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Before and After

Play trailer Poster for Before and After PG-13 1996 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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35% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
The lives of Carolyn Ryan (Meryl Streep), a small-town doctor, and her artist husband, Ben (Liam Neeson), are shaken up when their son, Jacob (Edward Furlong), becomes the prime suspect in the death of a local teen girl. While Carolyn is intent on learning the truth about her son's involvement, Ben is willing to protect him at any cost, regardless of his guilt or innocence. When Jacob finally tells his parents what happened, events take a surprising series of turns.
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Before and After

Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom 06/20/2003
3/5
Uneven script, but strong performances by a powerhouse cast. Go to Full Review Mike Clark USA Today 01/01/2000
2/4
Despite Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson and the usually estimable Edward Furlong, this nonevent huffs and puffs to attain even the level of an ordinary motion picture. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
2/4
It's one of those movies where you want to call out helpful advice to the screen, which would save the characters a lot of trouble. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Sep 23
2.5/4
...an often egregiously deliberate drama that nevertheless sustains one’s interest throughout... Go to Full Review Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily 10/09/2005
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/18/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Feb 18 Needed a better script to explore the dramatic situations. Not unwatchable, but far from great. See more Matthew A @RT60855707 May 31 Good storyline from the start. Few twists and turns which kept me guessing. Quiet surprised at many low ratings for this movie. One of the best flicks I have watched for quiet a while. Definitely recommended. See more Edna T @RT42240558 01/30/2025 One star mainly for Meryl streep. The kid a tors weren't impressive. Mumbling, girl needs to enunciate. Dnf See more Kae T @Kae619 12/15/2024 Cheesy dialogue and poor character development. It was also very, very boring. Ending was disappointing and left you feeling like you just wasted an hour and a half. See more Eileen S @RT77772027 11/16/2024 I looked at the cast and thought it couldn't be bad. I was wrong. The actors bravely soldiered through the hackneyed, amateurish script, but were unable to save it, and the lawyer character was a caricature. I suspect the direction was bad, too, because I know the cast to be capable of great things. See more jerry s @RT97525081 11/02/2024 If a good crime drama is like a great party, then the Meryl Streep character is Mommy cleaning the kitchen and then telling everyone it's time to go to bed at 9:30. Air goes out of the balloon on this one after a promising build up. See more Read all reviews
Before and After

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Barbet Schroeder

Director

Meryl Streep

Dr. Carolyn Ryan

Liam Neeson

Ben Ryan

Edward Furlong

Jacob Ryan

Julia Weldon

Judith Ryan

Alfred Molina

Panos Demeris

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Before and After

Before and After (1996) Before and After (1996) Before and After (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The lives of Carolyn Ryan (Meryl Streep), a small-town doctor, and her artist husband, Ben (Liam Neeson), are shaken up when their son, Jacob (Edward Furlong), becomes the prime suspect in the death of a local teen girl. While Carolyn is intent on learning the truth about her son's involvement, Ben is willing to protect him at any cost, regardless of his guilt or innocence. When Jacob finally tells his parents what happened, events take a surprising series of turns.
Director
Barbet Schroeder
Producer
Barbet Schroeder, Susan Hoffman
Screenwriter
Ted Tally
Production Co
Buena Vista (Walt Disney), Hollywood Pictures, Caravan Pictures
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.8M
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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