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The Greatest

The Greatest

200999 minRMidcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Director
Shana Feste
Starring
Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Teenagers Rose and Bennett were in love, and then a car crash claimed Bennett's life. He left behind a grieving mother, father and younger brother, and Rose was left all alone. She has no family to turn to for support, so when she finds out she's pregnant, she winds up at the Brewer's door. She needs their help, and although they can't quite admit it, they each need her so they can begin to heal.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Greatest?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Greatest streaming on Prime Video and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about The Greatest?

The Greatest earns 7 badges, led by Guilty pleasure and Crowd Pleaser.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Greatest worth watching?

The Greatest's Midcredits score is the 60th percentile of all films, from 14K ratings across 6 sources. 59% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

60th percentile

Better received than 60% of films

61st percentile among Drama58th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)54th
Approval (how many liked it)65th

63 /100

54th percentile of all films

53rd percentile among Drama53rd percentile among 2000s

Critics 45 · Audience 64

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.7 — solid but not unanimous.

59% liked it

65th percentile of all films

65th percentile among Drama62nd percentile among 2000s
59% rated it 7–1041% rated it 1–6

Critics 55% · Audience 58%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 3 noms overall

87th percentile

14K ratings across platforms

89th percentile among Drama80th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 39% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$6M
Opening weekend$34K
Domestic gross$115K
Worldwide gross$987K

Returned 0.2× its budget — 60th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A well-cast grief drama with strong performances trying to overcome a flawed script.

Fans praised

  • Pierce Brosnan's career-best vulnerable turn
  • Carey Mulligan's breakout performance
  • Susan Sarandon's raw, obsessive grief

Detractors panned

  • plodding, convenient script full of holes
  • heavy-handed, manipulative tearjerker tone
  • underwritten characters and shaky direction

What stands out

ActingDivisive78

Brosnan and Mulligan lauded; Sarandon polarizing

Emotional impactDivisive70

earned catharsis for some, manipulative for others

AtmosphereDivisive60

realistic grief creates immersion despite melodrama

PacingDivisive50

draggy middle, brisk final act

CharactersDivisive45

underwritten roles, thin motivations, some clichés

DialogueDivisive42

thudding, on-the-nose, unnatural lines

OriginalityDivisive40

seen-before Ordinary People / grief-drama formula

Plot and storyDivisive35

convenient, implausible turns, sluggish pacing

Preferred by

Critics vs users

Preferred by Users

Users scored it 14 points higher than critics.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 8 points apart
  • US vs non-US 7 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Greatest like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and uplifting: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be moved and come out lifted.

It takes its time and leaves you hopeful. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Moving and uplifting.

Moods
MelancholicBittersweetHopeful
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Tender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its material straight, treating grief and healing with earnest gravity.
The rideThe film opens in grief, builds through tension, and resolves with tentative hope, with the emotional weight concentrated near the end.
StructureThe story unfolds in a straightforward chronological order, following the family's grief and gradual healing over months.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Hopeful.

The answer rests on this: HopefulBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayThe film balances grief with the possibility of healing, leaving a sense of hope tempered by loss.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).RebirthHealing
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% (this title) · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Healing: Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).

13% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeA grieving family is brought back together by the arrival of a pregnant stranger, following a rebirth arc of healing from trauma.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfGriefSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% (this title) · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% (this title) · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

Grief · 6% of filmsFamily bondsForgiveness · 1% of films
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on how a family navigates overwhelming loss and slowly finds a way to reconnect.
StanceThe film affirms the possibility of healing and family connection emerging from grief; it celebrates the restorative power of human bonds.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanDomesticRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Christophe Beck
SettingA suburban family home in contemporary New York
MusicChristophe Beck's score underscores the emotional beats of the drama.

Content guide

Is The Greatest okay for kids?

R

The Greatest is rated R: “Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use” (MPAA). As of August 31, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (33/100), sexual content at moderate (56/100), language at intense (60/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (44/100) and frightening material at mild (33/100). Its violence, language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Ratings in 7 other countries
  • Germany12
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea15
  • PortugalM/12
  • Spain7
  • Sweden11
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Mild
too few votes to rank (3 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 66%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (5 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
too few votes to rank (3 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (3 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (26 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Greatest have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Greatest?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Pierce Brosnan
as Allen Brewer
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Susan Sarandon
as Grace Brewer
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Carey Mulligan
as Rose
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
as Bennett Brewer
newcomer then · star now
Johnny Simmons
as Ryan Brewer
Kevin Hagan
as Priest
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Amy Morton
as Lydia
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Deirdre O'Connell
as Joyce
Miles Robbins
as Sean Brewer
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Cara Seymour
as Janis

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Greatest?

Movies like The Greatest include A Good Person (2023), Indian Summer (1993) and Stepmom (1998). Of the 12 closest matches, several are films about forgiveness, and most are stories of healing.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

9 of these 12 share its subject: grief. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Greatest?

7K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: found family. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.