Flora and Son

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2:25

Flora and Son

R

2023

1h 34m

Musical

Comedy

Drama

Music

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

159 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Single mom Flora (Eve Hewson) is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, Flora tries to occupy him with a beat-up acoustic guitar. With the help of a washed-up LA musician (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Flora and Max discover the transformative power of music. From the musical mind of John Carney, "Flora and Son" explores the bond between a mother and son on a journey toward a new harmony.

Critics Consensus

Another music-fueled crowd-pleaser from writer-director John Carney, Flora and Son proves almost impossible to resist.

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Craig Mathieson

The Age (Australia)

10/05/2023

As made clear by Once, music has an inspirational and transformative strength in the movies of Irish filmmaker John Carney. His latest Dublin-set feature is almost as satisfying as his 2007 hit.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/04/2023

A very messy movie. I shouldn't like it as much as I do, but I do.

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G. Allen Johnson

San Francisco Chronicle

09/29/2023

3/4

Resistance to this emotional, melancholic gem is futile.

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Marta Medina Pérez

mundoCine

Jul 23

3.5/5

I dare you not to smile while watching this movie. I assure you, it’s an almost impossible task. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Jessica Gonzales

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 17

7/10

It is full of hope and heart with a few laughs along the way. The songs composed for the film range from sweet, acoustic melodies reminiscent of Carney’s earlier film, Once, to uptempo numbers infused with hip-hop and are sure to please most crowds.

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Dora Matijević

Film Ireland Magazine

03/12/2025

The original songs are well integrated into the story, blending hip-hop with the emotional depth of folk to create a fresh, dynamic beat.

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Theodore C

09/25/2023

Absolutely loved. John Carney can do no wrong and knocked it out of the park once more

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Gerry O.

@chefman May 30

Fun heartwarming story, the filming is amazing. Some of the scenes you really have to pay attention to see what the director did with the camera shots. It’s very impressive.

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Torin F

@nonlinearize May 25

FLORA AND SON is indeed another music-centered crowd-pleaser from writer-director John Carney (Sing Street), a domestic dramedy enriched by quirky, flawed, sympathetic characters that is touching and uplifting without shading into sentimentality, or defaulting to hollywood hyperbole. One good thing about music...

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Kevin L

@Lakeman May 18

Yeah, good stuff here. Eve Hewson is not just a glorious looker, she's a fine actor- drama, comedy, whateveryaneed. The kid is good, too, & they didn't make him over the top obnoxious or too preening. Not sure about Gordon-Levitt here, though. Found him rather tiresome and distracting. Kind of a wanky character at times. Liked the Waits & Joni songs they chose. And I thought "Dublin 07" was a tight song title. 3.4 stars

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Marquis H.

@MWNumbers Dec 31

It was good but not great. I liked how the passion of music was part of the storyline.

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Jaimie F

@Ja3bae Dec 30

Taking into account the cast,.this was amusing and slight convincing...at first. Culture is beautiful, but this felt like a mock on songwriting and musicianship. Thought it'd grow better, and sadly, predictably, a fail for music all around.

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Flora and Son: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Single mom Flora (Eve Hewson) is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, Flora tries to occupy him with a beat-up acoustic guitar. With the help of a washed-up LA musician (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Flora and Max discover the transformative power of music. From the musical mind of John Carney, "Flora and Son" explores the bond between a mother and son on a journey toward a new harmony.

Director: John Carney
Producer: Anthony Bregman, John Carney, Peter Cron, Rebecca O'Flanagan, Robert Walpole
Screenwriter: John Carney
Distributor: Apple Original Films
Production Co: Fifth Season, Treasure Entertainment, Likely Story, Distressed Films, FilmNation Entertainment, Fís Éireann/Screen
Rating: R (Brief Drug Use|Sexual References|Language Throughout)
Genre: Musical, Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 29, 2023
Runtime: 1h 34m