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'{{Infobox film | name = Wakefield | image = Wakefield poster.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Robin Swicord]] | producers = {{Plainlist| * [[Bonnie Curtis]] * Wendy Federman * Julie Lynn * Carl Moellenberg }} | writer = Robin Swicord | based on = {{based on|''Wakefield''|[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]}} | starring = {{Plainlist| *[[Bryan Cranston]] * [[Jennifer Garner]] *Victoria Bruno * [[Pippa Bennett-Warner]] }} | music = [[Aaron Zigman]] | cinematography = Andrei Bowden-Schwartz | editing = Matt Maddox | studio = Mockingbird Pictures | distributor = [[IFC Films]] | released = {{film date|2016|9|2|[[Telluride Film Festival|Telluride]]|2017|5|19|United States}} | runtime = 96 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $254,410 <ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wakefield.htm |title= Wakefield |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|accessdate=July 6, 2017}}</ref> }} '''''Wakefield''''' is a 2016 American [[drama]] film directed and written by [[Robin Swicord]], based on the short story of same name by [[E. L. Doctorow]].<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2008/01/14/080114fi_fiction_doctorow?printable=true "Wakefield"] (short story), ''The New Yorker'', January 14, 2008</ref> The film stars [[Bryan Cranston]] and [[Jennifer Garner]]. [[Principal photography]] began on November 30, 2015, in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], [[California]]. The film had its world premiere at the [[Telluride Film Festival]] on September 2, 2016. It was released in a [[limited release]] on May 19, 2017. ==Plot== {{more plot|date=July 2017}} The story is told from the point of view Cranston's character, through voice-overs that reveal his evolving emotional state. A successful attorney (Howard Wakefield, played by Cranston) commutes home from New York City, gets sidetracked first by a power outage and then by a raccoon, and falls asleep in the attic above his garage. When he wakes in the morning, rather than immediately rushing in to reassure his wife (played by Jennifer Garner) and kids, he stays in the garage... and stays ... and stays. He confides his location to nobody, and scavenges for food from garbage cans and dumpsters through the changing seasons while spying on his family and witnessing their lives move forward without him. As his wife appears to be developing a romantic relationship, he decides to return home. ==Cast== * [[Bryan Cranston]] as Howard Wakefield<ref name="Nov2015V" /> * [[Jennifer Garner]] as Diana Wakefield<ref name="Dec2015CS" /> * Victoria Bruno as Taylor Wakefield * [[Beverly D'Angelo]] as Babs * [[Jason O'Mara]] as Dirk Morrison * [[Ian Anthony Dale]] as Ben Jacobs * [[Pippa Bennett-Warner]] as Emily * [[Ellery Sprayberry]] as Giselle ==Production== On November 11, 2015, it was announced that [[Robin Swicord]] would direct a drama film based on the short story ''Wakefield'' by [[E. L. Doctorow]], after the short story of the same name by [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]].<ref name=Nov2015V>{{cite news|last1=McNary|first1=Dave|title=Bryan Cranston Starring in Drama ‘Wakefield’|url=http://variety.com/2015/film/news/bryan-cranston-wakefield-1201638596/|accessdate=December 1, 2015|work=variety.com|date=November 11, 2015}}</ref> [[Bonnie Curtis]] and Julie Lynn would produce the film through Mockingbird Pictures, along with [[Elliott Webb]] as co-producer.<ref name="Nov2015V" /> Swicord had written the screenplay after meeting with Doctorow and discussing her ideas on how to present the story on film. She said, "I had to really interrogate the story before I ever got up the courage to meet with Doctorow, because I knew he was going to want to know what kind of movie this was going to be. I met him and we had great conversations. We emailed and talked on the phone, and started the process of getting him to trust that we had all our ducks in a row."