Reception
Reviews for The Whales of August were mixed to positive. Rotten Tomatoes that out of 14 critics, 63% of them gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.2 out of 10. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, giving an opinion that the film was like no other of Lindsay Anderson's films he directed before, although Roger thought it was not one of Anderson's greatest films.
Although the film starred two of the screen's most important actresses in what would be near to their final film roles, it was not a substantial commercial success. Upon its release, it was widely tipped that either Davis or Gish would be rewarded, if not for their performances in this film, but for their longevity, with Academy Award nominations, but neither actress was nominated. Sothern received the only Academy Award nomination of her career in the category of Best Supporting Actress. The film was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.
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