Bloodworth (2010) User Reviews (21)

Going home

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 31 October 2011]

E.F. Bloodworth, a country singer now in his old age, wants to go to the place where he was born and which he left hoping for a fame that obviously never came. In fact, the old man is coming home to die, but what he finds as he gets there is nothing but hatred from the family he left behind. Only his grandchild Fleming appears he is the only one welcoming his return.

E.F. had three sons, Warren, Boyd, who is Fleming's father, and Brady, the only one that stayed to work the place and his mother Julia. Fleming is an ambitious young man who knows he must leave the rural area where the land is located if he is to make something out of himself. Encouraged by a local teacher, he secretly years to break out of the environment.

Warren, a man that loves his women and booze, introduces his nephew to the pleasures of the flesh. One day Warren takes Fleming to a house where a prostitute Louise Halfacre lives with her daughter, the beautiful Raven. It is clear Fleming sees in the girl a kindred soul. She in turn, introduces the young man in the pleasures of sex, but little does he suspect she has been quite busy with the uncle.

"Bloodworth" based on a novel by William Gay, which we have not read, kept reminding us of a much better film, "Winter's Bone" in which a much backward family is at its center. Not being able to compare the narrative with the written text, one can see how W. Earl Brown's attraction in adapting it to the cinema. As directed by Shane Dax Taylor, the movie is worth a view by serious viewers. The first half of the film is excellent, making us want it to have kept the good intentions of Mr. Brown until the end.

Kris Kristofferson is a busy actor who makes justice of his character. E.F. is not seen much in the film, but in his scenes, the actor makes us understand why he has been so good in his career in front of the camera. A surprising performance by Reece Thompson as Fleming, shows an interesting new face in the movies. We were quite surprised by Hillary Duff's Raven. This actress has wasted too much of her career playing light characters and she clearly made an impression in a more dramatic role. Val Kilmer does not have much to do, and neither does Dwight YoaKam for that matter. The adapter W. Earl Brown has some good moments in the film. Frances Conroy is seen as the mother.

Slow Down, Relax & Enjoy (Has Flaws But Worth Watching)

[sponge3 · 6/10 · 1 July 2011]

I love Val and Kris. And recently, Dwight has shown his acting chops so I had to see this. This is a slow moving story with mostly great acting so it was able to maintain my interest. The Brady Bloodworth character (W. Earl Brown) is over-acted in my opinion but the rest of the characters can hold your interest. You want to see what ultimately happens so you keep watching.

Watch this if you are willing to give it time but don't watch if you need car chases, or something to blow up. Mostly great cast and a few classic lines from some Hollywood legends. Beautiful scenery is just a bonus to this film. Bright, vibrant scenery adds to the overall experience of this down home Americana type film.

For better or worse, this story is very believable on many levels. Relax, turn off the phone and enjoy.

"I'm Warren, your son. When I was a boy you said you'd take me fishin, you never did. C'mon."

Please avoid !.... Or watch it not expecting greatness ..

[earzip · 5/10 · 25 June 2022]

This movie is Terrible...it's about hillbillies and singers.. Dwight and Val aren't even really used... Dwight seems to have been signed for the movie but they Never write him a part to play.. Val just kinda falls down a lot... as good as he can be at acting , they just wasted him completely .. The story line is vague... Kris just mostly has his mouth agape...showcasing his homespun dental work..he's barely in the movie... His old wife is the best character .

The young man , the protagonist. Is vague also... He has a Ford Crown Victoria car which is not a hillbilly necessity but not a manual typewriter which he needs to write a story..which he finally gets published in The Oxford American magazine.. After a tornado destroys everything ..the movie ends.. Whoever produced this is hopeless in the movie business..

some great actors struggling in a mess

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 11 October 2015]

Fleming Bloodworth (Reece Thompson) is desperate to leave his small town life. His uncle Warren (Val Kilmer) is a wild man with Hazel (Hilarie Burton) in his car. He's too drunk to drive. He pushes underage Fleming to drive him and passed out Hazel to Louise Halfacre (Sheila Kelley). This leads to a drunken fight between Hazel and Louise. The good part is that Fleming connects with Louise's daughter Raven Lee Halfacre (Hilary Duff). His grandfather E. F. Bloodworth (Kris Kristofferson) returns after 40 years on the road as a traveling singer. He had abandoned his wife (Frances Conroy) and his 3 sons. The Bloodworth men are all broken and bitter.

