I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

92% Tomatometer 185 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings

Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a 59-year-old widowed carpenter who must rely on welfare after a recent heart attack leaves him unable to work. Despite his doctor's diagnosis, British authorities deny Blake's benefits and tell him to return to his job. As Daniel navigates his way through an agonizing appeal process, he begins to develop a strong bond with a destitute, single mother (Hayley Squires) who's struggling to take care of her two children. Read More Read Less

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I, Daniel Blake

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Critics Consensus

I, Daniel Blake marks yet another well-told chapter in director Ken Loach's powerfully populist filmography.

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Critics Reviews

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I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Namrata Joshi The Hindu I, Daniel Blake is about the struggles of an ailing common man against the labyrinthine welfare bureaucracy to get that elusive 'employment and support allowance.' Jul 24, 2018 Full Review I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Michael Upchurch Seattle Times Whichever side you come down on, Johns' and Squires' low-key performances are impressive, and the technological/red-tape hurdles their characters face feel stingingly accurate. Rated: 3/4 Jun 29, 2017 Full Review I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Anthony Lane New Yorker Politically, of course, it cleaves to the left, yet by temperament it shrinks from progress. Jun 12, 2017 Full Review I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film Ken Loach proves that one does not need some extraordinary circ*mstances...to make a powerful...film full of conviction – it is simply enough to show life as it is – a simple daily struggle known to many and only too well. Rated: 5/5 Aug 9, 2024 Full Review I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Loach’s plain-speaking film is a touchingly realistic parable. Rated: 4/5 Sep 4, 2023 Full Review I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It's impossible to watch this movie without being forced to cope with bouts of sadness and helplessness -- it's honest and uncompromising, although moments of humor do manage to break loose. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 18, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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João Vitor d A simple story, but very effective in the message it wants to convey. The feeling of agony and frustration remains throughout the film. The film's theme is the bureaucracy of the state and how it affects the people who need it the most. You can easily connect with the film.With good performances, especially from Hayley Squires, the scenes with a greater emotional charge are executed smoothly and have their effect (see the Foodbank scene).A film with good performances, a good story, that manages to move you and that in the end, life's suck. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review David K An extraordinarily touching film documenting the plight of the eponymous Daniel. Despite the humiliation of trying to navigate and comply with an impossibly tortuous and Kafka-esque welfare system, run almost exclusively by soulless minions of the State, Daniel manages to retain his dignity and moral authority by offering his help to equally determined and proud single mum, Katie. Together they show us the very best of humanity against all the odds. There is a particularly touching scene where Katie succumbs to overwhelming hunger when at her wit's end. This is followed by a heartbreakingly selfless scene where she shows she is willing to sacrifice all for her children. A very honest, raw and worthwhile film in my view. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/18/24 Full Review Audience Member Most boring film in world, only got half way through. Just go sit in job centre for hour and half, just as exciting. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review S R 1001 movies to see before you die (2016). A critique of life in Newcastle where an honest worker tries to get benefits while ill. Shows the struggles of government programs, poverty, single mothers and weak economies. It could've been more approachable had they changed the bad language. Saw on Tubi. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/24 Full Review Gabrielle A O coringa original. Seguimos o mesmo tema, pq não há mudança real. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/24 Full Review India G One of the most heartbreaking & moving films I've ever seen. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Ken Loach Director Dave Johns Daniel Blake Hayley Squires Katie Dylan McKiernan Dylan Briana Shann Daisy Kate Rutter Ann
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Synopsis Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a 59-year-old widowed carpenter who must rely on welfare after a recent heart attack leaves him unable to work. Despite his doctor's diagnosis, British authorities deny Blake's benefits and tell him to return to his job. As Daniel navigates his way through an agonizing appeal process, he begins to develop a strong bond with a destitute, single mother (Hayley Squires) who's struggling to take care of her two children.

Director
Ken Loach

Producer
Rebecca O'Brien

Screenwriter
Paul Laverty

Distributor
IFC Films

Production Co
BBC Films, Sixteen Films, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions

Rating
R (Language)

Genre
Drama

Original Language
British English

Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 2, 2017, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2017

Box Office (Gross USA)
$258.2K

Runtime
1h 37m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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I, Daniel Blake | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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