Accidents Happen

"Meet the world's unluckiest family"

2009 1h 32m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 86

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

There are dysfunctional families... and then there are the Conways. After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Billy Conway has become the de facto glue between his bitter mom, distant brother, and stoic dad. But when Billy starts to act out, everything changes for him and his family

“Meet the world's unluckiest family”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Geena Davis
Gloria Conway
Harrison Gilbertson
Billy Conway
Harry Cook
Larry Conway
Joel Tobeck
Ray Conway
Sebastian Gregory
Doug Post
Sarah Woods
Dottie Post
Morgan Griffin
Katrina Post
Troy Planet
Tiny Post

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Lancaster
Writers: Brian Carbee
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Lancaster, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Roland Gallois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Geena Davis and Harrison Gilbertson and Harry Cook carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Meet the world's unluckiest family".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1119123 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Lancaster directs. Ben Nott behind the camera. Roland Gallois cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 17 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: Australia, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Andrew Lancaster, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Roland Gallois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Geena Davis and Harrison Gilbertson and Harry Cook carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Meet the world's unluckiest family".
8IMDB entry: tt1119123 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "melancholy", "childhood trauma", "coming of age", "overbearing mother".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ben Nott
Editing: Roland Gallois
Production design: Elizabeth Mary Moore
Costume design: Nina Edwards
Stunt coordinator: Tony Lynch
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $36,857
Return: 1% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Accidents Happen (2009)

Also by

Andrew Lancaster

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2021-12-08
★ 6/10
I would have rated this movie lower and, indeed, perhaps not even finished watching it, if it weren’t for the performance of Geena Davis. That makes sense, because she was the reason I gave it a try at all. Ms. Davis excels at portraying quirky characters. But even though there were serious moments when she played the odd but self-confident dog trainer in Accidental Tourist, in Accidents Happen, her character is half quirky (her light side) and half angry and brooding (her dark side). Not many actresses could pull it off as well as she did. She is unpredictable because of the tragedies the family has suffered, and we are led to believe that Billy is acting up for the same reasons, but I couldn’t buy into it. After all, Billy had a hand in his family’s tragedies, and while I can buy that the guilt might cause behavioral issues, asking me to sympathize with his losses while he is actively making life worse for his family and others, was too much of a stretch for me. And I certainly didn’t see any redemption in the final scene with Billy and his neighbor. Thank goodness for Geena Davis.

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