User reviews

Watched it by myself. Enjoyed every bit of it. Very simple, but touching. It can happen anywhere in any family in life.

Sister and brother relationship. The nurse who has come from far away to serve the patient performing his duties calmly.

I liked it but certainly a bit slow. There wasn't enough of the backstory and not a movie for everyone. I gave it a 7 rating, but I think it could have been better.

Acting is ok but the story is not that new. In fact the story could be worse. But this low budget film is watchable and has it's good points (even though some dimwit did leave out plucking the chicken). Moving on... the characters are believable and and the inclusion of Native Americans is refreshing.

I had two good reasons to want to see this movie. Back a few years ago we all spent the month of June on vacation in Montana, a beautiful state. And second I love Haley Lu Richardson, she is a really good actress and always a joy to watch. Here she is 25-yr-old Erin who disappeared seven years earlier after some bad family drama. Her half-brother is played by Owen Teague as 22-yr-old Cal (named after Cal Ripkin Jr.). Interestingly both actors were the same ages as their characters during filming.

So their dad, a high-powered lawyer and a tough, seemingly too tough, disciplinarian had a stroke and now is in hospice care, in a coma, barely being kept alive. Both moms are dead and the siblings come for what will likely be the last visit. We can see all the relationships are strained, watching we gradually learn all the things that transpired and led Erin to flee to upstate New York without telling any family members.

This is not a movie for fans of action movies, there is no action. It is a family drama and it plays out very authentically and very well. Of course cinematography takes ample advantage of the scenery, the mountains are grand.

At home on DVD from our public library, we enjoyed the movie.

Greetings again from the darkness. Watching two of our most talented young actors do their thing within the framework of old-fashioned storytelling and a breathtaking geographic setting is just about as good as it gets in independent filmmaking. The pacing may be a bit slow for some viewers, but the joy here is in watching two actors own their characters and battle through the emotions that tore apart a family.

Co-writers and co-directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel previously collaborated on WHAT MAISIE KNEW (2012) and BEE SEASON (2005), and are joined this time by co-writer Mike Spreter. We certainly can debate the script's handling of specific moments, but Haley Lu Richardson (OPERATION FINALE, 2018, the underrated COLUMBUS, 2017, SPLIT, 2016, and THE BRONZE, 2015) and Owen Teague (best known for the two recent IT movies, and he's also delivered in two recent films, TO LESLIE and THE COW) are the reason we buy in quickly and stay engaged to the breakthrough.

Cal (Mr. Teague) returns to the ranch where he grew up when he's notified his father has had a stroke and is in a coma on life support. Cal readies the ranch for a bankruptcy sale and tends to the other business issues while Kenyan nurse Ace (Gilbert Ouwor) takes care of the father. Longtime housekeeper Valentina (Kimberley Guerrero, Winona from "Seinfeld") helps when she can, but the ranch itself, including some chickens and an arthritic 25-year-old horse, Mr. T, aren't much better off than Cal's comatose dad. Cal is shocked when he sees that his estranged sister Erin (Ms. Richardson) has returned in order to say goodbye to their dad.

The film is at its best as Cal and Erin (I'm sure it's a coincidence that the EAST OF EDEN siblings were named Cal and Aron) strain to avoid the discussion of what caused the split. It takes a while for us to get the details, but the scene is devastating for both characters, and the actors pull it off beautifully. A single night, seven years ago, blew up a family and led to broken trust and pent-up anger and animosity in Erin, and near debilitating guilt and sadness in Cal. Doing the right thing plays a recurring role here in regards to Erin's high school article, Cal's decision on Mr. T, and their dad's job and actions.

Family relationships can be tainted and forever altered by a traumatic event, and rebuilding that trust requires raw pain and emotion ... and even then, there are no guarantees. Additional supporting work is provided by Eugene Brave Rock and Asivak Koostachin, each of whom bring a touch of humor to their character ("sentimental horsey girl") - or perhaps it just seems that way due to the intensity of Erin and Cal. There is a terrific scene where Cal and Erin 'negotiate' her spontaneous purchase of a pickup and trailer, and the meaning is hard to miss as Erin educates Cal on Dante's circles of Hell in "Inferno". Kudos to rising stars Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague for capturing a strained sibling dynamic and showing how trauma can have varying effects. Thanks also to cinematographer Giles Nuttgen (HELL OR HIGH WATER) for the sprawling Montana landscape and mountain vistas. This is a "western" only in the sense that it takes place out west and in near isolation, with most folks only speaking when necessary. It is a kind of showdown between brother and sister, but the weapons are words and memories, not pistols.

I love the Copper Pit scene. The conversation between the sister and the Indian boy while he drives her back deeply moved me. The landscape is as expected gorgeous. The scar on the surface is even more unforgettable.

Great premise and wonderfully shot. The acting, however, I found stilted and wooden. I fully expected to ugly-cry throughout this story but I was unable to connect with the primary characters.

The supporting cast was strong and, again, the cinematography was fantastic. The script could have done with far less exposition and the primary backstory would have been better delivered through a series of flashbacks.

In other words, please don't tell me what happened unless the way you are going to tell me is better than the way you could show me. In this case Owen Teague's delivery fell quite flat.

