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Blue Jay

Play trailer Poster for Blue Jay 2016 1h 25m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Former high school sweethearts Jim and Amanda have been out of touch for more than 20 years -- but they run into each other at a grocery store back in their alpine hometown of Crestline, Calif. Jim's mother has died, and he's here to put her house on the market. Amanda is visiting her pregnant sister. They get to talking, first over coffee, then over beer and jellybeans. Before they know it they're at Jim's mother's house, where everything sends them spiraling back into the past.
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Blue Jay

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Critics Consensus

Blue Jay's song will warm the soul of any hopeless romantic who loves trips down memory lane, impromptu dance scenes, and naturally performed two-handers.

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times Oct 13, 2016
If the first hour or so of "Blue Jay" were anywhere near as compelling as its last 15 minutes, the film could have proved quite a special little experience. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com Oct 7, 2016
3/4
A gentle, genuine trip down memory lane that features one of our best actresses in the kind of role she doesn't get to play that often. Go to Full Review Alonso Duralde TheWrap Oct 6, 2016
It's to the credit of both the movie and its stars that the easy sense of naturalism isn't undone by the eventual revelations. These people are believable, and so are their conversations, and so is their shared past. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Aug 1, 2023
B
It's all so believable. Go to Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Aug 19, 2022
4/5
Director Alex Lehmann wisely keeps himself in the background and allows his two actors to carry the load. Duplass and Paulson have a convincing chemistry and there is an organic flowing rhythm to their dialogue. Go to Full Review Rahul Desai The Hindu Jul 20, 2022
A tale of deflected soulmates... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Megan E @RT75001600 May 4, 2026 Sadly, this was trite. It tried too hard to connect the current to a dredged up past. Storyline and outcome was a cookie-cutter of a thousand "romantic" films. See more David D @RT61830678 Mar 25, 2025 For me it was cathartic. Great acting from both Paulson and Duplass. low key at first even maybe a bit slow, but it builds up as the story / back story comes up. The emotions are raw, the acting enhance them. I dont want to tell too much about it, but the last third of the movie, with how and why their teenage romance ended was very "real". That gave it a 5 stars for me. And i'll be watching it again. See more Justin V @RT90662955 Oct 4, 2024 A realistic story of 2 adults who still need to learn how to be themselves. See more J M @jeffmarshallmovieblogger Feb 11, 2024 Sarah Paulson always wonderful, but very slight story, and not the most engaging of characters. Not bad. -Jeff Marshall, Movie Blogger (Facebook) See more Ava M @RT57916382 Jan 6, 2024 You had me at Sara Paulson amd she dis not disappoint. The man was AMAZING too. This is my first review, so forgive me. But I loved it so much I said "I'm going to go leave a review" in an impromptu manner. It was that good. See more Leah S @Mssanta Nov 9, 2023 Loved it. Both actors do a convincing job portraying adults who have regrets. You can imagine them as teen-aged lovebirds. No flashbacks required. Kooky and smart and heartwarming. The synopsis, however, gave away the specific regret. Still well done. See more Read all reviews
Blue Jay

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Cast & Crew

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Alex Lehmann

Director

Mark Duplass

Jim

Sarah Paulson

Amanda

Mark Duplass

Screenwriter

Mel Eslyn

Producer

Xan Aranda

Producer

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Blue Jay

Blue Jay (2016) Blue Jay (2016) (L-R) Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in "Blue Jay." (L-R) Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in "Blue Jay." Sarah Paulson as Amanda in "Blue Jay." (L-R) Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in "Blue Jay." (L-R) Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in "Blue Jay." (L-R) Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in "Blue Jay." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Former high school sweethearts Jim and Amanda have been out of touch for more than 20 years -- but they run into each other at a grocery store back in their alpine hometown of Crestline, Calif. Jim's mother has died, and he's here to put her house on the market. Amanda is visiting her pregnant sister. They get to talking, first over coffee, then over beer and jellybeans. Before they know it they're at Jim's mother's house, where everything sends them spiraling back into the past.
Director
Alex Lehmann
Producer
Mel Eslyn, Xan Aranda
Screenwriter
Mark Duplass
Distributor
The Orchard
Production Co
Duplass Brothers, The Orchard, Netflix
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 7, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.2K
Runtime
1h 25m
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