A River Runs Through It

80%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

83%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

The Maclean brothers, Paul (Brad Pitt) and Norman (Craig Sheffer), live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister (Tom Skerritt), the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess both where they've been and where they're going.

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Where to Watch

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent A River Runs Through It on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

A River Runs Through It

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Tasteful to a fault, this period drama combines a talented cast (including a young Brad Pitt) with some stately, beautifully filmed work from director Robert Redford.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (45) Critics Reviews

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

The film shimmers with grace and visual beauty.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Michael Rechtshaffen

Hollywood Reporter

Redford directs with a fluid grace... to capture the idyllic, light-drenched aura of Maclean's early childhood memories. Even the seemingly unexciting fly-fishing sequences take on a magical air worthy of Spielberg.

Oct 10, 2018

Full Review

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

Redford remains a fine director of actors. With Brad Pitt, who gives a particularly good performance, he is dealing moreover with an actor whose handsomeness is reminiscent of his own at that age.

Nov 15, 2017

Full Review

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Vanessa Letts

The Spectator

The film is blighted by an inability to break free from its source.

Jul 24, 2018

Full Review

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Redford's heartfelt yet unfulfilled film feels more watered-down than haunting.

May 29, 2018

Full Review

A River Runs Through It | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Sherritt has been in a lot of movies, but the role of Rev. Maclean seems like one he was born to play. He owns it, the way that Pitt and Sheffer own theirs, and as a result it takes no time at all to believe this group as a family and become involved.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 14, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Audience Member I drank four beers while watching this and would have drank another but decided to go fishing instead Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/10/24 Full Review Max G Meh. Good scenery but very little of the wonderful fishing narrative that held the book together. And an odd selection of scenes that were narrated. For example, when he told his parents about how his brother was brutally killed, why was this narrated with the actors simply sitting there? It would have been much more powerful if the director had actors carry the emotion through dialog. Actors were too squeaky clean in appearance. It was backwoods Montana. Fishing. Hardscrabble. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/27/24 Full Review Sophie N The movie was horrible, not an ounce of action. The story was so boring that I had to speed the movie at 1.5. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Over 30 years old I remember watching parts of this in middle school for film studies and it all came crawling back This is beautifully filmed, heartwarming, and the actors have such refined chemistry Redford does wonders emulating the author Norman Mclean's life making a very skilled adaptation Plus the scenery and Brad Pitt are nice to look at due to Philippe Rousselot's gorgeous Oscar-winning cinematography Deftly drawn characters make this a befitting piece of family drama that's a simple breeze Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A movie for fisherman — slow, boring and no plot. But at the same time incredibly beautiful, from the scenery to the introspection. (35%) Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Shioka O Beautiful cinematography. Truly harmless. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/27/22 Full Review Read all reviews

A River Runs Through It

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Robert Redford Director Craig Sheffer Norman Maclean Brad Pitt Paul Maclean Tom Skerritt Rev. Maclean Brenda Blethyn Mrs. Maclean Emily Lloyd Jessie Burns

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Movie Clips

View All videos

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It: Official Clip - I'll Never Leave Montana