Beautiful shots of big sky country and Asivak Koostachin was absolutely stellar.

If you can look past the glacial pacing and really see what's being presented on the screen, Montana Story is a thoroughly rewarding film.

The family drama is delivered in such a restrained, satisfying way. Exposition and backstory is gradually hinted at until these fully realised characters finally reach their traumatic breaking point and the emotional payoff finally comes spilling out.

The achievement of acting in this film cannot be overstated. Haley Lu Richardson, especially, delivers her lines with such tact and in a way that makes her character a living, breathing person.

Some very intriguing themes are explored through parallel presentation that provoke thought as to what gives a life inherent meaning or value. I'll be thinking about it for a while.

All this praise being said, the pacing really is an issue. Many, many scenes could have been trimmed down or presented a bit differently to give the film a sense of progression that is rarely present. I'd say about 20 minutes could have been cut and all that would have been lost are some repetitive vistas and redundant mundane actions.

Still, when this film is at its high points, it REALLY shines, and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy a slow-burn western.

If you are looking for a summer blockbuster this is not the movie for you (but you should know this from the tiniest bit of research). If you are looking for an incredibly well acted, incredibly well written, and incredibly well filmed in amazing locations movie that deals with real life this is the movie for you. Every actor and actress is superb. The writing is real and simultaneously sympathetic to characters at many different phases and positions in life. The cinematography is beautiful and appropriate for the themes of the show. It could be called depressing, but I would call it humanist and ultimately uplifting. A fanatic might argue with some of the implied past of the father and how it is presented, but as the movie takes time to point out this isn't really his story. Certainly not a story of any political decisions he made - that is window dressing for an amazingly well told about real families with real issues and how they deal with them.

I really tried with this one, but the story is so boring immediately. I had a very hard time paying attention, the actors are not captivating, although both talented.

It felt like something interesting was trying to unravel but the build up is so slow and uninteresting.

Why do people insist on making movies about topics they do not research? You don't tie a horse in a stall. Also 25 is not that old for a horse. I'm being pedantic but it's enough for some of us to not want to believe the story when such little effort is made to evaluate or research the subplot of the movie. Ranching isn't just a thing that happens. Who is feeding the cows?

A few panoramic shots of Montana, nice background score kept this from a one star.

Nothing personal with actors, its the writers who make this the Boring Movie of the Year.

At least there was only awkward homage to the tobacco companies. Every movie has to showcase cigarettes but this one was really out of place. Not like Spielberg/Hanks shameless promotion of smoking.

Predictable too, every step of the way.

The last time we saw directing duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel work together on a feature film, the result was the powerful undervalued masterpiece from 2012 What Maisie Knew, instantly marking the co-directors down as talents to keep a very close eye on.

Taking almost a decade to return to the big screen, McGehee and Siegel return to the dramatic feature landscape with the picturesque and character driven family drama Montana Story, a slow moving affair that at times seems likely to reach some strong narrative threads but unfortunately ends up being a merely adequate independent drama that is unable to stand out from the crowd despite two committed lead turns and a stunning location for its story to unfold around.

A familiar feeling affair centred around Owen Teague's Cal and Haley Lu Richardson's Erin, siblings who share the same traumatic childhood due to the hands of their ailing father who has suffered a debilitating stroke and lays awaiting his imminent demise in their old farmhouse that holds many painful memories but also glimmers of hope for the two young souls to move on from the past and finally start focusing on their own futures.

Impressive in the likes of To Leslie and TV series Bloodline, Teague is ably supported by Richardson who is proving herself to be a likely future star on the back of efforts like this and her turn in hit HBO dramedy The White Lotus season 2 and the two up and coming Hollywood actors can't be faulted throughout Story's runtime but sadly McGehee and Siegel aren't able to tap into the same dramatic strengths they managed to mine in What Maisie Knew as Story lacks a true emotional connection or interest that would've made it a special small-scale outing.

As it stands, Story is a well-meaning and nicely put together tale but it fails to inspire much in the way of emotion or reason to care beyond a minor way making the venture a curious return from McGehee and Siegel who after their previous effort was released seemed destined to become some of the most important co-directing voices in the independent scene but now have their work cut off for them to remind us all of their talents that are no doubt there to showcase.

Final Say -

There's nothing particularly bad about Montana Story but there's also nothing particularly good. A quiet and character driven drama, this pretty too look at feature is sadly stuck in the middle ground.

2 1/2 horse floats out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Between its sweeping wide shots of the landscape and its intimate look into family relationships riddled with trauma, "Montana Story" is a force to be reckoned with. A love story to Montana, a love story to family and all its complications - do yourself a favor and check it out!

"I had high expectations for this film, and perhaps that's why I gave it a poor rating. The enticing title made me hopeful for beautiful settings and strong drama. I only lasted 30 minutes watching it before fast-forwarding. The characters that appeared also did not support the emotional impact of the film. It's a huge waste of time."

Even the main character's tears fail to add any atmosphere to the film. The ending is very peaceful, and the story is flat."

Sorry but this is my real views about this movie. Hope someone who have different thought will respect about my honest view.

Terima kasih.