Ironweed (1987): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1987, Ironweed is a drama film directed by Héctor Babenco, running about 143 minutes. “Hard times and Good times. Francis and Helen.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Albany, New York, Halloween, 1938. Francis Phelan and Helen Archer are bums, back in their birth city. She was a singer on the radio, he a major league pitcher. Death surrounds them: she's sick, a pal has cancer, he digs graves at the cemetery and visits the grave of his infant son whom he dropped; visions of his past haunt him, including ghosts of two men he killed. That night, out drinking, Helen tries to sing at a bar. Next day, Fran visits his wife and children and meets a grandson. He could stay, but decides it's not for him. Helen gets their things out of storage and finds a hotel. Amidst their mistakes and dereliction, the film explores their code of fairness and loyalty.

Who’s in it. Ironweed stars Jack Nicholson as Francis Phelan, Meryl Streep as Helen Archer, Carroll Baker as Annie Phelan and Tom Waits as Rudy, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.3/10, Ironweed has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $7.3M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Ironweed page.

If you liked it. Fans of Ironweed tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.