AllMovie

A dysfunctional New England family experience heartache and healing over a transformative Memorial Day weekend in 1984 in this poignant comedy drama inspired by Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. Elizabeth (Allison Janney) is a famous movie star who's taking a break from her hectic schedule to visit her sickly brother (William Hurt) and her family at their rural New England home. Together with her younger lover Peter, Elizabeth arrives at the scenic lakeside home to find her brother's health has taken a turn for the worse. He's only got a year to live, and he's determined to squeeze a lifetime of fun into his last few months. Meanwhile Elizabeth's son (Ben Whishaw), a talented artist, seeks inspiration from his muse (Juliet Rylance), and the family doctor (Jean Reno) strives to make his ailing patient as comfortable as possible as he prepares for the inevitable. With the caretaker (Michael Nyqvist), his wife (Cherry Jones), their mercurial daughter (Katie Holmes) and her husband (Mark Rylance) also present, the stage is set for an eventful holiday weekend as a bald eagle raises its young nearby.