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Trailer

The Decline of the American Empire

1986Movie1 h 41 min

ComedyDrama
70
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.1Metacritic605.3Rotten Tomatoes86%82%

A layered comedy movie about everyday modern life and society, with standout dialogue.

Good for date night · friends night · background watch

Where to watch

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Not for scares, laughs or adrenaline.

Movies with

Story

A spontaneously funny sex comedy!

Four very different Montreal university teachers gather at a rambling country house to prepare a dinner. Remy (married), Claude (a homosexual), Pierre (involved with a girlfriend) and Alain (a bachelor) discuss sex, the female body and their affairs with them. Meanwhile, their four female guests, Louise (Remy's wife of 15 years), Dominique (a spinster), Diane (a divorcée) and Danielle (Pierre's girlfriend) are spending the time at a downtown health gym. They also discuss sex, the female body and, naturally, men. Later in the evening, they finally meet at the country house and have dinner. A ninth guest, named Mario, who used to know Diane, drops in on the group for some talk and has a surprise of his own.

Feels like

  • Talky Ensemble Drama
  • Intellectual Conversation
  • Sexual Politics
  • Academic Setting
  • Social Commentary
  • Cynical Wit
  • Infidelity
  • Quebecois Cinema
  • Late Night Discussion

Cast

10 of 10

Crew

Directed by
Denys Arcand
Written by
Gabriel Arcand, Denys Arcand, Mark Blandford
Produced by
Roger Frappier, René Malo
Music by
François Dompierre

Everyone

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

Facts

June 19, 1986 · 1 h 41 min · Sexual Content, Strong Language

Released
June 19, 1986
Runtime
1 h 41 min
Content
Sexual Content, Strong Language
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Original language
French
Also spoken
English
Made in
Canada
Budget
$2 million
Box office
$30 million
Available in
43 countries

Tropes

Hands-On Approach, Happy-Ending Massage, Extremely Short Timespan +9

  • Hands-On Approach
  • Happy-Ending Massage
  • Extremely Short Timespan
  • Bourgeois Bohemian
  • Bigger Is Better in Bed
  • No Periods, Period
  • Parents as People
  • Real Men Cook
  • Woman Scorned
  • Title Drop
  • As You Know
  • Gratuitous English

12 of 22 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

7 questions, like "Where can I stream The Decline of the American Empire?"

Questions about The Decline of the American Empire

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream The Decline of the American Empire?

KanopyHooplaFandango at Home FreeOVIDPlexLionsgate+Tubi TV

In the United States, The Decline of the American Empire streams on OVID and Lionsgate+, and it is free with ads on Kanopy, Hoopla, Fandango at Home Free, Plex, and Tubi TV. You can rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. It also streams in 5 other countries.

Is The Decline of the American Empire worth watching?

70
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 70 (IMDb 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes 86%, and Metacritic 60).

Will The Decline of the American Empire make me laugh?

Light

Now and then: the humor is mostly sharp wit (7 of 10) and satire (6 of 10).

Is The Decline of the American Empire plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

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

Was The Decline of the American Empire a box office hit?

Budget$2 million
Box office$30 million

Yes, a big one: it cost about $2 million to make and earned $30 million worldwide, 16.7 times its budget.

Is The Decline of the American Empire in English?

FrenchEnglish

No, it was made in French, with some English.