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Drunkboat

  • 2010
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
732
YOUR RATING
Drunkboat (2010)
Trailer for Drunkboat
Play trailer1:51
1 Video
7 Photos
Drama

Drunkboat tells the story of a young teenager, Abe, who manipulates his unsuspecting alcoholic uncle (Malkovich) into buying a boat from a conman (Goodman).Drunkboat tells the story of a young teenager, Abe, who manipulates his unsuspecting alcoholic uncle (Malkovich) into buying a boat from a conman (Goodman).Drunkboat tells the story of a young teenager, Abe, who manipulates his unsuspecting alcoholic uncle (Malkovich) into buying a boat from a conman (Goodman).

  • Director
    • Bob Meyer
  • Writers
    • Randy Buescher
    • Bob Meyer
  • Stars
    • John Malkovich
    • John Goodman
    • Jacob Zachar
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.7/10
    732
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bob Meyer
    • Writers
      • Randy Buescher
      • Bob Meyer
    • Stars
      • John Malkovich
      • John Goodman
      • Jacob Zachar
    • 10User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Drunkboat
    Trailer 1:51
    Drunkboat

    Photos6

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    Top cast18

    Edit
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Mort
    John Goodman
    John Goodman
    • Fletcher
    Jacob Zachar
    Jacob Zachar
    • Abe
    Brian Deneen
    • David
    Skipp Sudduth
    Skipp Sudduth
    • Earl
    Jim Ortlieb
    Jim Ortlieb
    • Morley
    Dana Delany
    Dana Delany
    • Eileen
    Steve Haggard
    • Moo
    Bryce Pegelow
    • Morley's Son
    Christina Clark
    • Cigarette Girl
    Zach Gray
    Zach Gray
    • Kid on the Bike…
    Magica Bottari
    Magica Bottari
    • Mother #1
    Martha Teagle
    • Mother #2
    Elizabeth Hipwell
    • Mother #3
    Joey Tomaska Jr.
    • Kid #2
    Rae Gray
    Rae Gray
    • Girl on Bike
    Tess Amelia
    Tess Amelia
    • Child in Neighbor's Arms
    • (uncredited)
    Aaron Benjamin Miller
    • Baseball Boy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Bob Meyer
    • Writers
      • Randy Buescher
      • Bob Meyer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    4.7732
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8tord-1

    A slow take on dreams and reality

    This is not a film for those who want speedy action, but the reverse. This odd movie plays entirely by its own rules, and it is not a masterpiece, but a really good try!

    John Goodman, John Malkovitch, and Dena Delaney, are the pro stars in this little film about life, and dreams, while the younger kids (Jacob Zachar, and Skipp Sudduth in particular) do a great job here, too.

    Slowly goes the story forward, in some ways reminding me of Kurosawa's movies about odd people, like his Dodeskaden.

    A great, fresh, experience this film was, and I can't for my life understand why it has got such a low point as 5.0!
    5natashabowiepinky

    'Blah'

    Probably the most insignificant film I've seen in living memory. It's a patch of grass, a black sky at night, Tony Blair's obnoxious smile. It's just 'there'.

    Here's the plot in a nutshell: A woman's drunken uncle (played by John Malkovich) turns up one day. Her son and his friend plan to get him to co-sign on a boat they plan to buy from a corrupt dealer, since their mother won't allow it. That's that. Oh, of course we have many 'meaningful' chats along the way about the alcoholic uncle's childhood, a bit of comic relief as John Goodman hams it up as the nasty boat seller, and a lovely ending where, despite all the weirdness surrounding them, everyone gets together for a GROUP HUG.

