Ewan McGregor makes his directorial debut with American Pastoral, an adaption of Philip Roth’s novel. As always, I haven’t read the book and Jay has. She reports the movie to be quite faithful to the book, even pared down to have a two hour run-time.
I feel like the book must have a black cover, because American Pastoral is dark from start to finish. It is methodical in chronicling a family’s unravelling and is as far from idyllic as you can get.
With its dialogue-heavy scenes divided by contextual stock footage clips, American Pastoral felt more like a play than 21st century cinema. It is richly shot but largely static. The style mostly fit but at times the transitions were jarring. When they worked the transitions felt like covers of Life magazine, reenacted. Except as far as I know, Life magazine never featured a pipe bomb explosion at a small-town post office. Perhaps my dad’s magazine collection is incomplete.
In the Q&A session following the screening, McGregor described his approach to directing as an attempt to give life to the movie he saw in his head when he read the script. He imagined some nice shots and paid the price to get them (literally in the case of some costly train platform scenes). His foray into directing is a workmanlike effort but not a distinguishing one.
As an exploration of the destructive power of children, American Pastoral succeeds. As entertainment? Not so much, not for me.
By the closing credits I felt sad and drained, which I have no doubt is exactly how McGregor and Roth would have wanted me to leave the theatre. But because nothing stuck with me other than that empty feeling, American Pastoral is not a movie I can recommend. If you enjoyed the book it’s likely worth a shot though, and in that case I hope you can connect with it in all the ways that I didn’t.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
I am looking forward to seeing this at the Mill Valley Film Festival (despite your sad review…) Ewan McGregor will be there so that will be a plus.
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Yeah, I don’t go to the movies to be drained. I go to be entertained. Thanks for the heads up.
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I’m looking forward to this one. I haven’t read the book, but I like these kinds of emotionally draining films…and the cast is quite impressive.
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The cast is impressive, including one of “those guys” as the narrator. Ewan McGregor might give the weakest performance. Jay correctly noted that he sometimes does his whimsical Big Fish thing and this isn’t the right movie for it.
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Nope, not for me either Sean, the world is sad enough.
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I’m looking forward to this one, it wasn’t on my radar until recently, but that’s the beauty of TIFF.
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I had only heard of it recently myself.
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Hm… Don’t know about the movie, but the book sounds like one I ought to pick up!
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Yes – it won the Pulitzer Prize for Philip Roth.
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The more Jay tells me about the book, the more I wish the movie had made different choices.
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My copy of the book has a black cover! It’s also been on my TBR pile for – years? Maybe even a decade? That’s awful, though I think your review touches on why – I need to be in the right mood for bleak, and perhaps I haven’t been in some time 😉 Think I’ll give the movie a go though, if only out of curiosity to check out McGregor’s direction!
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There were some beautiful shots in this for sure. I have seen some bad reviews for this and it feels unfair. I don’t regret seeing it. I do wish it was better and there was potential for more.
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I don’t think this one is for me either. Thank you, Sean 🙂
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It’s a lot to take on, but worth it. As the title – American Pastoral – suggests, this is an idyllic little family: beauty queen mom, football hero dad, a good business, a nice house. But even a good family can get ripped apart. It’s really about the social veneer, how we never really know the hearts of other people, never know what goes on behind closed doors.
We can easily concentrate on the daughter as the most extreme example, but everyone is carrying secrets.
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In a Q&A, Ewan McGregor mentioned that he didn’t have any specific involvement with the book’s author, Philip Roth. The movie does honour the tone of the novel but does deviate from it, as lovers of the book will surely note.
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Ewan McGregor & Jennifer Connolly, American Pastoral TIFF press conference
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Dakota Fanning
Ewan McGregor with no socks
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Jennifer Connelly
Uzo Aduba
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TIFF Vanity Fair portraits, American Pastoral
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TIFF photo studio ( taken by Toronto’s Matt Barnes on an iPhone 7)
Cast of American Pastoral
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American Pastoral trailer:
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American Pastoral’s director Ewan McGregor discusses author Philip Roth’s limited involvement in the film, and his impression upon viewing the completed project.
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I really hope the book was better, Jay – more developed characters?
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American Pastoral director Ewan McGregor discusses the difference between directing and acting, and his influences, including Danny Boyle.
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Director Ewan McGregor discusses how he decided to direct as well as star in American Pastoral.
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Diane Lane at the premiere of Paris Can Wait
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Creepy Kylo Ren\Adam Driver at the premiere of his new film, Paterson
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Richard Gere & his bifocals for Norman
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Even though this sounds depressing, I do want to see this. The flaming home alone tells me it’s not a feel good picture.
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Yes that photo pretty much sums up the plot.
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Sounds dark and depressing as you put it. I’m actually quite hyped for it, I love these serious explorative types 😀 But I’ll keep your review in mind!! And if it gets too dark for my liking, I know where I heard it first 🙂 Nice review Sean!
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If you’re looking for dark, this may be the movie for you! Hope you enjoy it!
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Uzo Aduba: What I loved about the book and the film is that we have a sort of picturesque idea of how we paint certain chapters of the American story, and when you see that layer pulled back you get to see the truth of what was happening inside the country, inside the homes and inside the civil unrest happening within our youth
Rupert Evans: We have to age in the movie. My character starts at 27 and I had to play 60. Ewan [McGregor] had to play 65 as well. I sent it to my dad, because it’s kind of weird, you know? It’s really freaky seeing yourself that old. I wonder if I will look like that. It took seven hours of makeup
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I just watched this – finally! So I googled it since I didn’t know the book had won a Pulitzer. Then I searched your blog Sean and Jay to find your review. The movie was dark, upsetting, too dark. I knew a man wrote it, which was true. I kinda wanna see it again to make sure my first impression is correct.
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