The Ice Storm

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2:30

The Ice Storm

R

1997

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In the 1970s, an outwardly wholesome family begins cracking at the seams over the course of a tumultuous Thanksgiving break. Frustrated with his job, the father, Ben (Kevin Kline), seeks fulfillment by cheating on his wife, Elena (Joan Allen), with neighborhood seductress Janey (Sigourney Weaver). Their teenage daughter, Wendy (Christina Ricci), dabbles in sexual affairs too -- with Janey's son Mikey (Elijah Wood). The family's strained relations continue to tauten until an ice storm strikes.

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Critics Consensus

Director Ang Lee revisits the ennui-laden decadence of 1970s suburban America with deft humor and gripping pathos.

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Guy Lodge

Observer (UK)

Nov 25, 2025

It’s breath-catchingly pained and delicate in articulating estrangements and losses, aggravated by a November cold snap so tangibly felt in Frederick Elmes’s crisp, brittle cinematography and the icicle-tapping tones of Mychael Danna’s score.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Mar 28, 2019

4/4

Nothing less than one of the year's best pictures, a portrait of wealthy Connecticut suburbanites in the 1970s whose lives have no emotional or spiritual rudder.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Feb 27, 2018

The Ice Storm captures this place, this season, this garish and confused moment in history, with surgical precision...It's Lee's sympathetic detachment that gives the movie its paradoxical power.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Mar 31, 2026

3/4

...a slow-moving yet mostly compelling drama that benefits from its stellar roster of players...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

May 5, 2024

3.5/4

Even while nailing a specific period in time, it’s still able to transcend its setting and speak directly to modern folks who no longer find aesthetic pleasure in impossibly long sideburns.

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

Sep 30, 2022

4/5

In fact, just about everything sexual that happens in the film is dirty, unpleasant, unsatisfying, and led to pain and heartbreak for just about everyone involved (25th anniversary)

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SIMAS C

@simas_eros Oct 27, 2026

Although Ang Lee is an excellent director with a talent for highlighting the introspective side of stories and characters, this film—despite a high-caliber cast—fails to be engaging, as it is overly melodramatic. Centered on a couple who venture into liberal social circles and activities (most notably the "key party" scene, where car keys are drawn at random to determine who goes home with whom), the film ends up being too depressing to be either stimulating or erotic. An ice storm, indeed.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 12, 2026

The Ice Storm is a *4* star Movie!

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Scott M

@RT75128960 Mar 12, 2026

Slow drama about relationships. Very much a European type film, meaning it doesn't have a happy ending. Introspective. I've always loved it.

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Tyler P.

@TylerPhoenixMD Mar 4, 2026

Amazing movie! It is taboo but it’s part of the story. Great cast, great music score and amazing acting! If you like independent movies, this ones definitely has the feel you’ll enjoy!

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Christian K

@ckacar Feb 25, 2026

It can be entertaining to hang out with the most miserable people alive for a little while.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Dec 6, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Ang Lee

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Kevin Kline

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Joan Allen

Elena Hood

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The Ice Storm: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the 1970s, an outwardly wholesome family begins cracking at the seams over the course of a tumultuous Thanksgiving break. Frustrated with his job, the father, Ben (Kevin Kline), seeks fulfillment by cheating on his wife, Elena (Joan Allen), with neighborhood seductress Janey (Sigourney Weaver). Their teenage daughter, Wendy (Christina Ricci), dabbles in sexual affairs too -- with Janey's son Mikey (Elijah Wood). The family's strained relations continue to tauten until an ice storm strikes.

Director: Ang Lee
Producer: Ted Hope, Ang Lee, James Schamus
Screenwriter: Rick Moody, James Schamus
Distributor: Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Good Machine, Fox Searchlight
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.9M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1), 35mm

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