The King of Marvin Gardens

Play trailer

The King of Marvin Gardens

R

1972

1h 44m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) is a sullen radio personality who reconnects with his scheming brother, Jason (Bruce Dern), in Atlantic City, N.J. A fast-talking con man, Jason is traveling with the beautiful Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her stepdaughter, Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), and attempts to rope David into a deal involving a tropical island resort. While David initially humors his ne'er-do-well sibling, Jason isn't happy when his brother tries to rain on his parade.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

03/18/2020

There hasn't been a more enveloping, more desolating - or for that matter funnier - put down of America in years.

Go to Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

05/24/2013

4/5

A cult classic about fading dreams that has curiously improved with age.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

05/23/2013

5/5

The wintry Atlantic City is brilliantly evoked; the firecracker dialogue is a joy, and the final, chaotic denouement is genuinely unexpected.

Go to Full Review

David Elliott

Chicago Daily News

10/03/2023

The heavy touch probably belongs mostly to scriptwriter Jacob Blackman... Rafelson pulls off some striking scenes, but he's never on top of Brackman's dull symbolism and gassy chatter, and finally it buries him.

Go to Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

01/28/2022

A+

Surreal elements punctuate the drama created by characters doomed to misunderstand one another, and the social pressures they suffer.

Go to Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

01/14/2022

One of those great, misshapen movies full of bizarre tonal shifts and strange directorial choices that don't seem to make much sense in the moment but linger in your mind for months afterward.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

@Thiagostone 07/07/2025

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é bacaninha, e poucos ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, mas o final do filme foi bom.

See more

06/27/2020

Jack Nicholson plays a nerd against character. Excellent performances by Bruce Dern and Ellen Burstyn. Scatman Crothers is great, too. This is an art house classic from the age of the French New Wave. If it had been in French or Italian the critics would be giving it a 95+. Bob Rafelson's follow-up to Five Easy Pieces, it is at least as good in its own right.

See more

02/12/2020

One of the lost masterpieces of 70s cinema. Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern are great as 2 brothers one a practical realist the other a dreamer who meet in Atlantic City when Dern comes up with a plan to own a tropical island. Bob Rafelson directs with a fantastic eye for the absurd and the best part is that Nicholson is tight and reigned in while Dern is all bluster and looking for the next dollar. Ellen Burstyn is great as Derns neurotic girlfriend and the empty shell of Atlantic City is a beautiful location.

See more

delysid d

@RT67044741 03/22/2019

boring and pointless story that goes nowhere, why did they bother?

See more

10/13/2017

Too pokey for me now. Maybe back in the day & fans of studious ensemble acting.

See more

11/05/2016

a good hidden gem from the 1970s

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Bob Rafelson

Director

Jack Nicholson

David Staebler

Bruce Dern

Jason Staebler

Ellen Burstyn

Sally

Julia Anne Robinson

Jessica

Scatman Crothers

Lewis

Five Easy Pieces

89%

84%

Five Easy Pieces

Watchlist

Easy Rider

84%

82%

Easy Rider

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Easy Rider

Hardcore

80%

67%

Hardcore

Watchlist

In Cold Blood

75%

88%

In Cold Blood

Watchlist

St. Elmo's Fire

44%

67%

St. Elmo's Fire

Watchlist

TRAILER

for St. Elmo's Fire

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) is a sullen radio personality who reconnects with his scheming brother, Jason (Bruce Dern), in Atlantic City, N.J. A fast-talking con man, Jason is traveling with the beautiful Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her stepdaughter, Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), and attempts to rope David into a deal involving a tropical island resort. While David initially humors his ne'er-do-well sibling, Jason isn't happy when his brother tries to rain on his parade.

Director: Bob Rafelson
Producer: Bob Rafelson
Screenwriter: Jacob Brackman, Bob Rafelson
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2014
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Mono