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The Pumpkin Eater

The Pumpkin Eater

Drama · 1964

Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.

Movie details

The Pumpkin Eater

“A Much Married Woman Who Drifts From Husband to Husband!”

1964 Drama 1h 50m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Pumpkin Eater?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Faces

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Middle-aged suburban husband Richard abruptly tells his wife, Maria, that he wants a divorce. As Richard takes up with a younger woman, Maria enjoys a night on the town with her friends and meets a younger man. As the couple and those around them confront a seemingly futile search for what they've lost -- love, excitement, passion -- this classic American independent film explores themes of aging and alienation.

What Maisie Knew

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The Visit

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TalhotBlond

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My Dinner with Hervé

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jack Clayton

Written by

Harold Pinter

Anne Bancroft

Anne Bancroft

Jo Armitage

Peter Finch

Peter Finch

Jake Armitage

James Mason

James Mason

Bob Conway

Janine Gray

Janine Gray

Beth Conway

Cedric Hardwicke

Cedric Hardwicke

Mr. James - Jo's father

Rosalind Atkinson

Rosalind Atkinson

Mrs. James - Jo's mother

Alan Webb

Alan Webb

Mr. Armitage - Jake's father

Court is in session

Put The Pumpkin Eater on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.