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To Sleep With Anger

Play trailer Poster for To Sleep With Anger PG 1990 1h 42m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 104 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Vagabond Harry (Danny Glover) pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie (Mary Alice). However, after Gideon falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic.
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To Sleep With Anger

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Critics Consensus

To Sleep with Anger examines cultural tensions with a deft hand and a potent blend of comedy and drama, stirred skillfully to life by a strong cast led by Danny Glover.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Corliss TIME Magazine Sep 25
Like Harry at his eloquent best, To Sleep with Anger is a spellbinder. Go to Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times Sep 25
A sophisticated and sweetly shivery ghost story. Go to Full Review Carrie Rickey Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 25
3/4
Despite its subject matter and title, To Sleep With Anger has a sardonic, comic edge. Go to Full Review Peter Keough Boston Phoenix Sep 25
Subtly structured, metaphorically elegant, shrewdly balanced, and richly performed, To Sleep with Anger is [Charles Burnett's] masterpiece. Go to Full Review Karl Bruce Knapper Bay Area Reporter Sep 25
Burnett has created a brilliant tapestry of a movie, intricately woven of multiple layers of truth and dishonesty, love and mistrust, folklore and history. Go to Full Review Marylynn Uricchio Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sep 25
B
Burnett skillfully weaves his various story lines and characters together until the cumulative effect is an absolutely microscopic look at the nature of family life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andrew A. @rt_andrew 06/01/2025 Lesson of this movie: don't let Danny Glover into your house... or maybe do See more Alec B @Alec97 01/10/2024 What's ingenious here is how Glover is both a demonic and messianic figure, bringing long simmering family tensions to a boil . . . not to destroy the family but to save them. See more 05/23/2021 What's ingenious here is how Glover is both a demonic and messianic figure, bringing long simmering family tensions to a boil. This doesn't destroy the family, it saves them. See more 10/13/2020 Danny Glover is Harry. He pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie. Gideon then falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic. There's a lot of talk in here and I was quite bored. But I admire the movie having many relatable elements when it comes to this kind of family drama. See more 08/17/2020 I first watched the movie when released in 1990, and watched again. This movie is very layered and many references for African Americans - especially those of us that grew up in the south. See it. See more 02/18/2019 On its surface, Charles Burnett's To Sleep with Anger is a spuriously-written drama about an enticing yet devilish man (Danny Glover) with increasingly menacing undertones that impact an African-American family with Southern roots living in South Central. At closer look, Burnett's cult classic is a subtly prescient dramatic exploration of the existential crisis between the traditions of the past and the inevitability of modernity. More importantly, To Sleep with Anger weighs the impact of the cost/benefits of this divide on African-American life, family and culture. See more Read all reviews
To Sleep With Anger

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Cast & Crew

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Charles Burnett

Director

Danny Glover

Harry

Paul Butler

Gideon

Mary Alice

Suzie

Richard Brooks

Babe Brother

Carl Lumbly

Junior

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To Sleep With Anger

To Sleep With Anger (1990) To Sleep With Anger (1990) To Sleep With Anger (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Vagabond Harry (Danny Glover) pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon (Paul Butler), who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded. Hard-drinking yet charismatic, Harry both entertains and enrages Gideon and his wife, Suzie (Mary Alice). However, after Gideon falls gravely ill, Harry decides to step in and take his friend's place in the household. Unfortunately, his intentions are far from pure, and the consequences are tragic.
Director
Charles Burnett
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
SVS Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 12, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround