Old Man River

1999Movie1 h 14 min

73
GoodGoodWatch score

A nostalgic, moving documentary movie about a real life story and family.

Good for family movie night · friends night · teens

Skip it if you want something to laugh at

Where to watch

Set your services

Not streaming in any country yet.

Fingerprint

Not for laughs, scares or adrenaline.

Movies with

Story

Winner of Cinequest and Vermont Film Festivals and the American Cinema Editors Eddy Award for Best Edited Documentary.

Documentary film version of the stage show in which actress Cynthia Gates Fujikawa explores the story of her father, actor Jerry Fujikawa, who had a long career in films and television, most often as a stereotyped Asian. The daughter, in the course of searching out her late father's history, discovers many things that she had not known, among them that her father had spent time in Manzanar, the internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II, that he had had a family prior to hers, and that somewhere out there was a sister she had never known existed.

Feels like

  • Bittersweet Family Memoir
  • Hollywood History & Racism
  • Intergenerational Trauma
  • Japanese-American Experience
  • Documentary Theater Hybrid
  • Identity Discovery
  • Poignant Reflection
  • Cultural Reclamation

Cast

Crew

Directed by
Beth Schachter
Music by
Susan Justin

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

March 3, 1999 · 1 h 14 min · Documentary

Released
March 3, 1999
Runtime
1 h 14 min
Genres
Documentary
Original language
English
Made in
United States
Budget
$5,000

Q&A

3 questions, like "Is Old Man River worth watching?"

Questions about Old Man River

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Is Old Man River worth watching?

73
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 73 (IMDb 6.2).

Is Old Man River okay for kids?

Yes: the viewing guide lists it for family nights.

Is Old Man River plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on character depth (8 of 10) and pathos (8 of 10) more than on its plot.