alistair Harkness | Scotsman | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-05T14:41:07Z | 2021-08-05 14:41:07 | Makes an intriguing point about the dangers of America isolationism. |
| 176299 | Jonah Koslofsky | The Spool | Rotten | — | 2021-08-05T14:31:08Z | 2021-08-05 14:31:08 | Damon's just an empty head to hold a baseball hat and some sunglasses. |
| 176300 | Richard Crouse | Richard Crouse | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-05T12:10:06Z | 2021-08-05 12:10:06 | Stillwater is wonderfully shot and the father-daughter relationship that develops between Bill and Maya is touching and authentic feeling but is let down in the film's final act. |
| 176301 | Mark Feeney | Boston Globe | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2021-08-04T18:50:38Z | 2021-08-04 18:50:38 | The quality of the acting makes it easy to overlook how increasingly leaden "Stillwater" becomes - but not easy enough. |
| 176302 | Raphael Abraham | Financial Times | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-04T18:40:34Z | 2021-08-04 18:40:34 | This is a man who has lost step with his times... but there is something touching about his earnest politeness and also something novel: when was the last time you saw a conservative blue-collar dad in a leading role? |
| 176303 | K. Austin Collins | Rolling Stone | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-04T17:31:29Z | 2021-08-04 17:31:29 | It'd be more openly ridiculous, feel far more manipulative, if not for Damon's performance... [His] magic is in making a certain plainness, a near-anonymity, defiantly charismatic. |
| 176304 | Matthew Passantino | Big Picture Big Sound | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2021-08-03T19:51:37Z | 2021-08-03 19:51:37 | Damon and Breslin carry the movie with their characters' shared history, which offers some depth and earned emotion even when things get bumpy along the way. |
| 176305 | David Sims | The Atlantic | Fresh | — | 2021-08-02T20:50:12Z | 2021-08-02 20:50:12 | McCarthy's excellent, if sprawling, script is more interested in the humans behind the headlines and the messy ways people try to reconcile their grief and guilt after indescribable trauma. |
| 176306 | Alci Rengifo | Entertainment Voice | Fresh | — | 2021-08-02T18:10:27Z | 2021-08-02 18:10:27 | McCarthy and Matt Damon have crafted a character that becomes more engaging than the mystery he is trying to solve. At its best the movie is all about him and not the clichés. |
| 176307 | Emma Simmonds | The List | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-08-02T17:30:22Z | 2021-08-02 17:30:22 | Even over a fairly epic runtime, with its beautiful cinematography, quiet passages and eccentric interludes Stillwater remains perversely watchable. |
| 176308 | Taylor Antrim | Vogue | Fresh | — | 2021-08-02T16:00:21Z | 2021-08-02 16:00:21 | Stillwater never feels sensationalistic or lurid. |
| 176309 | Randy Myers | San Jose Mercury News | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-08-02T15:20:08Z | 2021-08-02 15:20:08 | Admirable for its convictions, restraint and complicated insights. |
| 176310 | Elias Savada | Film International | Rotten | 3/5 | 2021-07-31T21:30:25Z | 2021-07-31 21:30:25 | ...McCarthy's film seems to be looking for a different angle than his previous efforts, so the lingering effect (and the film is guilty of doing too much of that) leans toward being something quite long-in-the-tooth. |
| 176311 | Jeff Mitchell | Art House Film Wire | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-07-31T18:40:16Z | 2021-07-31 18:40:16 | Damon gives an Oscar-worthy performance, and Cottin and Siauvaud are perfectly cast. |
| 176312 | Julian Lytle | idobi.com | Fresh | C | 2021-07-31T18:10:13Z | 2021-07-31 18:10:13 | Stillwater is ok for a serious drama, something for "adults" to watch but not be blown away by. This won't be talked about at the end of the year but it's still a likable film. |
| 176313 | Matt Conway | Battle Royale With Cheese | Fresh | — | 2021-07-31T18:00:14Z | 2021-07-31 18:00:14 | McCarthy's narrative is a deeply humanistic one, with Bill's relentless chase for justice consistently contextualized by nuanced developments. |
| 176314 | Leah Greenblatt | Entertainment Weekly | Fresh | B | 2021-07-31T14:10:09Z | 2021-07-31 14:10:09 | Though the intrinsic likability that makes [Damon] a movie star may be doing half the heavy lifting, you want to invest in this blunt, difficult man. |
| 176315 | John Urbancich | JMuvies | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-07-31T12:50:05Z | 2021-07-31 12:50:05 | Damon and Breslin are fine as dad and daughter. Then there's French star Camille Cottin and newcomer Lilou Siauvaud, as actress mom and sweet little girl, respectively, beautifully charming Damon's quiet, backward Bill into submission. |
