The Oath

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1:53

The Oath

R

2018

1h 33m

Holiday

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

When Chris, a high-strung news junkie, and his more levelheaded wife learn that citizens are being asked to sign a loyalty oath to the president, their reaction is disbelief. As the Thanksgiving deadline to sign approaches, the combination of sparring relatives, Chris' own agitation and the unexpected arrival of two government agents sends an already tense holiday gathering completely off the rails.

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Critics Consensus

The Oath draws on hyper-partisan modern politics for a pointedly funny satire that hits its targets hard and often enough to more than achieve its desired discomfort.

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Tom Russo

Boston Globe

Oct 24, 2018

1/4

[Barinholtz] lacks storytelling chops, aiming for wildly provocative satire but instead churning out a technically spotty screed.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Oct 19, 2018

The Oath appears to crave several things at once, all diametrically opposed.

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Adam Graham

Detroit News

Oct 19, 2018

C+

"The Oath" has a sharp tongue and plenty to say about our times. It's just too bad it can't finish the conversation.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Mar 1, 2021

2.5/5

Skims the surface of how divisive politics drives wedges between friends and family but tends to lean toward broad comedy to make its point rather than insight.

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Margot Harrison

Seven Days (VT)

Nov 4, 2020

2.5/5

Writer-director Barinholtz does a good job of spinning a disturbingly plausible premise into a nightmare, but he somehow manages to map our national divisions without shedding useful light on them.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Oct 22, 2020

It works for the most part, and captures the tenor of an era when "divisive" politics have grown bad enough to break up friendships, families, and quite possibly our status as a democratic republic.

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Tim O

@RT56534900 Dec 4, 2025

I'm not sure _why_ I thought this'd be anything but a mess, but... It was tagged 'Thanksgiving', and on a few lists for the holiday, so... wth. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Yea, just another cheezball hollywood strawman fantasy. Delivered with full volume ranting, frothing & outrage. Hilariously, all in _2018_, well before the litany of real "entertainments" 'n "interesting times" we had inbound... 😂

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Jeremy B

@JeremyBarton83 Nov 29, 2024

The first hour or so is really entertaining and the satire is pretty on point. Unfortunately, it falls apart in the third act as it goes in a wildly different direction. I thought the last hour was also good in a dark comedy way, but it felt like a different movie from what they started with. It wasn't bad. It was just uneven.

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Schwinnilla C

@RT20651491 Nov 24, 2024

interesting script that is relevant because of the divisive times we're living in...not much of a budget, basic set design, uninspired cinematography, and some of the acting was downright awful BUT it had some wonderful "truths"

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Alec B

@Alec97 Jan 5, 2024

On the one hand I admire Barinholtz for trying to grapple with the deep seated rage and resentment festering in the heart of America, but he doesn't appear to have figured out how to coherently address it here. The movie is all over the place and the ending offers a resolution that is too simplistic.

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darren m

@DarrenM Aug 1, 2023

A masterpiece. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't get its meaning.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Feb 19, 2023

The Oath isn't funny at all - but it does pick at the scab of political tribalism in America pretty well. The language is so bad that it's ineffective. Could've done more work on what was dividing americans than having a general 'oath' that people were signing.

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Ike Barinholtz

Director

Ike Barinholtz

Chris

Tiffany Haddish

Kai

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Synopsis

When Chris, a high-strung news junkie, and his more levelheaded wife learn that citizens are being asked to sign a loyalty oath to the president, their reaction is disbelief. As the Thanksgiving deadline to sign approaches, the combination of sparring relatives, Chris' own agitation and the unexpected arrival of two government agents sends an already tense holiday gathering completely off the rails.

Director: Ike Barinholtz
Producer: Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Andrew C. Robinson
Screenwriter: Ike Barinholtz
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: QC Entertainment, Sony Pictures
Rating: R (Some Drug Use|Language Throughout|Violence)
Genre: Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 28, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $387.4K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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