Welcome to Marwen (2018)

★ 6.5 1h 56m 1,194 votes IMDb

Comedy Drama

When a devastating attack shatters Mark Hogancamp and wipes away all memories, no one expected recovery. Putting together pieces from his old and new life, Mark meticulously creates a wondrous town named Marwen where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation — a testament to the most powerful women he knows — through his fantasy world, he draws strength to triumph in the real one.

Where to Watch

Streaming

Netflix Watch

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Rent

Google Play Movies Rent

Amazon Video Rent

YouTube Rent

Vudu Rent

Buy

Apple TV Buy

Google Play Movies Buy

Amazon Video Buy

YouTube Buy

Vudu Buy

Cast

Steve Carell as Mark Hogancamp Age 63 · Concord, Massachusetts, USA Steven John Carell (born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in The Office (2005–2011), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Stephen Merchant and R...

Leslie Mann as Nicol Age 54 · San Francisco, California, USA Leslie Jean Mann (born March 26, 1972) is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including The Cable Guy (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), Big Daddy (1999), Knocked Up (2007), 17...

Merritt Wever as Roberta Age 45 · New York, New York, USA Merritt Carmen Wever (born August 11, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for starring as a perennially upbeat young nurse in Nurse Jackie (2009–2015), an intrepid widow in the Netflix period m...

Janelle Monáe as GI Julie Age 40 · Kansas City, Kansas, USA Janelle Monáe Robinson (born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor, and model from Kansas City, Kansas. She began her musical career in 2003, and released...

Diane Kruger as Deja Thoris Age 49 · Algermissen, Lower Saxony, West Germany [now Germany] Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976) is a German actress. Early in her career, Kruger gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival. Kruger became known for...

Director Robert Zemeckis

Cast Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Diane Kruger, Falk Hentschel, Eiza González, Gwendoline Christie, Stefanie von Pfetten, Leslie Zemeckis

tmdb31139316 9/10 Aug 11, 2025

Hi everybody. I'm Danny. Why am I introducing myself? Well, this is my first TMDB (spoilers, so be cautious if you even care) review, and I thought I'd dedicate it to one of my new underrated gems. Keep in mind I'm saying all of this as a casual moviegoer/streaming viewer/physical media collector/shlingadinga who watched this on Netflix after being very curious to watch it on my lil ImageMovers/Zemeckis binge I've been doing.

Now, I'd definitely understand if someone explained to me why this movie is objectively bad. I have open ears and am ready to hear someone else's opinion, while also having the requirement that the other person doesn't say I'm wrong for liking this just because it's a "bad movie".

Because, for me, this is a really good movie, and arguably the best of Zemeckis' mocap endeavors. I haven't seen Marwencol, the documentary that it's based on (and probably will have to dig in search of it), but I'd say this is trying its best to be respectful to the story of Mark Hogencamp and Marwencol. It's just that Zemeckis wanted to tell it in his own, flashy, sometimes mocap-y way. And for me, it's not all that bad. I also found the screenplay harmless.

As for the acting, Steve Carell is surprisingly great as Mark, and I kinda connected to a few of the elements presented about him, mainly the "I am alone" aspect. I also liked the secondary characters, especially Nicol and Roberta. I kinda felt Kurt was a bit underdeveloped, but I also feel like what we do see of him leaves you with enough of a negative impact that you buy Hogie's terrified reaction to seeing a Nazi version of him.

And honestly, my favorite aspect of this movie is the fact that Mark doesn't "get the girl" at the end, just going to Sushi with Roberta. I felt like that was an ideal way to close the film while also sending a hopeful message to anyone who, sometimes or always, feel like no one would romantically love them, therefore, feel alone.

Overall, I'd genuinely recommend this to people. I really liked it and I think other people would too. I would grade it based on the things I said, but I think my 90% score on the top of this page says it all.

Oh yeah, this is my favorite of Zemeckis' mocap films, as well. Have a good one, y'all!