It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

NR 1988 · 85 min · ★ 5.4 · Drama

A nameless young man travels the country by bus and train, visiting friends and making new ones, having banal conversations, and dedicating his existence to mundane activities.

Directed by Richard Linklater · Written by Richard Linklater

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Criterion Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 6m together

It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

Before Sunrise

Both from Richard Linklater.

More from Richard LinklaterSee all →

Good Will HuntingGood Will Hunting · 1997
Good Will Hunting
★ 8.21997
MovieDrama
Will Hunting is a headstrong, working-class genius who is failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor, who might be the only man who can reach him.
Up to SpeedUp to Speed · 2012
Up to Speed
★ 8.02012
SeriesComedyReality
Tour guide, historian and flaneur "Speed" Levitch travels the nation visiting those monuments that rarely make it into travel guides, from the shoe gardens of San Francisco to the luckiest subway grate in New York City.
Before SunriseBefore Sunrise · 1995
Before Sunrise
★ 8.01995
MovieDramaRomance
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Before SunsetBefore Sunset · 2004
Before Sunset
★ 7.82004
MovieDramaRomance
Nine years later, Jesse travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine. After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Before MidnightBefore Midnight · 2013
Before Midnight
★ 7.52013
MovieRomanceDrama
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters but have spent a summer in Greece at the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.
BoyhoodBoyhood · 2014
Boyhood
★ 7.52014
MovieDrama
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Waking LifeWaking Life · 2001
Waking Life
★ 7.52001
MovieAnimationDrama
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Dazed and ConfusedDazed and Confused · 1993
Dazed and Confused
★ 7.31993
MovieComedyDrama
The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.
Nouvelle VagueNouvelle Vague · 2025
Nouvelle Vague
★ 7.22025
MovieDramaHistory
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, young Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He gets Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, creating a treatment with Truffaut about a gangster couple.
The School of RockThe School of Rock · 2003
The School of Rock
★ 7.12003
MovieComedyFamily
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his straight-A students the finer points of rock 'n' roll and the power of sticking it to the man. But as the school’s stern principal closes in and the Battle of the Bands looms, Dewey must risk everything to prove that rock 'n' roll can change lives.
Apollo 10½: A Space Age ChildhoodApollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood · 2022
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
★ 7.02022
MovieAnimationDrama
A man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old boy in 1969 Houston, weaving tales of nostalgia with a fantastical account of a journey to the moon.
A Scanner DarklyA Scanner Darkly · 2006
A Scanner Darkly
★ 6.82006
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Hit ManHit Man · 2024
Hit Man
★ 6.82024
MovieComedyRomance
A mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hit man in police stings ignites a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a potential client.
Last Flag FlyingLast Flag Flying · 2017
Last Flag Flying
★ 6.72017
MovieDramaComedy
Thirty years after serving together in the Vietnam War, Larry, Sal and Richard reunite for a different type of mission: to bury Doc's son, a young Marine killed in Iraq. Forgoing the burial, the trio take the casket on a bittersweet trip up the coast to New Hampshire – along the way reminiscing and coming to terms with the shared memories of a war that continues to shape their lives.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do AmericaBeavis and Butt-Head Do America · 1996
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
★ 6.71996
MovieAnimationComedy
Slacker duo Beavis and Butt-Head wake to discover their TV has been stolen. Their search for a new one takes them on a clueless adventure across America, during which they manage to accidentally become America's most wanted.
In Search of a Midnight KissIn Search of a Midnight Kiss · 2007
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
★ 6.62007
MovieComedyDrama
Broke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.

More Like This

AliceAlice · 1990
Alice
★ 6.41990
MovieFantasyDrama
Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for a handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults herbalist Dr. Yang, who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of her well-established rut.
The Limits of ControlThe Limits of Control · 2009
The Limits of Control
★ 6.02009
MovieCrimeDrama
A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.
Chapter 27Chapter 27 · 2007
Chapter 27
★ 5.42007
MovieDramaCrime
A film about Mark David Chapman in the days leading up to the infamous murder of Beatle John Lennon.
TiptoesTiptoes · 2002
Tiptoes
★ 3.92002
MovieDramaRomance
A man is reluctant to tell his fiancee that his parents, uncle and brother are dwarfs.
KatzelmacherKatzelmacher · 1969
Katzelmacher
★ 6.41969
MovieDrama
A group of young slackers spend most of their time hanging out in front of a Munich apartment building. When a Greek immigrant named Jorgos moves in, however, their aimless lives are shaken up. Soon, new tensions arise both within the group and with Jorgos.
The Road to GuantanamoThe Road to Guantanamo · 2006
The Road to Guantanamo
★ 6.82006
MovieDrama
Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.
Mouth to MouthMouth to Mouth · 2005
Mouth to Mouth
★ 5.52005
MovieDrama
An aimless adolescent joins several itinerant misfits who live on the fringe of society and welcome at-risk youths into their fold.
The Wild Blue YonderThe Wild Blue Yonder · 2005
The Wild Blue Yonder
★ 6.02005
MovieScience FictionDocumentary
An alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visitations to Earth and Earth's self-made demise, while human astronauts in space are attempting to find an alternate planet for surviving humans to live on.
Fifty PillsFifty Pills · 2006
Fifty Pills
★ 4.72006
MovieComedyCrime
Unless Darren can survive New York's largest drug mogul, write a paper on Dante's "Inferno," escape three thugs chasing the wrong guy and sell fifty pills of ecstasy to make his tuition payment, he'll never date the girl of his dreams.
Japanese StoryJapanese Story · 2003
Japanese Story
★ 6.32003
MovieDramaRomance
Sandy, a geologist, finds herself stuck on a field trip to the Pilbara desert with a Japanese man she finds inscrutable, annoying and decidedly arrogant. Hiromitsu's view of her is not much better. Things go from bad to worse when they become stranded in one of the most remote regions on Earth.
The TrackerThe Tracker · 2002
The Tracker
★ 6.82002
MovieDramaHistory
Somewhere in Australia in the early 20th century outback, an Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman. Three white men are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Indigenous man.
Frontier(s)Frontier(s) · 2007
Frontier(s)
★ 6.22007
MovieDramaHorror
A gang of young thieves flee Paris during the violent aftermath of a political election, only to hole up at an Inn run by neo-Nazis.
AugustAugust · 2008
August
★ 5.22008
MovieDrama
Two brothers, ambitious dot-com entrepreneurs, attempt to keep their company afloat as the stock market begins to collapse in August 2001, one month prior to the 9/11 attacks.
The United States of LelandThe United States of Leland · 2003
The United States of Leland
★ 6.52003
MovieCrimeDrama
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.
Catch and ReleaseCatch and Release · 2006
Catch and Release
★ 5.92006
MovieComedyDrama
For a grieving fiancée, learning to love again requires the help of her late love's three best friends.
Sweet and LowdownSweet and Lowdown · 1999
Sweet and Lowdown
★ 6.81999
MovieComedyDrama
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter