The Lovely Bones (2009)
The story of a life and everything that came after...
After being brutally murdered, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family -- and her killer. As she observes their daily lives, she must balance her thirst for revenge with her desire for her family to heal.
Rent on Prime Video $3.99 (opens in a new tab) Buy on Prime Video $7.99 (opens in a new tab)
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 26 December 2009 |
| Genre | Fantasy, Drama |
| Director | Peter Jackson |
| Starring | Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz |
| Runtime | 136 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 5/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 31% · Metacritic 42/100 · IMDb 6.6/10 · TMDB users 7.1/10 |
| Budget | $65 million |
Where to watch The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones is streaming on Fubo in the US. It is also on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month) and Peacock ($16.99 a month). If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Paramount+ is $13.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 28 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent The Lovely Bones on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Lovely Bones in 14 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Clarovideo |
| Austria | Joyn free |
| Chile | Clarovideo |
| Germany | Joyn free |
| Hong Kong | Max |
| Indonesia | Max |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Malaysia | Max |
| Papua New Guinea | Max |
| Philippines | Max |
| Singapore | Max |
| South Korea | Watcha |
| Taiwan | Max |
| Thailand | Max |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Peter Jackson’s 2009 film places a 14-year-old ghost at the center of her own funeral. Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family, torn between vengeance and the need to let her family heal. The tone is surreal, blending family drama with a fantasy perspective. It runs 136 minutes, a long stretch for a story about looking down. The hook is the specific weight of watching your parents grieve while you know exactly what to do.
What the critics said
Critics were divided, with Rotten Tomatoes sitting at 31% and Metacritic at 42/100. The consensus noted the dazzling imagery but criticized the shift from violence to sentimentality. Ian Freer of Empire called it "bold, daring original filmmaking." Richard Corliss of Time found the miracle in Jackson’s art and Ronan’s magic. Claudia Puig of USA Today found the tone "clashing" and the CGI "cheesy.
How it did with audiences
The Lovely Bones cost $65 million to make and pulled in $94 million at the box office, a margin that keeps accountants awake at night and audiences mostly indifferent. On TMDB, users rate it 7.1 out of 10, a score that suggests the film does its job without demanding a standing ovation. Critics noticed the stumble early, citing average reviews and negative word-of-mouth before the wide release even began. It’s a solid performance by the numbers, if not a cultural reset.
What came next for the cast
Saoirse Ronan stepped from Atonement and City of Ember into The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lady Bird, and Little Women. Mark Wahlberg traded The Departed and The Italian Job for Ted, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Ted 2. Rachel Weisz moved from The Mummy and Constantine to Black Widow, The Lobster, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Susan Sarandon jumped from Enchanted and Thelma & Louise to Cloud Atlas, Blue Beetle, and Snitch. The credits do not claim one film triggered these shifts. They simply list the titles that appeared after 2009.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Lovely Bones.
Sources
- The Lovely Bones on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q839123 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Lovely Bones (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add The Lovely Bones to your list