The problem seems to be that the characters are all random wild southern screw ups. The script is a mess of characters going every which way. Things happen that I'm uncertain about. A pig shows up in the middle for some reason. I'm fine with Reece Thompson but Hilary Duff leaves me with concerns. She has this bubbly personality that can't be restraint but her character needs to be darker. Her mother is such a mess that it has to show up in her performance. At first glance, the problem basically boils down to director Shane Dax Taylor in his second movie and screenwriter W. Earl Brown on his first film script. The inexperience really shows.

Misleading

[bob-rutzel-1 · 4/10 · 4 July 2011]

E.F. Bloodworth (Kristofferson) comes back to his old home in Tennessee after 40-years on the road. He left to pursue a musical career and virtually abandoned his young family. All are up in arms about his return.

This is misleading because you think the story is all about E.F. Well, it's not. It's really about his nephew Fleming (Thompson) who wants to leave the homestead too, but is trying to do it the right way, and not the way E.F. did, but to be fair, Fleming is not that conscious about it all. He just wants to do the right thing. He just wants out from a very dysfunctional family who stayed. E.F. is the background, Fleming is the real story and his story should have been developed more.

Wasted in here is Val Kilmer. Kilmer needs to find a vehicle to shine once more, but he seems content with small roles that go nowhere. Hillary Duff is a breath of fresh air, but it is Brady (Brown) who ignites (sorry for the pun, which you will understand if you see this movie) the story. His character's delivery is different, unique and solid.

To be honest we don't really get to know any of the characters. We get bits and pieces and we are left to read into things. And, because of that, we don't really care one way or the other what happens to any of them, including Fleming. We don't feel anyone's pain. And, being honest again, the story should not have shown E.F. as coming back. Just saying he came back would have been good enough as the family and others bad mouthed him anyway. We would have gotten the point. Why do I say that? Because we expected more from the Kristofferson (E.F.) character and didn't get it. Like I said, this was misleading.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

Bittersweet, very moving family drama

[Jbtullisorder · 9/10 · 8 July 2011]

This story takes place in a beautiful country setting somewhere in Tennessee. It revolves around a young man whose family was splintered apart by his grandfather's (Kris Kristofferson) departure long before he was born. Grandpa Bloodworth left behind boys that grew up carrying the pain of their father's departure, and we watch how it all manifest upon his return.

This is an excellent piece of storytelling using a rural setting to tell a story from a part of America that the movie explores without any condemning bias about the South or Southerners. This movie simply tells a story from a corner of America that anyone can relate to if you pay attention to what's being said.

Some say it moved along slowly, but I thought the pace completely appropriate with the story being told. The movie keeps you glued wanting to know the "why's and what's" of upcoming events, while the ending will certainly pull your heartstrings.

Outstanding acting by great performers, a great story, and definitely worth a watch.

I wanted to like it so much more than I did...

[analogcassettes · 4/10 · 28 June 2011]

As a long time fan of Kris Kristofferson I was eager to see what he had to offer to the screen, not having seen any of the other films he has acted in. I sort of scoffed when I saw Hilary Duff in the opening credits, but decided it had been a long time since her dumb kid movie days and that I should give her a fair chance.

Opening scenes are nice, seem to be establishing a good amount of visually pleasing imagery, the characters seem really interesting. I was intrigued. I did remain intrigued for much of the movie, but once it hit the two thirds mark I really felt like something was missing. I was having a hard time putting my finger on it, but really once I got to the end of the movie it felt like there was so much that was unsaid, unexplained and un-followed through with. The story seemed to addle on and continue moving, but nothing really follows through with Dwight Yoakum's character Boyd. The eventual reunion of E.F. Bloodworth and his ex wife Julia just really falls short. I enjoyed Kristofferson on screen, but it just seems that the story went too many places at once (Not to mention the horrible dream sequences! I felt like I was watching a TV re-enactment!) and didn't carry enough weight in any of them to tie them together very well. Val Kilmer's character is interesting and pretty well played and his part of the story plays out in it's entirety, it seems. Pretty great scene in the end between Fleming and Warren. But Hilary Duff did not really redeem herself, in my eyes. Some OK acting, but still, less than what I was expecting from such a good-looking movie. It was sort of like watching a movie based on a book that you really like and just noticing how much had fallen through the cracks. Except I didn't quite know what was being lost. Maybe it was a book first and I should read that instead.

