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Directed by: Liev Schreiber Starring: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz here is the basic plot given on IMDB: A young Jewish American(Elijah Wood) man endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village, that was ultimately razed by the Nazis, with the help of a local who speaks weirdly funny broken English(Eugene Hutz). I had no idea what to expect going in to this movie, but I came out pleasantly surprised. It starts off absolutely hilarious, but becomes a very emotional film as it progresses. Its the kind of movie that lets the viewer piece things together; it wont lay everything out for you. Important aspects of the plot are sometimes expressed very subtly, so it will either leave you bored and confused at the end or completely taken back. The soundtrack is spectacular - all of it sounds like jewish folk music recorded on modern equipment. Im not sure what else to say as I really dont want to give anything away, but this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Despite people on IMDB saying its slow, boring, and pointless, I thinks its a gem  im hoping more of you have seen this film, im curious to see what yall think. it kind of reminds me of lost in translation in it's delivery, i dunno, i might be way off. i have always been a music fanatic but have recently been getting into film. RATING: 5 PROS: hilarious at times, very moving at others, really makes you think, affects a broad range of emotions CONS: some say its slow, somewhat confusing without close attention ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404030/
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May 18, 2006 05:28
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I've watched this three times in the past few months and it's almost definitely my favorite film of 2005. The OP is right; the first half of the movie is reaaaaally funny, and the second half is really intense. The soundtrack (available to buy) is awesome, too.
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May 27, 2006 07:39
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This is a fantastic, well-rounded movie with unforgettable characters and a very touching story. As the other posters have said, the first half is incredibly hysterical, but as the group continues on its journey, the plot becomes steadily more ominous and darker. You spend a lot of time wondering what the various characters are looking for on this trip, and what they're going to find. The way it turns out is both beautifully directed and fantastically executed. If I was going to recommend a movie, it would be this one, for sure. Most people probably haven't seen it, and those who have are unlikely to forget it. EDIT: Also, I agree that the soundtrack is awesome.
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Jun 4, 2006 18:26
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I rented this because I loved the trailer featuring that song by DeVotchKa, "How It Ends". The movie did not disappoint. It slid seamlessly from comedy to drama, and the comedy was really funny and the drama was really touching. A rare find, highly recommended. 4.5/5 For a treat, watch the Deleted Scenes on the DVD. I can see why they cut the first 2, they're way too silly for the way the film turned out. But the one of Elijah Wood and the Camaro is absolutely fantastic.
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Jun 5, 2006 14:05
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I actually finished the book the other day and just watched the movie tonight. If I had seen the movie and not read the book, I'd give it a 4 out of 5. However it is almost completely butchered from the book so I'm going to settle with a 2.5 out of 5. I don't understand why they changed so many things they did. However the book is kind of an intangible experience so it would be hard to make it into a book, but still. Spoilered for those that want to read the book: First..they have eliminated the ENTIRE flashbacks. These comprised pretty much most of the book. The movie is just based on the Safron/Alex part of the story and none of the actual Trachimbrod experiences. They also made Alex's Grandfather a Jew instead of the Herschel storyline. For those that are reading this that haven't read the book, Herschel was Alex's grandfather's friend. And he was a Jew. When the Nazi's invaded Kolki (where the gf was originally from, although they only allude to it in the movie), they lined up all the Jews and non-jews. Then they made each non-Jew point out a Jew. If you didn't, you were shot. At the end the grandfather was forced to point out Herschel who was his lifelong best friend. They rounded up Herschel with the rest of the Jews in the synagogue and set it on fire. It's way more intense than the movie partly because it's told in this 2-3 page runon sentence that has a constant degredation of grammar. It's really amazing. The whole book in itself is breathtaking. They also don't explain WHY his grandfather killed himself. There were some other things, but mainly those. I recommend this movie to other people but I STRONGLY recommend the book to everyone. I think it should be required reading in classes. It's one of the most unique fascinating books I've ever read. If you thought the movie went from funny/light-hearted to intense. Read the book. It'll drop your jaw. I also think the deleted scenes should've been left in. They exude some of the feeling and abstractness of the book. The book is INCREDIBLY silly at some points, and the movie just kind of drops the ball in that regard. And yes the Camaro deleted scene is worth renting the movie for that alone. God I was cracking up.
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Jun 8, 2006 05:51
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