The Humans

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2:33

The Humans

R

2021

1h 48m

Holiday

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

142 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Erik Blake has gathered three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the group's deepest fears are laid bare. The piercingly funny and haunting debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, adapted from his Tony Award-winning play, The Humans explores the hidden dread of a family and the love that binds them together.

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Critics Consensus

The Humans takes its Tony-winning source material from stage to screen without sacrificing the essence of writer-director Stephen Karam's dysfunctional drama.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

01/02/2022

4/5

This is more than just a nihilistic revamp of Home for the Holidays. It's bleaker than that, more forensic in its analysis of innate human hopelessness.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

01/02/2022

3/5

The casting is... first-rate, with Richard Jenkins and a wounded, garrulous Jayne Houdyshell the standouts.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

12/31/2021

5/5

The ensemble remains electrifying against the damp.

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Louis Skye (Ronita Roy Mohan)

Women Write About Comics

Aug 21

The story fell flat to me. The cinematography was all over the place when it didn’t need to be. It was an immersive experience at times, but there were too many gimmicks that took me out of the moment, which is the opposite of what a film is meant to do.

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Tamma Moksha

The Hindu

06/11/2024

An adaptation of a play by the same name, Stephen Karam’s directorial debut is a family drama that warps into an anxiety attack of sorts and lingers on in our minds.

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George Kowalik

Vague Visages

10/04/2023

The claustrophobia in The Humans transcends its confined narrative setting...

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Richard S

11/26/2021

A wonderful screen adaptation of the stage play. The play was still strange and good but the filming and staging added to the mystery and enhanced what I had seen and heard during live stage show.

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Jim s

11/25/2021

I kept waiting for something to happen but never did. I almost walked out

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Dan C

@mintchimp Feb 13

Many people just do not get this film, but I thought it was pretty great. A dark deadpan funny heart-full film, wrapped up in horror tropes. Scare cuts and creepy camera moves, used here where the only horror or danger is the awkward discomfort of getting together with family for the holidays.

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Henna T

@RT76532602 Dec 2

I wish I concentrated more throughout the first half an hour or so because I bet the conversations although mundane would have been meaningful. It's not my usual type of horror because it didn't have any stereotypical themes that are present in movies such as obvious supernatural entities. It is incredibly suspensful and slow moving but it did capture my attention and I'm surprised I'm rating it a 7.5 given the lack of a climax. I did think it's depiction of the average family and human life (perhaps depicted as being observed by an unseen entity) was done beautifully as it depicted the misery of our day to day existence. I actually like the fact that I have a lot of questions in terms of Momos treatment and statements along with all of the other characters peculiar and yet completely common personalities. What I took from the movie is that this is how many of our lives appear as a horror from an outsiders perspective however the humans living a miserable existence still felt fearful/paranoid of monsters and other such entities disregarding their depression and isolation due to their brief group gatherings involving displays of faux thankfulness.

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Scott E

@RT19581245 Nov 29

It had a cool feel, the angst of living in NYC, the quirks of flawed people. The ending was a bit of a downer.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 11

Funny in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 17 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Stephen Karam

Director

Richard Jenkins

Erik Blake

Amy Schumer

Aimee

Steven Yeun

Richard

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Deirdre Blake

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The Humans: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Erik Blake has gathered three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside and eerie things start to go bump in the night, the group's deepest fears are laid bare. The piercingly funny and haunting debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, adapted from his Tony Award-winning play, The Humans explores the hidden dread of a family and the love that binds them together.

Director: Stephen Karam
Producer: Stephen Karam, Louise Lovegrove
Screenwriter: Stephen Karam
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24
Rating: R (Some Sexual Material|Language)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 24, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2021
Runtime: 1h 48m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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