Joe Pantoliano, Marcia Gay Harden, Devon Gearhart

John Marino is a Florida construction worker struggling to make ends meet, while bringing up his son, Chris, and dealing with the increasing irrationality of Mary, his schizophrenic wife. For Chris, h...( read more  read more... )is mother's erratic behavior begins to have negative consequences at school. And, after Mary's hospitalization, a lonely John begins to build a sailboat that recalls a happier time in his life. Underlying the relationship between father and son is the belief that Mary will be better and the fear that she never will.

Flixster Users

66% liked it

123 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

25 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Joseph Greco

Release Date: October 12, 2007

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: January 29, 2008

Get It:

Stats: 68 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (68)


  • May 12, 2008
    I never understood why people wanna make telemovies and do well at it. For me, everyone should go for a full-punch theatrical release and screw the telemovie aim-lows.
  • March 12, 2008
    Canvas is kind of a mess of a movie with some really good qualities about it. Sadly the film's good doesn't make up for what's bad about the film.
    To start with what's good about the film is the reliable and hugely underrated Joe Pantoliano giving another great performance and d...( read more)irector Joseph Greco has a good story here. Now the problem is that Greco is a much better writer then a director. There's a lot of problems with the editing and the score is really distracting and quite simply bad. However I think the biggest problem is as good an actress Marcia Gay Harden maybe she's terribly miscast here. Yes I know it's difficult to play someone with a mental disease but it's so over the top and felt so unconvincing that it really messes up the entire film.
    It's alright but you can't help but feel upset knowing that there's a great film hiding under a slightly above average TV movie.
  • September 20, 2009
    I really want to see this film. I have heard it portrays mental illness verywell ...
  • July 4, 2009
    Film festival berkualitas yg mengupas kehidupan seorang penderita schizofrenia. Seorang ibu yang mengalami gangguan ini, seorang ayah yang mencintai keluarganya, dan seorang anak yang sedang bertumbuh diantara teman2 sebaya nya. Benar2 kisah yang menyentuh
  • March 23, 2009
    people actually like this crap?

    what idiots.
  • December 10, 2008
    Wonderful movie that people will have to get on DVD. Should have been up for an Oscar last year.
  • October 7, 2008
    This story of a family dealing with the mental illness of the mom played by Marsha Gay Harden is slow-moving though I will say her performance was very believable and to be noted. The father (Joe Pantaliano) struggles between trying to hold a job and the grief of missing the wif...( read more)e he once had and caring for their son. The son played sweetly by Devon Gearhart is missing the mom he once had as well, struggling with his embarrassment of her and being teased at school because of her and because of his father too, who has taken to building a boat in their front yard to help him deal with his own issues. Struggling with a family member with mental illness is what this is about, but more importantly how to find some hope and happiness & support one another in the midst of it. The film itself is a fair one at best but the intent of the film was noteworthy.
  • July 12, 2008
    Amazing movie. Sad story. Really nice movie. So awesome. I thought it was insane that the kid got people to pay him 40 dollars for a shirt. This movie was great.
  • June 28, 2008
    Exaggerated perf from Marcia Gay Harden!
  • April 6, 2008
    heartwarming family movie that accurately depicts the hardships of schizophrenia

Critic Reviews


October 12, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Canvas is a serious film about mental illness and a sentimental heartwarmer, and succeeds in both ways. full review

View more Canvas reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Canvas" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings


Canvas Trivia


  • Whitch movie has Graham Phillips in it staring as Jordan ??  Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Canvas. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?