| 176316 | Todd Jorgenson | Cinemalogue | Fresh | — | 2021-07-31T04:00:25Z | 2021-07-31 04:00:25 | The richly textured screenplay delves deeper than the usual culture-clash elements that come with the territory. The central mystery remains compelling despite the tendency to diverge into wayward subplots. |
| 176317 | Russ Simmons | KKFI-FM (Kansas City) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-07-31T01:40:43Z | 2021-07-31 01:40:43 | Filmmaker Tom McCarthy's work is smart, sincere, and empathetic. |
| 176318 | Bruce R. Miller | Sioux City Journal | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-07-31T01:30:51Z | 2021-07-31 01:30:51 | "Stillwater" rewards its audience for paying attention. But Damon surprises even when viewers don't. His performance is so solid it should be remembered at awards time. "Stillwater" confirms less is definitely more. |
| 176319 | Amy Nicholson | FilmWeek (LAist) | Fresh | — | 2021-07-31T00:20:55Z | 2021-07-31 00:20:55 | This is a movie where I couldn't find my footing for a long time, but I found myself thinking about it a lot. |
| 176320 | Peter Rainer | FilmWeek (LAist) | Fresh | — | 2021-07-31T00:12:08Z | 2021-07-31 00:12:08 | Damon is quite good, withholding a lot of histrionics. I don't want to be self-contradictory, but it's a passively expressive performance. |
| 176321 | Kevin Carr | Fat Guys at the Movies | Rotten | 2/4 | 2021-07-31T00:02:15Z | 2021-07-31 00:02:15 | It's an American movie desperately trying to be a French film. |
| 176322 | Sean P. Means | The Movie Cricket | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-07-30T22:42:21Z | 2021-07-30 22:42:21 | The work by Damon and McCarthy to establish Bill as a man caught between two worlds is where this drama gets its considerable strength. |
| 176323 | Hoai-Tran Bui | Slashfilm | Fresh | 7/10 | 2021-07-30T22:22:28Z | 2021-07-30 22:22:28 | Stillwater surprises, with emotions that run deeper and a subdued central performance by Matt Damon that goes beyond the kind of jingoistic vigilante justice expected. |
| 176324 | Stephanie Zacharek | TIME Magazine | Fresh | — | 2021-07-30T22:12:25Z | 2021-07-30 22:12:25 | The one constant is Damon, who's turning out to be one of those great, casual American actors we didn't know we had anymore... |
| 176325 | Richard Roeper | Chicago Sun-Times | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-07-30T21:52:22Z | 2021-07-30 21:52:22 | Damon's versatile acting power onscreen overcomes the flaws of this provocative and stirring drama. |
| 176326 | Dann Gire | Chicago Daily Herald | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-07-30T21:42:15Z | 2021-07-30 21:42:15 | Damon gives a seamless performance...Stillwater ripples with realism. |
| 176327 | Gary M. Kramer | Salon.com | Rotten | — | 2021-07-30T21:22:14Z | 2021-07-30 21:22:14 | "Stillwater" should be a deep investigation into a moral quandary, but it just ends up being shallow and irresponsible. |
| 176329 | Dan Lybarger | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Fresh | 88/100 | 2021-07-30T21:22:13Z | 2021-07-30 21:22:13 | McCarthy treats the residents of flyover country with a dignity that's sometimes lacking in Hollywood offerings. |
| 176328 | Robert Denerstein | Denerstein Unleashed | Fresh | — | 2021-07-30T21:22:13Z | 2021-07-30 21:22:13 | I wish Stillwater were a sharper movie, but Damon -- looking bulky and thick -- fully commits himself to a role that gives him a chance to do some of the strongest work of his career. |
| 176330 | Thelma Adams | AARP Movies for Grownups | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-07-30T21:02:43Z | 2021-07-30 21:02:43 | McCarthy's film, cowritten with two French screenwriters, seems to want to comprehend and empathize with this flawed hero, but the last word appears to go with the French, who think Americans are stupid -- but good with their hands. |
| 176331 | Brian Lowry | CNN.com | Rotten | — | 2021-07-30T20:52:18Z | 2021-07-30 20:52:18 | Stillwater runs long but doesn't run particularly deep -- or at least, not quite deep enough. |
| 176332 | Chad Byrnes | L.A. Weekly | Fresh | — | 2021-07-30T20:10:59Z | 2021-07-30 20:10:59 | Even with its minor flaws, Stillwater is a welcome change from the status quo because it has something to say besides, "I'm going to entertain you." The studios don't make movies like this very often. |
| 176333 | Chris Knight | National Post | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2021-07-30T19:40:54Z | 2021-07-30 19:40:54 | Stillwater (the name is taken from Bill's hometown in central Oklahoma) is an expertly paced tale, following Bill as he wades through various levels of guilt and culpability on his way to uncovering something new about Allison's case. |
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