Manchester by the Sea (film)

Manchester by the Sea
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kenneth Lonergan
Produced by	Kimberly Steward Lauren Beck Matt Damon Chris Moore Kevin J. Walsh
Written by	Kenneth Lonergan
Starring	Casey Affleck Michelle Williams Kyle Chandler Gretchen Mol Lucas Hedges
Music by	Lesley Barber
Cinematography	Jody Lee Lipes
Edited by	Jennifer Lame
Production companies	K Period Media B Story CMP Pearl Street Films
Distributed by	Roadside Attractions Amazon Studios
Release dates	January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23) (Sundance) November 18, 2016 (2016-11-18) (United States)
Running time	137 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8.5 million[2]
Box office	$4.4 million[3]

Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama film directed and written by Kenneth Lonergan. The film stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Gretchen Mol and Lucas Hedges. Principal photography on the film began on March 23, 2015, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016. It had a limited release on November 18, 2016, before a wide release in mid-December.

Plot

After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges).

Cast

• Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler
• Michelle Williams as Randi Chandler, Lee's ex-wife
• Kyle Chandler as Joe Chandler
• Gretchen Mol as Elise, Joe's ex-wife
• Lucas Hedges as Patrick Chandler, son of Joe and Elise
• Tate Donovan as Hockey Coach
• Kara Hayward as Silvie, one of Patrick's girlfriends
• Erica McDermott as Sue, boat yard boss
• Matthew Broderick as Rodney
• Heather Burns as Jill

Production

On September 6, 2014, it was announced that Matt Damon would re-team with director/screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea.^[4] Originally the film was going to be directed by Damon, but due to schedule complications he left direction in the hands of Lonergan, staying involved as producer and lead actor. Lonergan later said that Damon and John Krasinski had brought the idea to Lonergan, and Krasinski was initially going to act in the film.^[5] Gigi Pritzker was in final talks to produce and finance the film through her company Odd Lot Entertainment.^[4] Damon and Lonergan had previously worked together on the 2011 film Margaret.^[4]

Pre-production began on September 8, 2014.^[4] In early December 2014, while filming The Finest Hours, Casey Affleck revealed to The Boston Globe that he would be replacing Damon in the role of Lee Chandler.^[6] Affleck officially replaced Damon on January 5, 2015.^[7] Michelle Williams was added to the cast on January 9, 2015, as Affleck's character's wife.^[8]

In March 2015, it was reported that Sierra / Affinity had come aboard to finance the film, while Kimberly Steward would produce and finance through her company K Period Media, Kevin J. Walsh through his company B Story, Chris Moore through CMP, and Damon through his company Pearl Street Films.^[9] The film was executive produced by John Krasinski, Lauren Beck, Josh Godfrey, Declan Baldwin, and Bill Migliore; Pritzker was no longer attached to produce.^[9] Kyle Chandler signed onto the film on February 24, 2015, playing Affleck's character's older brother.^[10] In April 2015, Lucas Hedges joined the cast of the film.^[11] It was later revealed Erica McDermott had joined the cast.^[12]

Filming

The film was previously set to take place in New England.^[10] Principal photography began on March 23, 2015, in the namesake town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.^[13] On the second day, filming took place on the North Shore at locations in Beverly, Gloucester, and Salem.^[14]

Release

The film had its world premiere on January 23, 2016, at the Sundance Film Festival.^[15] Shortly after, Amazon Studios acquired U.S distribution rights to the film for $10 million, beating out Sony Pictures Classics, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, and Fox Searchlight.^[16][17] This was the second largest disclosed purchase behind The Birth of a Nation at $17.5 million.^[18] Roadside Attractions was later announced to be co-distributing the film with Amazon.^[19] The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016^[20] Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2016^[21][22] New York Film Festival on October 1, 2016.^[23][24] and the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2016.^[25] The film was released on November 18, 2016.^[26]

Reception

Critical response

Manchester by the Sea received widespread critical acclaim, with praise going to Lonergan's direction and screenplay, and the performances of Affleck, Williams and Hedges. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 97%, based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Manchester by the Sea delivers affecting drama populated by full-bodied characters, marking another strong step forward for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan."^[27] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 95 out of 100, based on 45 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[28]

Accolades

References

External links

• Manchester by the Sea at the Internet Movie Database
• Manchester by the Sea at Rotten Tomatoes
• Manchester by the Sea at Metacritic