    It just... doesn't amount to anything. In fact, as I sit here typing this now, I am struggling to recall a single moment. It is literally, vapour. I don't hate it, since it held my attention. I just feel like there are better ways to spend your time. Maybe, on something a bit more energetic. Like an episode of Heartbeat. 5/10
    1KineticSeoul

    I want my 98 minutes back

    This has got to be one of the most boring and irrelevant movie I ever sat through. At least it felt irrelevant. It's like they literally tried to put the audiences to sleep. It has John Malkovich and John Goodman so it's probably at least a decent movie right? Wrong. That doesn't mean crap. It has really boring conversations that tries to be touching but just want to shut off. If this is a coming of age movie than it did a very poor job of it. The movie has this really old porno cinematography going for it as well. Maybe it's to add to the effect of the movie but it made the flick tiresome. There are better movie for sure, this movie is a waste of time.

    1/10
    7terkoss

    Great Film for the "Filmphile" (is that a word?) I.e., Not for Everyone...

    So many movies today are masterpieces of script; highly complex storylines, intricately woven, with shocking twists, inundating the eyeballs with action scene after another, or mind-blowing visual effects. Or if a comedy, goofy, semi-humorous (just enough to keep us amused), sometimes if we're lucky truly original observations of human nature. Other films are tremendously impactful performances, requiring highly controversial plots and ultra-intense emotional performances (Example: "Doubt" with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman).

    Some people need that kind of movie to be "entertained" or impacted as the credits roll.

    Films like Drunkboat were far more commonplace in decades past. I miss them and bravo that at least in 2010, once in a while, one still gets squeezed out of a production company. As of this writing (May 2018), only about 500 people have rated it...eight years after its release. What the hell?

    I loved it. It goes without saying it was a simple story. It's all too easy to knock it and reduce it to nothing. One either has the receptors for appreciation of this kind of film or not. I know a bad movie when I see one...I've watched plenty. A film should take one into it; into the life of it. The acting was perfect from everyone. That is to say, the actors lived their roles. I never once sensed they were acting. Malkovich was in "Hollywood" in his role in Warm Bodies. Not here. He studied for this role. He walked on to Warm Bodies, I'd bet. And I liked Warm Bodies very much, but not it's not JM's best work.

    I suppose this is a film for aspiring actors to study. This isn't a film for folks who need to stick to movies like Ready Player One to be entertained. Absolutely, there's no chase scenes, no murder, intense suspense, etc. It's a story. It wasn't intended to be anything else. I hope the Director is pleased with his work, because I was fully captured by it and seriously considered giving it an 8. I take iMDB ratings seriously, and an 8 must be exceptional, however. I've only given a several 9's., and either no or maybe one 10. A 1 would be just north of 90 minutes of static, that somehow made it to the big screen.

    Drunkboat is a very sincere film for filmphiles who can sit back, relax and appreciate the depth in the subtleties of the human condition. If that last sentence doesn't make sense...you'll surely think it sucks.
    3tim-764-291856

    Unfathomable!

    Sunk without a trace, as this quirky little film obviously did, what with good, respected and serious actors John Malkovich and John Goodman aboard (enough of the puns....)

    I caught it on Sky Movies premier, partly as I thought it might be a serious drama concerning alcoholism. It isn't but has comedic, jaunty music and amateurish, unconnected fantasy sequences that left me in a constant state of confusion.

    If one knew the source material (if you actually wanted to) then that might help and whilst Malkovich and Goodman kept it watchable, everything else is a distracting, mawkish blur that makes no sense. The only two user reviews I could find (on IMDb) were obviously fans and so loved it but I wanted an unbiased opinion. It wasn't a total waste of time, with some very good acting, especially from the alcoholic Malkovic, but I couldn't help feel that my time would have been better spent doing something else, or at least, purposeful, like the washing up!

    I guess that the actual narrative (what there is of one) isn't going to be what attracts you, here, so I'm not going to hurt my brain any further by racking it and trying to write it down. Apologies if that disappoints anyone. It was director Bob Meyer's first and only attempt as writer/director of a movie and it badly shows.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Drunkboat?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 14, 2013 (Spain)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El poder de un sueño
    • Filming locations
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production companies
      • Drunkboat Chicago LLC
      • Left Bank Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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