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Poster for My American Uncle

My American Uncle

1980 · 2h 6m · PG Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by Alain Resnais

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Overview

Professor Henri Laborit uses three people's stories to discuss behaviourist theories of survival, combat, rewards and punishment, and anxiety: René is a technical manager at a textile factory and must face the anxiety caused by corporate downsizing; Janine is a self-educated actress/stylist who learns that the wife of her lover is dying and must decide to let them reunite; and Jean is a controversial career-climbing writer/politician at a crossroads in life.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

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100%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Mr. Resnais's most successful film in years.

Vincent Canby, New York Times
Fresh

The film is also memorable for its dead-on portrayal of French yuppiedom in its early ascendancy and for its beautifully ambiguous and open-ended finale.

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

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