What They Had reviews: What do critics say about the drama?

From first-time writer/director Elizabeth Chomko, What They Had centres on a family in crisis. Bridget (Hilary Swank) returns home to Chicago at her brother’s (Michael Shannon) urging to deal with her ailing mother (Blythe Danner) and her father’s (Robert Forster) reluctance to let go of their life together. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 but is now playing in UK cinemas.

What do critics say about What They Had?

What They Had has an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 88 per cent.

The critics’ consensus reads: “What They Had finds laughter and tears in its portrait of a family at a crossroads, with writer-director Elizabeth Chomko getting outstanding performances out of a talented cast.”

Cath Clarke for the Guardian

Danner gives a classy, restrained performance as Ruth, and it’s nice to see Shannon without a psychopathic scowl but I could never quite believe in this family.

Monica Castillo for RogerEbert.com

There’s an inherent longing in Elizabeth Chomko’s stunning feature debut, What They Had.

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Johanna Schneller for Globe and Mail

You may feel as if you’ve seen this movie before: Ruth has Alzheimer’s, her husband Burt is in denial and their grown children Nick and Bridget are at odds. But please, trust me, you haven’t…

Gary Goldstein for the Los Angeles Times

One of the year’s best indie dramas, one that should hit home with a wide range of viewers sure to relate to the achingly authentic family dynamics on display.

Mark Jenkins for the Washington Post

What works best here comes between the movie’s heavy opening and its lightweight conclusion.

Joe Morgenstern for the Wall Street Journal

[The] cast is exceptional, the performances are extraordinary, the writing and direction are heartfelt, and the film is, consequently, stirring, frequently funny and consistently affecting.

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Ella Taylor for NPR

Chomko refreshes the formula with vividly grounded writing that never forces her actors to summarize where they’ve been, emotionally speaking, or where they’re going.

Peter Travers for Rolling Stone

This captivating family drama is anchored by actors-Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Blythe Danner, Robert Forster-who truly are as good as it gets.

You laugh as much as you cry, which means you believe in the movie’s truth.

Jeannette Catsoulis for the New York Times

Though occasional bursts of spikiness suggest that Chomko has a more unexpected story to tell, the narrative beats of this one – even without its eye-rolling final shot – are audible well in advance of the end credits.

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Tricia Olszewski for TheWrap

The real triumph is its refusal to descend into mawkishness, even when a third-act tragedy takes place. It’s blunt and bold, just like its characters.

Caroline Siede for AV Club

In the overcrowded field of indie dramas about intergenerational family struggles, What They Had feels inessential; it rarely rises to the level of its performances.

Chris Nashawaty for Entertainment Weekly

If it’s a good cry you’re after, What They Had will more than do the trick.

I just wish that this particular tearjerker jerked its tears with something subtler than a crowbar.

Oliver Jones for Observer

A family drama that seems so real you leave the theatre feeling like you just flew back from seeing your parents, even if they’re nothing like the parents portrayed in the film.

David Edelstein for New York Magazine/Vulture

There’s raw power in Chomko’s writing, but so much scrupulousness and craft that you feel safe when the time comes to weep.

David Rooney for the Hollywood Reporter

A deluxe ensemble cast and a judicious trickle of minor-key humour elevate debuting writer-director Elizabeth Chomko’s intergenerational family drama, What They Had.

Joe Leydon for Variety

This satisfying drama provides excellent roles for a fine cast, particularly Michael Shannon, Hilary Swank and Robert Forster.

What They Had is in cinemas now.