Of Mice and Men (1992)

96% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(45,022 ratings)

Gary Sinese directed this respectful re-telling of John Steinbeck's classic novel, with Sinese as the wily George and John Malkovich as the brutish, simple-minded Lennie. Set during the Depression era, the film opens as George and Lennie are running from a woman with a torn dress, who has sent a… More Gary Sinese directed this respectful re-telling of John Steinbeck's classic novel, with Sinese as the wily George and John Malkovich as the brutish, simple-minded Lennie. Set during the Depression era, the film opens as George and Lennie are running from a woman with a torn dress, who has sent a gang of ruffians to chase the two out of the county. After a long bus ride and a ten-mile walk, George and Lennie arrive at a migrant farm in California's San Joaquin Valley, where they seek work. George dreams of putting together enough money to buy a small piece of land where he and Lennie can build a home; he hopes that in California the two can realize their dream. Unfortunately, the foreman of the ranch, Curley (Casey Siemaszko), enjoys tormenting Lennie, while Curley's frustrated wife (Sherilyn Fenn) entices Lennie with her sexual allure. George warns Lennie to steer clear of Curley's wife, but Lennie follows her to a barn where a tragedy occurs and George and Lennie's dreams are shattered. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Gary Sinise
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 2, 1992 Wide
On DVD: Nov 6, 2001
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
Well-mounted and very traditional, Of Mice and Men honorably serves John Steinbeck's classic story of two Depression-era drifters without bringing anything new to it.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Of Mice and Men is a mournful, distantly heard lament for the loss of American innocence.
Megan Rosenfeld, Washington Post
Happily, director/star/co-producer Gary Sinise has approached it not with the awe of an English professor, but with the practical eye of a craftsman: Here are solid characters, a taut and emotional story, a beginning, a middle and a wrenching end.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I would not have thought I could believe the line about the rabbits one more time, but this movie made me do it, as Lennie asks about the farm they'll own one day, and George says, yes, it will be just as they've imagined it.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The great pleasure of this movie is in what performers Sinise and John Malkovich, Ray Walton and others do with it; what director Sinise does with it; and, perhaps most important, what screenwriter Horton Foote does with it.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
The new film version of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is lyrical, stirring, and beautifully acted -- a seamless adaptation of a novel many will recall with almost too much familiarity.
Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media
Elegant adaptation of Steinbeck's classic novel.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Superb Steinbeck adaptation that gets at the meat of the tale.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Fine, studied treatment by Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
, Time Out
It's hard ... to believe Malkovich's shamble and gape, a simian variant on Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man.
James Plath, Reel.com
Like Legends of the Fall, the film blends beautiful cinematography with a Tennessee Williams-style slow-simmering narrative of loneliness and companionship
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
Nothing like a couple of acting gods attacking one of the classics.
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Outstanding adaptation of the Steinbeck novel
Clint Morris, Moviehole
Sinise has captured the magic and wonder of the first film.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Wildaly M

Good adaptation but I definitely prefer the book.
Kristijonas F

A captivating film about the value of friendship during even the harshest of times. Inspired performances from both Gary Sinise and John Malkovich aid in making this adaptation an instant-classic.
Spencer S

Gary Sinise and John Malkovich are perfect, but the obsessiveness and strange use of pauses irks me.
KJ P

Astonishing! I loved the book. It is one of the few books that I have gone through in school, and actually liked. The movie made it that much better. The characters were portrayed perfectly. The execution was amazing and sad, and I was left 100% satisfied!
Conner R

A completely faithful adaption of Steinbeck's classic. It has an incredible performance from John Malkovich as Lenny and a good effort from Gary Sinise. While the music and production value is a little cheesy, it doesn't seem to hurt the enjoyable nature of the film.
Randy T

An interesting adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel, highlighted by strong performances from Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
Jason O

I had to read Of Mice and Men in high school and I liked the book so I figured I would watch the movie one day. Very few movies even come close to being as good as the book, but Of Mice and Men is an exception. Gary Sinise and John Malkovich play great roles as Lenny and George in the… More
I had to read Of Mice and Men in high school and I liked the book so I figured I would watch the movie one day. Very few movies even come close to being as good as the book, but Of Mice and Men is an exception. Gary Sinise and John Malkovich play great roles as Lenny and George in the movie as do the ones that play Slim, Candy, and Curley. Gary Sinise couldn't have done a much better job directing the movie to be just like the book. Of Mice and Men is one of the best novel to movie translations ever. If you liked the book and even if you haven't ever read it, this is one movie worth getting anytime. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. You know how you always dread having to read books for a class in high school? Well, the book was short, but at the end I was wishing it'd been longer...same for this movie! Both are great - excellent adaptation.
moon r

a well done effort here, if only because the producers reached so high in attempting steinbeck's classic consideration of what could be most important after we take care of the basics, like survival...how we care for each other? sinise is better than i first thought he could be,… More
a well done effort here, if only because the producers reached so high in attempting steinbeck's classic consideration of what could be most important after we take care of the basics, like survival...how we care for each other? sinise is better than i first thought he could be, and walston is always a fine addition to any work he is in, but this is malkovich's show as he literally shines as the simple lenny...
Chris W

An entertaining and decent adaptation, but far from being the best. The performances and the cast are what make this movie.
Film C

its ok its interesting and gives you a look at what it was like back then but the ending is a bit rushed i felt but diffenertly worth a watch
Jennifer X

gary sinise is AMAAZINg in this movie. one of the few movies that can make me cry.
Red L

my kind of movie again
David O

It was OK but I was a little unsatisfied by how it was adapted into the movie
Stephen E

A faithful adaptation of the classic novel, but I felt that John Malkovich might've over-exaggerated the Lenny character a bit. I had trouble watching him.
Joseph E

A little slow, but enjoyable. maybe, just not the whole film entirely is enjoyable.
Stephen E

A faithful adaptation of the classic novel, but I felt that John Malkovich might've over-exaggerated the Lenny character a bit. I had trouble watching him.
Bill C

Perfect casting of two extraordinary actors Malkovich and Sinise. A picture that captures the full spectrum of being a male, in fact I’ve never met a woman who liked this movie and most won’t even sit through it. Sinise plays George the intellect and Malkovich plays Lennie the feeble… More
Perfect casting of two extraordinary actors Malkovich and Sinise. A picture that captures the full spectrum of being a male, in fact I’ve never met a woman who liked this movie and most won’t even sit through it. Sinise plays George the intellect and Malkovich plays Lennie the feeble minded giant driven by his emotions. They are migrant workers in the great depression and they travel about trying to make a living. Sinise’s affection for Malkovich keep them together, but he is still held back by his reserved demeanor, lack of self confidence and a little bit of self loathing.. Lennie is happy every day and unburdened by the trial and tribulation of life, he is happy working or playing with puppies. A true Zen oneness of being. The other characters are all representation of male existence.
Andrew P

A film which compliments it's source material. It's a beautifully shot film from a great great book, however I don't think it translates into the medium of film as well as people thought it would. It feels like a film about nothing for ages and while it looks and feels… More
A film which compliments it's source material. It's a beautifully shot film from a great great book, however I don't think it translates into the medium of film as well as people thought it would. It feels like a film about nothing for ages and while it looks and feels authentic for the period it was in, I would have liked to have seen this film just not this story....I don't think I'm explaining it well enough. But its a good film with great performances, a must see for people who have read the book.
Simeon D

This is an exact adaptation of Steinbeck's classic novel, for the better or the worse. 11/100
Erin C

Such a sweet story about friendship. Very sad ending though! Malkovich was amazing, as usual.