Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

32% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 35% Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less

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Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Nell Minow Movie Mom Uneven script, but strong performances by a powerhouse cast. Rated: 3/5 Jun 20, 2003 Full Review Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 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. Rated: 2/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Susan Stark Detroit News Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Rated: 3/5 Oct 9, 2005 Full Review Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jul 18, 2005 Full Review Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Randy Shulman Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) Rated: 2/5 Aug 6, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (142) audience reviews

j F The acting was excellent, but Meryl Streep deserves a stronger script. Her role was too meek, especially against Lian Nielson. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/21/24 Full Review Chris A I didn't like it because they didn't finish the story. Anyone can see that Jacob didn't commit the crime. He had no motive. Yet questions crucial to solving the mystery were never asked. Who was the father? His friend? How did the car get home? Jacob obviously couldn't move it. Who did? Would anyone really leave their lover still alive in the snow to die? No. Did the sister hear or see anything? She must have. How did Jacob get to his friends house? He walked. Why was his friend not charged for aiding and abetting a wanted person? He and his parents should have been. Jacob's story isn't believable. So what is the real story? Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/25/23 Full Review Jerod S There's a nostalgia to the way this 90s drama is acted out. When their son gets wrapped up in the death of a teenage girl, Streep and Neeson juggle how to save him. Kids aren't great actors, but it's a good novel turned film. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/23/23 Full Review Audience Member The premise and the leads are engrossing enough to absorb you pretty quickly but this fractured family crime drama has a fairly ho-hum conclusion. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review tom m Despite the extraordinary lead actors this production fell short. The story was thin and the story telling was weak. Don't bother. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review john e My 2022 quest to view every Meryl Streep movie continues. The biggest take away from Before And After is that great actors don't guarantee a great, or even good, movie. This 2012 film stars Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson as upper-class parents (the Ryans) in a small town where their son is being accused of murder.This movie slogs along all over the place in a desire to keep you guessing, when in fact it's fairly obvious where things are going to go right from the start. The two actors cast as the Ryan children are both pretty awful… the daughter whines and the son is a reclusive loner. If single note characterizations are your thing, you'll love them.In the end, both father and son learn a lesson the hard way and the Ryan family settles back into the blissful domesticity they had at the beginning of the film. Big yawn. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Before and After

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Cast & Crew

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

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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), Caravan Pictures, Hollywood 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
Most Popular at Home Now
Before and After | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Is before and after worth watching? ›

Great actors, good plot. It has huge potential. Unfortunately, the actual script seriously flaws this movie. There stand brilliant actors such as Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, and Edward Furlong.

What is the movie "Before and After" with Patty Duke about? ›

What is the movie "Before and After" with Meryl Streep about? ›

What is the plot of before and after explained? ›

Before and After (film) A respected, dedicated small town pediatrician, Carolyn Ryan, finds her life thrown into turmoil when her teenage son, Jacob, disappears and is suspected of brutally murdering his girlfriend, whose body is found on an isolated snow-covered farm road.

What is the story of Before and After Rosellen Brown? ›

Before and After is a 1996 American crime drama film based on Rosellen Brown's 1992 novel of the same name about two parents who must deal with the after effects when their son is accused of murder.

What order should I watch the after series? ›

And so here's the correct order to watch the After films in:
  • After (2019) ...
  • After We Collided (2020) ...
  • After We Fell (2021) ...
  • After Ever Happy (2022) ...
  • After Everything (2023)
Sep 13, 2023

What incident got The Patty Duke Show Cancelled? ›

The series was cancelled due to disagreements between ABC and United Artists Television (UATV) over filming the series in color. ABC wanted all of its shows for the upcoming 1966–67 season to be in color, while UATV claimed filming The Patty Duke Show in color would be too expensive.

How old was Patty Duke when she started The Patty Duke Show? ›

Patty Duke was only sixteen when production began, and thus it was decided to film the show in New York City at the Chelsea Studios in Manhattan.

What was the scandalous life of Patty Duke? ›

Recruited by talent agents John and Ethel Ross, who had earlier signed her brother Ray, she was often left in the care of the Rosses, who changed her name to Patty. They were later accused of exploiting the naive young actor, taking her money and plying her with drugs as she struggled with depression as a teenager.

What movie did Meryl Streep do with her daughter? ›

Meryl Streep once collaborated with one of her children for a small independent feature. But while working alongside her daughter in the film, she refused to speak to her. Which later made for an awkward interaction. Ricki and the Flash was a 2015 musical comedy directed by Jonathan Demme.

What is the movie before during and after about? ›

What is before and after rated? ›

Before and After is rated PG-13.

What is the explanation of Before and After? ›

Before and "after" are used to show what happened 1st and what happened 2nd. They are subordinating conjunctions, but that is not very important. Let's look at the sentence patterns. "Before" and "after" can go at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence.

Will there be a movie Before the After series? ›

The series will continue with another sequel and a prequel, both currently in development.

What movie did Liam Neeson play with Meryl Streep? ›

The biggest take away from Before And After is that great actors don't guarantee a great, or even good, movie. This 2012 film stars Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson as upper-class parents (the Ryans) in a small town where their son is being accused of murder.

Is After film series worth watching? ›

We watch, we know we have seen it all before, but it is still interesting to see where it goes. Not a superb movie but not trash either, a decent watch for those who enjoy an interesting college romance story.

Is the before trilogy worth watching? ›

The genuine characters and improbable romance make the “Before” trilogy must-watch.

Is once upon a time good or bad? ›

It does, however, promise a fun experience for older viewers craving something outside the repetitive realm of sitcoms, dramas, and reality shows. Overall, Once Upon a Time is a fun journey that will have you rooting for underdogs, cheering for true love, and embracing a world that's as clever as it is enchanting.

Is the movie If worth watching? ›

A good film about growing up and the nostalgia of childhood. Felt like it was more a feel good movie for adults rather than a kids movie. Not going to lie...as a dad, it made me tear up a bit. It was amazing.

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