All in all: enjoyable, worth watching but don't get your hopes up too high. This is no Crazy Heart.

Stereotypical southern gothic/trash film

[mtpaterson · 2/10 · 20 July 2019]

In this genre of film (southern gothic/trash) you can expect to find all negative characters who are wasting their lives away, killing each other, acting crazy, and essentially wasting your time too. You can also expect the main character to get stabbed through the chest near the end of the film by an arrow, or in this film, a pole of some kind, it was never clear what it was . The character motivations are all obscure and the story in the end becomes just a confused stew of sex, hatred, and insanity. The of the two stars I give this movie is for the beautiful retro Oldsmobile that shows up in almost every scene, and for the a few of the younger actors, who are quite good.

Prime Must Have Paid $1.98

[bshaef · 2/10 · 20 November 2021]

For this cliche' ridden effort. But it has a redeeming quality in that it induced a Friday afternoon dark slumber but I still know what happened in the movie. A death or two and everyone else stayed alive to live their miserable lives but the boy and girl lived happily ever after. I'm right, right?

Brilliant

[nightingaleron · 9/10 · 18 June 2011]

Whether or not you are a country fan-or not,this movie is outstanding with great acting and performances from the whole cast. We had to watch it twice to pick up a few hard to catch details, but overall,-Kristofferson, Kilmer ,Duff and Dwight yoakam did justice to this film. Very Dramatic and the story is very well put together. Some nice country music and also some very nice scenes. It tells the story of the 3 sons who all live different lives. Hillary Duff is exceptional in her part. val Kilmer also very good.It is a movie that perhaps needs to be watched twice if you do not grasp the beginning. I highly recommend this movie as a must to watch. Kris kristofferson is a great actor here and deserves all for his efforts. Also loved the songs in the end credits. A great family treat. Sit back and enjoy it like i did.

Big Disappointment

[rsd_anon · 4/10 · 3 July 2011]

I rented this at Redbox after seeing the 7.2 IMDb rating. I forgot to check the number of IMDb votes. With only 300+ votes, it's obvious that many of the reviewers worked on the movie or were related to the cast and crew. Their praise was the praise of a parent for a dearly loved, but completely ungifted, child. This movie basically stank. It has some big name actors and it appears to have been made with a reasonable budget, but the general acting, directing, and storyline were BAD, BAD, BAD. Did you see Winter's Bone? If so, Winter's Bone probably inspired this movie, but the inspiration was drowned by a lack of writing, acting, and directing talent. My general rule of thumb is that you can ignore an IMDb rating until you have over 1,000 votes. The first few hundred votes are anything but unbiased. I forgot to check the number of votes and wasted $1 on another Redbox stinker.

An almost perfect movie about people & families down south

[rightwingisevil · 21 June 2011]

Wow, this movie is so good. Wonderful characters, wonderful storyline, wonderful songs and music, beautiful countryside. Weird but also very normal people down in the South. There are very nice and kind people, but also got lot of mean people, white trash. The guy who left the family 40 years ago, now wanted to come back to his old home again to die. There are so many deep nostalgic emotions, melancholic memories, hard and hurt feelings floating around in this bitter sweet movie. The struggling, lonely, frustrate growing pain of that wonderful innocent young man, that girl he fell in love with, "I got a gal, sweet as she can be, Raven is her name..." , a short but sweet song. Everybody in this movie performed so well and so natural. Just wish more people could enjoy this movie.

Another trip to the sunny sludge of life.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 5 August 2017]

"His insides will petrify and his stool will turn to concrete." With that piece of Walt Whitman style poetry, this film expresses its desire to be profound art. This is another "slice of life" drama about one member of a family's desire to get away as another one returns, surrounding these two total strangers in spite of the direct lineage, becoming close as the desires of a younger family member are related to by the returning member and opening up advice, whether wanted or not. I can understand the desire of bright young Reece Thompson to get away from his constantly at each other's throats family (and neighbors), and if somebody tried to pay me for painting with a fat old hog, I'd be out of there on the first greyhound.

