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AMREEKAMovie Reviews
Drama comedy about a divorced Palestinian woman who relocates to rural Illinois with her teenage son. Cast:Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia ShawkatDirector:Cherien DabisRelease Date:September 4, 2009DVD Release:January 12, 2010From:National GeographicRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 36 min.
Amreeka played in national release to very good reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...a surprising, humorous, moving and very human story... The film makes political points too, but gently." • And Joanne Kaufman wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "...modest, poignant.... the fine performances here make up for a lot." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the good humor, generosity, and love Cherien Dabis bestows on her characters in this assured first feature are uniquely hers -- the mark of a talent to watch."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 09/04/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a convincing and bittersweet... National Geographic Entertainment's first venture into feature films is particularly vibrant."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 09/04/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film is anchored in Ms. Faour's wonderful portrayal of a warm-hearted, self-reliant woman stretched to the breaking point who perseveres..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 09/04/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...a gentle, often wry picture of human resilience, and Faour and Muallen give solid performances, but there are a few too many by-the-numbers moments."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 116 words, 09/04/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Nisreen Faour leads an excellent ensemble in this pointed immigration drama that deftly avoids stridency and sentimentality."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 09/04/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a disarming, lightly comic story of cultural dislocation, full of the sort of detail and observational wisdom that announces the arrival of a most promising talent."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 276 words, 09/18/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...about a Palestinian mother who moves to rural Illinois... a kind of stealth political film that confronts issues of ethnic tension and American xenophobia."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 10/30/09
Ella Taylor, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "...directed with impish wit, an observant visual competence, and an open, conciliatory spirit... embraces the marginality that Arabs and Jews share..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 195 words, 09/02/09
Scott Foundas, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...tells its story from the inside out, without want or need of a white protagonist to serve as the audience's surrogate, and with real, three-dimensional characters..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 06/25/09
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Jan Stuart, Washington Post: GOOD(cg) "You've seen this story before, if not lived it yourself.... Dabis navigates across politically and emotionally fraught terrain with a warming inflection of humor..."(See all of Jan Stuart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 09/25/09
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells its immigrants' tale with some humor and only a dash of political correctness.... the first-time filmmaker doesn't pull punches... The acting is good."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 09/25/09
Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The immigrant experience chronicled in Cherien Dabis' 'Amreeka' isn't especially eye-opening: You've seen this story many times before."(See all of Christopher Kelly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 09/25/09
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Nothing profound or deep, but a decent hour and a half learning about people different from yourself. Or perhaps not really so different."(See all of Richard Nilsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 10/09/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Nisreen Faour brings intelligence and humor to her performance and Melkar Muallem, as the smart adolescent turned surly and scared, is likewise sharp."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 09/25/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Cherien Dabis and her actors charm their way through this material, finding absurdist humor even in the darkest moments."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 408 words, 09/25/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a film that has all the familiar ingredients but is such a well-acted, winning re-combination of those that we see them with fresh eyes."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 10/02/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "The political ironies are obvious... the American section is predictable... winning all the same, because of the ensemble, and the humanism of its first-time filmmaker."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 09/24/09
Ella Taylor, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "...directed with impish wit, an observant visual competence, and an open, conciliatory spirit... embraces the marginality that Arabs and Jews share..."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 195 words, 09/02/09
Scott Foundas, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...tells its story from the inside out, without want or need of a white protagonist to serve as the audience's surrogate, and with real, three-dimensional characters..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 06/25/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film is anchored in Ms. Faour's wonderful portrayal of a warm-hearted, self-reliant woman stretched to the breaking point who perseveres..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 09/04/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Nisreen Faour leads an excellent ensemble in this pointed immigration drama that deftly avoids stridency and sentimentality."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 09/04/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...a culture-clash dramedy whose background in Middle-East conflict is leavened with vibrant energy, balanced politics and droll humor..."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 01/19/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "Dabis has thoroughly re-energized the genre with refreshing wit, honest emotions, incisive observations and a perfect cast she literally flew around the world to find."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 01/17/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Nisreen Faour leads an excellent ensemble in this pointed immigration drama that deftly avoids stridency and sentimentality."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 09/04/09
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "The film is anchored in Ms. Faour's wonderful portrayal of a warm-hearted, self-reliant woman stretched to the breaking point who perseveres..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 09/04/09
11.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Amreeka's reviews are separated by an average 11.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Amreeka (27 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Amreeka's reviews cover 45.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,771 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 399 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 5 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Amreeka's reviews on average broke 5 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Amreeka's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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