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Cowboys

Play trailer 1:46 Poster for Cowboys 2021 1h 23m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Steve Zahn stars as Troy, a troubled but well-intentioned father who has recently separated from his wife Sally (Jillian Bell). Aghast at Sally's refusal to let their trans son Joe (Sasha Knight) live as his authentic self, Troy runs off with Joe into the Montana wilderness. Meanwhile, police detective (Ann Dowd) pursues them, but her resolve about the case is tested the more she learns about Joe's family. COWBOYS, a modern day Western from director Anna Kerrigan, is a tale of rescue, family betrayal and a father and son on the run.
Cowboys

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Cowboys explores emotionally charged themes with a steady hand, highlighting the humanity of its characters in a story of fraught family dynamics and gender identity.

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Critics Reviews

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Donald Clarke Irish Times 05/15/2021
3/5
Gets by on goodwill and a passion for compromised Americana. Only a lowdown dirty heel would cuss it out. Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review 05/10/2021
Low-key in all the ways it needed to be. But I laughed, I cried and I really enjoyed it. Go to Full Review
Wendy Ide Observer (UK) 05/09/2021
2/5
Comic actors Steve Zahn and Jillian Bell are uncharacteristically earnest in this achingly well-intentioned but thuddingly heavy-handed family drama. Go to Full Review
William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews 07/11/2024
3/5
Well-intentioned and heartfelt, Cowboys ultimately takes on too many genres and tones, which leaves it feeling slightly misdirected. Go to Full Review
Sam Moore Vague Visages 06/05/2024
Joe’s backstory allows Cowboys to explore the difficulty of being young and trans, but never in a way that feels exploitative. Go to Full Review
Michael Cuby them. 09/27/2022
Cowboys can be heartbreaking, but it also feels fitting for the times. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Nicolas B @xof_flow 6d Very nice movie! Watching it, it felt like a movie made for the sake of making a movie. Which is all right! It didn't feel to have much passion put into it, but it was still an entertaining and enjoyable watch. There were moments in the movie that felt very out-of-place, and there were moments in the movie that made me never want to put it down. Joe was okay trans rep! Very appreciative of him. There is one scene in which he is toy shopping with his mother and he picks out more traditionally male toys. His mother attempts to hand him a doll instead. I'm sure this has happened to many trans children before, and it's not what the film intended to get across, but it felt a little like it was defining gender as interests rather than an internal sense of self. Not a big issue--just a little scene, and he was really good representation in other ways! The mother wasn't over-the-top. She was realistic. Nitpick: Scene where Joe cuts his hair is impossible. Too little time for that haircut. See more Gabe D @CornStarchByTheSpoonful Dec 6 This movie was so good. I’m a sucker for a good father/son relationship. I love the interactions between the characters and the relationship between Joe and his dad. Great trans rep with realistic character interactions. The way Joe acted when he first tried on boys clothes is something that resonated with me on a personal level. The tension in him and his mom’s relationship is so relatable and it shows how a transition isn't just some easy thing and encapsulates the hardships that comes with it. Overall a great movie and I highly recommend it. See more Alejandro E @Alex970 12/28/2023 Como filme independiente, aborda de manera correcta un tema sensible como lo es la confusión de género y la aceptación del mismo sin señalamientos morales. Es lo mejor que se podría decir a su favor. See more PridePosterStudios 09/20/2023 A queer cowboy film of the not-traumatic variety See more Ric O 05/04/2023 It has a lot of heart and delivers the right message but it tries too hard during the third act. See more isla s 09/02/2022 I thought this was quite a well made, somewhat low key film about a serious theme, transitioning youngsters. The theme was handled sensitively, I felt. The cast do well and there's some thought provoking moments, definitely. Its a good film that I'd recommend, yes. See more Read all reviews
Cowboys

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Movie Info

Synopsis Steve Zahn stars as Troy, a troubled but well-intentioned father who has recently separated from his wife Sally (Jillian Bell). Aghast at Sally's refusal to let their trans son Joe (Sasha Knight) live as his authentic self, Troy runs off with Joe into the Montana wilderness. Meanwhile, police detective (Ann Dowd) pursues them, but her resolve about the case is tested the more she learns about Joe's family. COWBOYS, a modern day Western from director Anna Kerrigan, is a tale of rescue, family betrayal and a father and son on the run.
Director
Anna Kerrigan
Producer
Gigi Graff, Anna Kerrigan, Chris Parker, Dylan Sellers
Screenwriter
Anna Kerrigan
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 12, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2021
Runtime
1h 23m