Kris Kristofferson is the aging prodigal, returning home and creating all sorts of conflict. His children with let him see their mother, and unfinished business with him among the townsfolk creates even more conflict. Idealistic Thompson must deal with his girlfriend's obnoxious man hating mother, while the uninformed family matriarch (a subtle and warmhearted Frances Conroy) thinks she's going crazy because she keeps hearing her ex's guitar. Other than Thompson, the only family member who seems to be somewhat happy over Kristofferson's return is black sheep son Val Kilmer, underacting and likable (somewhat) for a change, showing up unexpectedly for the fishing trip his dad promised but never took him on.

With thousands of films on dysfunctional families coming out both in the theater and on TV, they take away from the impact of the issues that surround real families. Much of the time, they focus on rural families, giving good reason why many people leave these communities, head for a big city and rarely, if ever, visit. Fortunately, there's a few characters here who have integrity and aren't embittered clichés, relatable for their dreams and ones whose stories should involve less standard circumstances and predictable situations. Thompson is likable enough to win sympathy, and his performance is outstanding. This just doesn't fully involve you because key pieces are missing in the details, especially concerning Kristofferson's nightmares. A horrifying twist at the end brings out the ugliness in one of the family members (only hinted at through their bitterness), and it moves to a very depressing observation about blood relations. When this works, it strikes a solid cord, but for most of the time, it's just drab and unhopeful.

3 Stars for Southern Authenticity

[twelve-house-books · 3/10 · 30 July 2022]

The Southern accents are good, and the acting is as good, but the overall story falls flat, probably because of time constraints. This is a star-studded cast: Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakum, Hillary Duff, Val Kilmer, and a handful of others seen in this and that production through the decades. But there are far better movies about the South, so unless you like a mish-mosh of this story line and that plot, best skip this one and move on to something better.

Painful story with deeply moving characters

[rszudy-86931 · 9/10 · 23 October 2018]

I have just discovered this film. I found myself deeply moved by the story of E.F Bloodworth who haunts himself and his family through his deep ties to his music. Kristofferson and other veteran cast members create jagged, unique and ultimately tragic souls. The young Reece Thompson playing Fleming and Hillary Duff as Raven are truly fine . They lend their characters a sensitivity in the midst of a harsh and degrading environment. And ultimately you can see a fierce dignity that sustains them. Please find this film and prepare yourself for a difficult but worthwhile experience.

Slow, Boring, Depressing

[duku65 · 3/10 · 24 October 2021]

This movie proved to be Slow, Boring, Depressing & unfortunately those are the high points of this dreadful film. The brief ray of light near the end is not worth the journey.

Does not offer anything new to the genre

[jordondave-28085 · 4/10 · 22 May 2023]

(2011) Bloodworth/ Provinces of Night DRAMA

Adapted from the novel ""Provinces of the Night" by William Gay, with the word "Bloodworth" as the title indicates, I have to say fans of horror may be disappointed since it has a title one could see for a scary movie, but it's really the last name of a redneck family centering on a father E. F. (Kris Kristofferson) making attempts to reconcile the family that he left behind many years ago once finding out he has cancer. Although, the music sounds great, it wasn't enough to keep this film afloat since they're several familiar nuances making it way too simplistic. The point of view is from the most educated one in the "Bloodworth" family whose inspired to be a writer, Fleming played by Reece Thompson who falls for Raven played by Hillary Duff. Also stars is Val Kilmer as the bar owner Warren Bloodworth and Dwight Yoakam as Boyd Bloodworth. Doesn't offer anything new the genre.

An Empty Suit

[kcterrell-25046 · 4/10 · 16 January 2022]

It is a rare joy these days to see real actors plying their craft before a Hollywood camera, but this film is full of amazing performances. It's disappointing that they didn't have a better vehicle. Billed as a homecoming, this film is more an anecdotal look at the daily lives of a family of Tennessee hillbillies, disjointed and without any connecting story line. There is an attempt to incorporate several subplots, but there's no story to hold it together. And the surreal attempt to tie things together in the last fifteen minutes just doesn't work at all and ends up emotionally empty. The overall feel is of looking through a family album of forgotten photographs just discovered in a dusty old trunk in the attic., certainly not worth a two hour commitment. The plot and writing is just hollow and unsatisfying. Really a shame that Kilmer, Yoakum, Kristofferson and Duff didn't have a better project under their feet.

