The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

67% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(1,709 ratings)

Dreams die hard in wintry Atlantic City in Bob Rafelson's downbeat character drama. Depressive deejay David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) tends to his grandfather as he philosophizes on late-night Philadelphia talk radio. When his huckster older brother Jason (Bruce Dern) calls out of the blue one day,… More Dreams die hard in wintry Atlantic City in Bob Rafelson's downbeat character drama. Depressive deejay David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) tends to his grandfather as he philosophizes on late-night Philadelphia talk radio. When his huckster older brother Jason (Bruce Dern) calls out of the blue one day, David travels to Atlantic City to see what his latest easy money scheme is. Along with his former beauty queen companion Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her pretty stepdaughter Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), Jason plans to open a resort on a small Hawaiian island, insisting to an initially skeptical David that the deal is as good as done. David plays along but, as he learns the reality of the situation, tries to talk some sense into Jason. Jason and his women will have none of it, leading to a tragic lesson about the cost of superficial values like beauty and wealth, and the limits of brotherly love. Rafelson's follow-up to his 1970 hit Five Easy Pieces once again questions American myths of success, with one brother unwilling to come to earth to realize his dreams and the other unable to do much beyond talk about his inertia to an unseen radio audience. With Five Easy Pieces star Nicholson as the introverted lead, and impressive cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs, The King of Marvin Gardens had the makings of another Hollywood New Wave hit. The response, however, was not what stumbling BBS Productions hoped, as Columbia barely supported the film and 1972 audiences were not as responsive to Rafelson's second exploration of contemporary alienation. The King of Marvin Gardens' artful depiction of disillusionment roots it firmly in the 1970s Hollywood art cinema, and its failure became one more sign of that cycle's popular limits. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Bob Rafelson
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 12, 1972 Wide
On DVD: Apr 25, 2000

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Admirers of director Bob Rafelson's previous feature, Five Easy Pieces, will be stunned by the tedious pretensions of his newest effort.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The film is talky and often abrasive, but it sticks in the mind.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Bob Rafelson's The King of Marvin Gardens is a perversely satisfying movie -- it works after going out of its way not to -- and a very eccentric one.
Roger Greenspun, New York Times
Rafelson's kind of poetic realism, an accuracy in the treatment of unexpected settings, looked like quality to some in Five Easy Pieces two years back. Now it looks like the most pretentious of tired clichés.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Rafelson relies heavily on overt symbolism and visual metaphor, which provides plenty of food for thought for the literary-minded, but also tends to weigh down the narrative and make it feel more heavy-handed than it should
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
A worthwhile Rafelson outing with striking photography by Laszlo Kovacs
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Alternately dreary and fascinating.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
One of the most underrated films of the decade.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Memorable performances from the players, including Ellen Burstyn as a psychotic girlfriend of Dern's.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Irresistible. It was a bitterly odd pic that offered an Atlantic City scenario that had no saltwater taffy to sweeten the taste.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
One of those interesting, well-acted chamber dramas at which 1970s Hollywood excelled.
David Poland, Hot Button
Film Studies 101
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
This film about one man's quest for the easy road to Boardwalk is a bleak meditation on the American dream, with an edgy performance by Jack Nicolson.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Graham J

Ellen Burstyn is crazy (as usual)
Lucas M

O reencontro de dois irmÃ£os. As diferenÃ§as de suas personalidades e os planos que fazem para permanecer mais juntos. Uma estranha visÃ£o sobre ÃÂ familia. Sombrio.
Conner R

Easily one of the most overlooked movies of the 70s. This has such a brave finale that completely changes the entire plot, character motives and mood of the movie. Bob Rafelson takes a story about two estranged brothers and turns it into something so much more engaging and memorable.… More
Easily one of the most overlooked movies of the 70s. This has such a brave finale that completely changes the entire plot, character motives and mood of the movie. Bob Rafelson takes a story about two estranged brothers and turns it into something so much more engaging and memorable. Knowing Jack Nicolson, it's almost bizarre not to see him have multiple freak outs in a movie, especially during his 70s era of acting. He plays a really introspective and reserved character that honestly ends up being just as admirable as his more famous ones. Who really does end up completely dominating the movie is a completely unsuspecting Ellen Burstyn. When you think of character development, there is no better example than her in this movie. To see her go from a seemingly jolly and upbeat person into a train wreck of doom is an event you can't miss. This has all the great cinematography and direction that Bob Rafelson had with Five Easy Pieces, but this is a completely different take on America.
AJ V

A very deep, intense, dramatic movie with a great story and brilliant actors. I loved this movie, and I highly recommend it.
Michael G

The King of Marvin Gardens is a seriously underrated gem from an era where Jack Nicholson was at his peak. Between Bob Fafelson's direction and the entire cast's performances (especially Ellen Burstyn in an increasingly batshit crazy turn as a fading glamour queen) its… More
The King of Marvin Gardens is a seriously underrated gem from an era where Jack Nicholson was at his peak. Between Bob Fafelson's direction and the entire cast's performances (especially Ellen Burstyn in an increasingly batshit crazy turn as a fading glamour queen) its almost impossible to see why this movie never really got its due. Admittedly there are stretches where The King of Marvin Gardens feels like a fever dream or reading a novel with some of the more important pages torn out but its so worth the ride. Especially for the opening and closing scenes.