Margaret (2011 film)

Margaret
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kenneth Lonergan
Produced by	Sydney Pollack Gary Gilbert Scott Rudin
Written by	Kenneth Lonergan
Starring	Anna Paquin J. Smith-Cameron Jean Reno Allison Janney Matthew Broderick Mark Ruffalo Matt Damon Jeannie Berlin Kieran Culkin
Music by	Nico Muhly
Cinematography	Ryszard Lenczewski
Edited by	Anne McCabe Michael Fay
Production company	Camelot Pictures Gilbert Films Mirage Enterprises Scott Rudin Productions
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release date	September 30, 2011 (2011-09-30)
Running time	150 minutes 186 minutes (Extended cut)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$14 million
Box office	$623,292

Margaret (/mɑːɡəˈrɛt/) is a 2011 drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan. The film stars Anna Paquin, Jean Reno, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, J. Smith-Cameron, Kieran Culkin, Olivia Thirlby, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Margaret originally was scheduled for release in 2007 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, but was repeatedly delayed while Lonergan struggled to create a final cut he was satisfied with, resulting in multiple lawsuits. The litigation ended in 2014.

While the studio insisted the film's running time could not exceed 150 minutes, Lonergan's preferred version was closer to three hours. Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker contributed to editing a 165-minute version that Lonergan approved; the cut was never completed due to a budget shortage of $500,000. Eventually, Fox Searchlight Pictures released the 150-minute film in a limited release in the United States on September 30, 2011, to moderately positive reviews from critics. Some considered it overlong, but it was praised for its acting and later appeared in several publications' lists of the year's best films.

Lonergan completed a three-hour extended version incorporating extra footage with revised score and sound mix, which was released on DVD in July 2012.