DAMNATION DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS

[anitaken · 9/10 · 25 September 2023]

E. F. Bloodworth returns to his roots when he is dying. Forty years earlier, he abandoned his wife and three sons and took off to selfishly pursue a singing career which never panned out. Some say he killed a man, and that is the true reason he left. Each of his sons is a mess in his own way. The grandson he never knew has ambitions for a better life to escape the stain of Bloodworth blood. But he is a high school dropout with literary ambitions. How much reality is there in his dreams? Is he just another loser who will never escape? He falls in love with the daughter of a prostitute who, it turns out, is pregnant by another man. Reminds you of the biblical injuntion "the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons even unto the third and fourth generation." That would certainly be celebrated as received truth by one of the sons, a religious fanatic who is bent on punishing his father by hexing him into hell and protecting the barmy mother, who seems to have never stopped loving her wayward husband despite his abandonment; she keeps a framed photo on her wall of him in his locally successful early singing days, days when he may have gotten the idea he had what it took to make it big. Alas, he never made it. The dying man has never had much luck out of life, and his sons are the least of his misfortunes. This is not a movie for those who are impatient for some action. But little gems of scenes are strung together like pearls on a waxed string. E. F.'s scene with a sympathetic landlady of his shabby boardinghouse. The resignation with which he accepts the total lack of familial love as something he deserves. The interest shown him by the grandson, who plays the scratchy non-hit he recorded for his girlfriend. The sympathy the old man feels for that grandson's interest in a trashy young woman. The genuine pathology of two of the sons -- Brady the fanatic and Boyd (father of the sole granddhild), the murderous stalker of the wife who left him and her lover -- and the surprisingly supportive acceptance by son Warren, bar owner, womanizer, sharp dresser,and prodigal son, who after identifying himself to a father who doesn't recognize him, and reminding the father of a never-realized promise to take him fishing, produces two fishing rods to remedy that. Some of the dream sequences are hard to follow, and the ending has a curiously unfinished air, yet it's as ragged as real life. Real life, much as we might like it, is never tied up in a bow. The acting is superb. Kristofferson has never been better -- sometimes laconic and even warm, but with flashes of the kind of edginess and self-interest which suggests that this old man might have been a darker personality and a dangerous handful in his younger days. As the grandson, Reece, reads to a college class in creative writing a fictionalized account of his grandfather's life (in the closing sequence when he has married Raven and taken on as a son the boy who is not his-- a hopeful and optimistic finish) "the old man did not come home to make peace with his family; the old man came home to make peace with himself." Frances Conroy is surprisingly good as the defeated and worn wife who holds E. F.'s secrets. Val Kilmer is superb as the closest thing to a good son that E. F. had, and probably the most closely reflects the old man. Dwight Yoakam is truly scary, and Hilary Duff is luminous. If you consider "relationship" films as boring as picking lint from your navel, look elsewhere. This one is a long, slow trip into the darkest corners of the human heart and back out again.

A Very Good Movie

[JakeRfilmfreak · 8/10 · 30 April 2023]

I think that Bloodworth is a very well done drama, with all the right characters to back up the story it's telling.

The films focus is mainly on Fleming Bloodworth, as he navigates his way through a rough family, finding love, and trying to go to school. But the film also has a great cast including Val Kilmer, Kris Kristofferson, Frances Conroy, Dwight Yoakam, and Hilary Duff.

I never read the novel Provinces of Night wrote by William Gay, so I can not compare the book to the film adaption. But I think that W. Earl Brown wrote a great screenplay, and Shane Dax Taylor did a good directing job with this film.

I think that most would find this movie entertaining if you decide to give it a watch.

A movie with a warning

[googlinit · 4 November 2021]

Dirty, gloomy, melo-dramatic, like many movies today, But on the other hand, its a good study into the human condition on how not to live, and how what we sew, we also reap, sometimes in full measure.

Good watching old veteran Kristofferson who may have flinched a couple of times making the movie, as he was once on that road himself.

Worth a watch.