<ref>{{cite news|last1=McKittrick|first1=Christopher|title=Filmmaking is a Marathon: Robin Swicord on Wakefield|url=https://creativescreenwriting.com/wakefield/|work=''Creative Screenwriting''|date=May 24, 2017}}</ref> [[Principal photography]] on the film began on November 30, 2015, in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], [[California]],<ref name=Dec2015CS>{{cite news|last1=Evry|first1=Max|title=Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner on the Set of Wakefield|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/637439-bryan-cranston-and-jennifer-garner-on-the-set-of-wakefield#/slide/12|accessdate=December 1, 2015|work=comingsoon.net|date=December 1, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A bearded and disheveled Bryan Cranston is almost unrecognisable as he films Wakefield with Jennifer Garner in LA|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3340380/Bryan-Cranston-spotted-filming-set-Wakefield-Jennifer-Garner-LA.html|accessdate=December 1, 2015|work=dailymail.co.uk|date=December 1, 2015}}</ref> which ended on January 8, 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=On the Set for 1/8/16: Robert Pattinson Starts on the Feature, ‘Good Time’ While Michael Fassbender & Marion Cotillard Wrap ‘Assassin’s Creed’|url=http://www.ssninsider.com/on-the-set-for-1816-robert-pattinson-starts-on-the-feature-good-time-while-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-wrap-assassins-creed/|accessdate=January 9, 2016|work=SSN Insider|date=January 8, 2016}}</ref> ==Release== The film had its world premiere at the [[Telluride Film Festival]] on September 2, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadline.com/2016/09/telluride-film-festival-2016-lineup-full-list-1201811906/|title=Telluride Film Festival Lineup: ‘Sully’, ‘La La Land’, ‘Arrival’, ‘Bleed For This’ & More|website=[[Deadline.com]]|first=Pete|last=Hammond|date=September 1, 2016|accessdate=March 26, 2017}}</ref> It went onto screen at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 9, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tiff.net/films/wakefield/|title=Wakefield|website=[[Toronto International Film Festival]]|accessdate=March 26, 2017}}</ref> Shortly after, [[IFC Films]] acquired distribution rights to the film and set the film for a May 19, 2017 [[limited release]]. The movie has earned $254,410 at the north America box office as of July 6, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=wakefield.htm|title=‘Wakefield'|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|accessdate=July 6, 2017}}</ref> ===Critical response=== On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10.<ref>{{Citation|title=Wakefield|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wakefield|language=en|accessdate=2017-07-30}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{Citation|title=Wakefield|work=[[Metacritic]]|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/wakefield|accessdate=2017-05-17}}</ref> Professional and non-professional critics alike tend to have polarized views of the film. Many praise it highly, while others fault it for portraying an unlikable character or ending on the ambiguous note that Doctorow struck in his story. On RogerEbert.com, the critic Glenn Kenny said Swicord "has made a smart, intriguing, sometimes provocative and often oddly moving picture of Wakefield," which he called "kind of a wonder."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wakefield-2017|title=‘Wakefield'|work=[[RogerEbert.com]]|accessdate=July 30, 2017}}</ref> On the other hand, on Amazon.com a customer reviewer named Escondido was among those critical of the movie for its ending: "I was so enjoying this film. Bryan Cranston was pretty perfect as the narrator and explainer of his own poor decisions. But toward the end it appears that the screen writer ran out of ideas because the action took the most improbable and unsatisfying turn." Another customer wrote: "This movie is beautifully acted, beautifully directed, and beautifully filmed, but the ending is awful." Another viewer really enjoyed the film and wishes for a sequel to the film. (Others liked the ending, and Amazon customers overall gave the movie roughly 4 stars out of 5.)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Wakefield-Bryan-Cranston/dp/B071NXC745/ref=sr_1_1?|title=‘Wakefield'|work=[[Amazon.com]]|accessdate=July 30, 2017}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== * {{IMDb title|5195412}} * {{rotten-tomatoes|wakefield}} [[Category:2016 films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:American drama films]] [[Category:2010s drama films]] [[Category:Films shot in California]] [[Category:Films based on short fiction]] [[Category:Films directed by Robin Swicord]] [[Category:Films produced by Bonnie Curtis]] [[Category:IFC Films films]] [[Category:Films set in Connecticut]]'