Netflix Just Added the Bryan Cranston & Jennifer Garner Film Almost Everyone Missed
When it comes to Emmy-winning Bryan Cranston, consider me a huge fan. Whether he’s prancing around in tighty whities as Hal in Malcom in the Middleor putting himself in the worst-case scenarios as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Cranston has proven he can master both comedy and drama and leave a lasting impression on millions of viewers. So call it a fluke that roughly 10 years ago, he starred alongside Jennifer Garner (Juno, Alias) in a movie that by many standards is considered a box-office flop, despite being “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes.
Well, if you’re someone who didn’t see the awkwardly captivating drama in theaters when it was released, you can stream it on Netflix as of February 19. So what’s the movie?
Bryan Cranston’s 'Wakefield' Is Streaming on Netflix
In 2017, Cranston and Garner’s Wakefield debuted in US theaters. The indie film was technically a drama, but had its comedic moments. Here’s an official synopsis of the movie from distributor IFC Films:
“What would your life look like without you in it? Outwardly, Howard Wakefield (Bryan Cranston) is the picture of success. He has a loving wife (Jennifer Garner) and two daughters, a prestigious job as a Manhattan lawyer, and a comfortable home in the suburbs. Inwardly, though, he’s suffocating.
“One day, something snaps, and Howard goes into hiding in his garage attic. Leaving his family to wonder what happened to him, he observes them from the attic window—an outsider spying in on his own life. As the days of self-imposed isolation stretch into months, Howard begins to wonder: is it even possible to go back to the way things were? Driven by a tour de force, darkly comic performance from Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, Wakefield is a provocative look at what it means to walk away from it all.”
Critics Widely Loved 'Wakefield'
According to the Los Angeles Times, Wakefield was made with a budget of $3.7 million. However, according to Box Office Mojo, it only earned $262,599 domestically and $798,214 worldwide. Unfortunately, that means the movie was a box office flop.
Don’t let the fact that the film went pretty undiscovered in theaters deter you from streaming it. Again, the movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 74% (as of publication). Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said, “Cranston once again displays a nearly unparalleled ability to make us like and care about men who are selfish and impetuous and reckless — yet still seem to have a core of decency buried deep within.”
Chris Nashawaty, formerly of Entertainment Weekly, commented, “Cranston is utterly hypnotic as a certain kind of American male on the verge of a nervous breakdown.” And Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times noted, “Wakefield remains oddly watchable, like a Cheever-esque '60s-era suburban melodrama that's slick, unreal, yet has a burrowing drive.”
Once more, Wakefield is now streaming on Netflix for subscribers.
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