Ithaca (2015): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2015, Ithaca is a drama film directed by Meg Ryan, running about 96 minutes. “One message will change everything.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In a small town in California's San Joaquin Valley, 14-year-old Homer Macauley is determined to be the best and fastest bicycle telegraph messenger anyone has ever seen. His older brother has gone to war, leaving Homer to look after his widowed mother, his older sister and his 4-year-old brother, Ulysses. And so it is that as spring turns to summer, 1942, Homer Macauley delivers messages of love, hope, pain... and death... to the good people of Ithaca. And Homer Macauley will grapple with one message that will change him forever - from a boy into a man. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan's 1943 novel, The Human Comedy, ITHACA is the quintessential wartime tale of the Home Front. It is a coming-of-age story about the exuberance of youth, the sweetness of life, the sting of death and the modesty and sheer goodness that lives in each and every one of us.

Who’s in it. Ithaca stars Sam Shepard as Willie Grogan, Hamish Linklater as Tom Spangler, Alex Neustaedter as Homer and Meg Ryan as Mrs. Macauley, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, Ithaca has proved divisive with audiences.

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 Ithaca page.

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