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American Son

  • 2019
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, and Jeremy Jordan in American Son (2019)
It's 3am on a rainy night in South Florida, and mother Kendra Ellis-Connor (Kerry Washington) paces anxiously in a police station waiting room as she tries to piece together what may have happened to her missing son. Faced with a series of infuriating unanswered questions, she navigates a system of unconscious bias, interweaving perspectives, and a tense marital dynamic with her ex-husband (Steven Pasquale) as they try to uncover the truth about their son's whereabouts.  Based on the acclaimed Broadway play, and also featuring reprised roles by Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee, AMERICAN SON is an emotional depiction of modern day race dynamics and systemic tensions.
Play trailer1:49
3 Videos
8 Photos
Drama

An estranged couple reunite in a Florida police station to help find their missing teenage son.An estranged couple reunite in a Florida police station to help find their missing teenage son.An estranged couple reunite in a Florida police station to help find their missing teenage son.

  • Director
    • Kenny Leon
  • Writer
    • Christopher Demos-Brown
  • Stars
    • Kerry Washington
    • Steven Pasquale
    • Jeremy Jordan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    7.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kenny Leon
    • Writer
      • Christopher Demos-Brown
    • Stars
      • Kerry Washington
      • Steven Pasquale
      • Jeremy Jordan
    • 332User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
    • 34Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 7 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:49
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 0:41
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 0:41
    Official Trailer
    American Son: Global Audience (Behind The Scenes)
    Featurette 2:26
    American Son: Global Audience (Behind The Scenes)

    Photos7

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    Top cast4

    Edit
    Kerry Washington
    Kerry Washington
    • Kendra
    Steven Pasquale
    Steven Pasquale
    • Scott Connor
    Jeremy Jordan
    Jeremy Jordan
    • Paul Larkin
    Eugene Lee
    Eugene Lee
    • Lt. John Stokes
    • Director
      • Kenny Leon
    • Writer
      • Christopher Demos-Brown
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews332

    5.97.7K
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    Featured reviews

    5me_is_we

    Strong message, but weak story line.

    I totally get the point the director tried to make, but after some time the whole "I'm black, you're white, you don't get it" thing got annoying. This story could've been told with a different dialogue. More educational, and less defensive.
    7johnnyreevesbass

    Worth a watch

    I read a few reviews and got the story of this being a broadway play. First off knowing this you'll kind of be pulled into a theatre play environment. The actors were great. But what I loved more than anything was the use of mostly 1 location. For a film to be able to keep someone drawn to the story and using only 1 locations I have to say is great work by the writers and production team.

    I feel that this film has a lot of hidden messages. Race being a main one but it will slowly slide into other factors privileged vs. poor, police vs. citizen, and fear vs safety. I hate to say I was hoping it would end the way it did early on. It is heart breaking ending but I feel it was needed I feel to portray the ultimate goal of the film. Seeing this makes me really want to see the broadway play in a theatre setting.

    The film sets a subject that everyone wants to see and no body really wants to admit. It hit on a lot of social factors. I want to end on that the actors were amazing at depicting there characters the production picked a great group that really made this film what it is. And on another note got to see Jeremy Jordan who plays Wynn on super girl take the cop role.
    8Alwnva

    You all get this was a play, right

    I have to disagree with many of the reviews for this movie. I wasn't great but it wasn't unnecessary. This was a Broadway play, which explains why the story seems without depth. The lack of perspective adds to the tension. You only know what you bring with you to the room and what the police slowly tell you. What I did notice is that many reviewers hate racially charged topics. This is why we cannot seem to heal from them in this county. We've got to be able to face the ugly little truths.
    10serviceconsultantsparkies

    I thought it was a one sided movie but was surprised

    Anyone that says this movie was one sided clearly lives a one sided life. At first the movie seems to be a cop smashing, white hating movie but it's not. This was one of the best middle ground, both sides represented movie I've ever seen. It explains both sides of the equation and I highly recommend all people see it it would be good to get a perspective from law enforcement as well as the African American side of life
    3YunGKraZe

    C'mon Son

    Who green lit this? I don't usually leave reviews but i have to...

    Every single character was annoying AF! The name of this should be American Extra cuz some of the arguments was just extra as hell.

    As a young black dude I can appreciate what the movie was trying to do/say but it was just a Little much. Kerry Washington was the most annoying and it pains me to say that cuz I really like her. Like they went so overboard wit the black/white dynamic that she has to make a a disgusted sound cuz her husband ordered black coffee?!!! Cut that s*** all the way out! That was corny and just one of the many times I smh cuz of the stupid way theses arguments came about.

    Overly dramatic trash forreal and i can honestly tell y'all that after I saw about 40 mins of this and saw the set up I put in my headphones and listened to it like an audio book at work. That's The only reason I gave it an extra star (3) is cuz that made it a little more tolerable!

    Best Emmys Moments

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    Related interests

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    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film is an adaptation of a Broadway play, of the same name, with the same cast.
    • Quotes

      Paul Larkin: Ma'am, I have kids too.

      Kendra: Any of them black?

    • Connections
      Featured in The 2020 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2020)
    • Soundtracks
      Idea
      Written by Maceo Vidal-Haymes, Nicholas Hennessey, Chance the Rapper (as Chancelor Bennett), Boyang Matsapola and Noam Wallenberg

      Performed by The O'My's feat. Chance the Rapper

      Courtesy of Bleed101 and Chance the Rapper LLC

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    FAQ15

    • How long is American Son?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1, 2019 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Người Con Đất Mỹ
    • Production companies
      • Netflix
      • Simpson Street
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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