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The Death & Life of John F. Donovan

2019-03-13 Drama 2hr 3m

A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he once shared with the former, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.

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Trailer
Amazon Video

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The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Amazon Video

Watch on Amazon Video

Storyline

A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he once shared with the former, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.

  • Released
    2019-03-13
  • Revenue
    $3,326,364
  • Budget
    $35,000,000
  • Runtime
    2hr 3m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    Český, English
  • imdb-logo
    6.1
  • Production
    Sons of Manual, Lyla Films, Warp Films

Crew

Xavier Dolan
Director
Xavier Dolan
Writer
Nancy Grant
Producer

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Cast

Kit Harington

Kit Harington

John F. Donovan
Jacob Tremblay

Jacob Tremblay

Rupert Turner
Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon

Grace Donovan
Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates

Barbara Haggermaker
Ben Schnetzer

Ben Schnetzer

Rupert Turner (21 y.o.)
Jared Keeso

Jared Keeso

James Donovan
Chris Zylka

Chris Zylka

Will Jefford Jr.
Amara Karan

Amara Karan

Miss Kureshi
Emily Hampshire

Emily Hampshire

Amy Bosworth
Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon

Man in Diner
Sarah Gadon

Sarah Gadon

Liz Jones
Susan Almgren

Susan Almgren

Aunt Faith
Jane Wheeler

Jane Wheeler

Aunt Anne
Craig Eldridge

Craig Eldridge

Uncle Patrick
Ari Millen

Ari Millen

Big Billy
Gijs Blom

Gijs Blom

Rupert's Boyfriend
Rob Baker

Rob Baker

Late Night Show Host
Ellen David

Ellen David

Adam's Mother
Pat Kiely

Pat Kiely

Director
Anne Mroczkowski

Anne Mroczkowski

News Anchor
James Marchant

James Marchant

Police Officer
Suzanne Virdee

Suzanne Virdee

Female Anchor
Sangita Patel

Sangita Patel

Journalist #1
Hamza Haq

Hamza Haq

Journalist #2
Matthew Raudsepp

Matthew Raudsepp

Hellsome High Actor
Pierre-Luc Lafontaine

Pierre-Luc Lafontaine

Fan in the Club
Cassie Luk

Cassie Luk

Young Fan
Dakota Jamal Wellman

Dakota Jamal Wellman

Eric (uncredited)
Leni Parker

Leni Parker

Bonnie (uncredited)
Katy Breier

Katy Breier

Trish (uncredited)
Alison Louder

Alison Louder

Hellsome High Actress (uncredited)
Brent Skagford

Brent Skagford

Editor #1 (uncredited)
Carolyn Fe

Carolyn Fe

Porter (uncredited)
Connor McMahon

Connor McMahon

Intern (Sasha) (uncredited)
Holly Bernier

Holly Bernier

Journalist (uncredited)
Sam Taylor Buck

Sam Taylor Buck

Young Daniel (uncredited)
Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy

Editor #2 (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
reviewer avatar

A Review by cityguide

Written by cityguide on 2018-09-05

Perhaps best known as the film that Jessica Chastain’s role was cut from, Xavier Dolan’s upcoming drama is still plenty star-studded, featur... read more

Perhaps best known as the film that Jessica Chastain’s role was cut from, Xavier Dolan’s upcoming drama is still plenty star-studded, featuring a cast that includes Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Thandie Newton, Susan Sarandon, and Kit Harington. Though little is truly known about the project — only a single 17-second teaser trailer has been released — it’s described as a reminiscence on the life and death of an American TV star (Kit Harington), as told through his then 11-year-old pen pal (Jacob Tremblay)

reviewer avatar

A Review by maketheSWITCH 7

Written by maketheSWITCH on 2020-05-13

You can see Xavier Dolan reaching for something grand with this film, a bigger story than he has ever attempted before and even more romanti... read more

You can see Xavier Dolan reaching for something grand with this film, a bigger story than he has ever attempted before and even more romantic questions of identity and self, but while one of the problems of 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' is that there are <i>too</i> many questions being asked, it doesn't mean that any of them aren't worth asking. This is still a Xavier Dolan film, and for all the right reasons, even down to his continuing dissection of the complex relationships between mothers and sons, and when he has sure footing, his flashes of spectacle in this film are really wonderful. He also connects so beautifully with his cast, with almost all of them in perfect step with him. This isn't a hidden masterpiece, but it also is nowhere near a disaster. It's an arresting misstep from a deeply passionate filmmaker who cares about every frame, who is trying for something genuine and honest, and yes, he chooses the framework of the privileged and the white, but these are (for all their problems) our modern mythical figures. To Rupert, John is a god, a superhero, an ideal to reach for, and the ultimate understanding of the film is that it is far more important to be human than iconic. In many ways, through his journey to discover that for himself, this is the gift that John gives Rupert in his letters. 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' will be a curiosity in the (hopefully long) career of this gifted filmmaker, and to be honest, a failed curiosity from Xavier Dolan is still a film worth every second. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-death-and-life-of-john-f-donovan-xavier-dolans-flawed-but-fascinating-english-language-debut

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by cityguide

Perhaps best known as the film that Jessica Chastain’s role was cut from, Xavier Dolan’s upcoming drama is still plenty star-studded, featuring a cast that includes Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Thandie Newton, Susan Sarandon, and Kit Ha...

reviewer avatar

A Review by cityguide

Written by cityguide on 2018-09-05

Perhaps best known as the film that Jessica Chastain’s role was cut from, Xavier Dolan’s upcoming drama is still plenty star-studded, featuring a cast that includes Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Th...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by maketheSWITCH 7

Written by maketheSWITCH on 2020-05-13

You can see Xavier Dolan reaching for something grand with this film, a bigger story than he has ever attempted before and even more romantic questions of identity and self, but while one of the probl...

read more