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Tennessee

Play trailer Poster for Tennessee R 2009 1h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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35% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Years after escaping the clutches of his alcoholic father, cabdriver Carter (Adam Rothenberg) hears that Ellis (Ethan Peck), the brother he has raised as a son, has leukemia. In desperate need of a suitable bone-marrow donor, Carter and Ellis set off on a solemn drive from New Mexico to Knoxville, Tenn., in hopes of finding their errant father. Along the way, the two befriend truck-stop waitress Krystal (Mariah Carey), who joins them on the road -- with her own dark past in hot pursuit.

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Tennessee

Tennessee

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Despite some beautiful scenery, Tennessee can't extend its simple premise beyond typical independent road trip movie tropes.

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Critics Reviews

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Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News Jun 5, 2009
2/5
The good news for Carey is that she gets to prove she's a pretty decent actress after all. The bad news, of course, is that she's done it in a movie no one has any other reason to see. Go to Full Review New York Post Jun 5, 2009
1/4
Two brothers slowly make their way from New Mexico back to their home in Tennessee in a watery indie drama. Go to Full Review Rafer Guzman Newsday Jun 5, 2009
2/4
As a Texas waitress, Carey is convincing -- more so than the film itself. Go to Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Jun 15, 2009
4.25/10
Has beautiful scenery and brief suspense, but that's not nearly enough to keep you immersed or captivated in the often contrived story or any of its poorly developed characters. Go to Full Review Clay Cane BET.com Jun 10, 2009
C-
So the big question is -- how was Mariah? Surprisingly, Mrs. Cannon was the light in an otherwise morbid and boring film. She had flair, swagger and a convincing Texas accent. Go to Full Review Ben Lyons At the Movies Jun 8, 2009
The problem with the film is that it is depressing for no real reason. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Cameron M @RT65541805 Oct 23, 2015 With a sluggish pace and little invention to its premise it won't stand out much against other indie roadtrip flicks, but Tennessee is held aloft by it's leads (including Mariah Carey showing a grand improvement in her acting), ravishingly filmed environment and its emotionally human center with a moving ending. See more Feb 8, 2013 (**): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] Very predictable and it lost my attention as it went along. See more Sep 2, 2012 One hell of good movie starring Mariah Carey , Ethan Peck and Adam Rothenberg. Two brothers in search of their father meet an aspiring singer who helps get to Nashville . See more Feb 26, 2012 Even though this movie is totally depressing it proves that Mariah Carey is actually a good actress. I'm going to finish watching just to see how she does. See more Jan 6, 2012 Guilt-free pause-and-never-resume flick. See more May 11, 2011 I liked it! Good movie! See more Read all reviews
Tennessee

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Cast & Crew

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Aaron Woodley

Director

Adam Rothenberg

Carter

Ethan Peck

Ellis

Mariah Carey

Krystal

Lance Reddick

Frank

Ryan Lynn

Carter - age 18

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Tennessee

Tennessee (2008) Tennessee (2008) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Years after escaping the clutches of his alcoholic father, cabdriver Carter (Adam Rothenberg) hears that Ellis (Ethan Peck), the brother he has raised as a son, has leukemia. In desperate need of a suitable bone-marrow donor, Carter and Ellis set off on a solemn drive from New Mexico to Knoxville, Tenn., in hopes of finding their errant father. Along the way, the two befriend truck-stop waitress Krystal (Mariah Carey), who joins them on the road -- with her own dark past in hot pursuit.
Director
Aaron Woodley
Producer
Lee Daniels
Screenwriter
Russell Schaumburg
Distributor
Vivendi Entertainment
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 5, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 17, 2017
Runtime
1h 39m
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