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The Visitor (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 115
Fresh: 102 | Rotten: 13

The Visitor is a heartfelt, humanistic drama that deftly explores identity, immigration, and other major post-9/11 issues.

Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 2

The Visitor is a heartfelt, humanistic drama that deftly explores identity, immigration, and other major post-9/11 issues.

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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 124,393

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Movie Info

A lonesome widower and college economics professor finds his mundane existence suddenly shaken up when he befriends a pair of illegal immigrants, one of whom has recently been threatened with deportation by U.S. immigration authorities, in the sophomore feature from The Station Agent director Tom McCarthy. Years after losing his wife, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has also lost his passion for writing and teaching. In an effort to fill the empty void that his life has become, Walter

PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.

Drama

Directed By: Tom McCarthy

Written By: Tom McCarthy

In Theaters: Apr 25, 2008 Wide

On DVD: Jan 27, 2009

Box Office:$9.2M

Overture Films

The Visitor Trailer & Photos

Cast

Richard Jenkins
Walter Vale
Hiam Abbass
Mouna
Haaz Sleiman
Tarek
Danai Jekesai Gurira
Zainab
Marian Seldes
Barbara
Richard Kind
Jacob
Michael Cumpsty
Charles
Maggie Moore
Karen
Bill McHenry
Darin
Tzahi Moskovitz
Zev
Amir Arison
Mr. Shah
Neal Lerner
Martin Revere
Ram�n Fern�ndez
Cop #1
Frank Pando
Cop #2
Waleed Zuaitor
Omar
Deborah Rush
Upper Eastside Woman
Ashley Springer
Student
Laith Nakli
Nasim
Jacqueline Brogman
Waiter
Walter T. Mudu
Ronald Cole
Yevgeniy Dekhtyar
Slavic Man
Earl Baker Jr.
Lester James
Walter the Dog
Sprinkles the Dog

Critic Reviews for The Visitor

All Critics (116) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (105) | Rotten (14) | DVD (6)

At first glance Walter isn't a guy you want to spend two hours with. But by the end of the film, you don't want to see him go. Jenkins is like that: He sneaks up on you and steals your heart with light-fingered skill.

May 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

| Comment

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

The Visitor is a tiny treasure of a movie. This is a wistful comedy that quickly finds its rhythm, but never lets that groove become a rut.

May 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel

| Comment

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

Top Critic

The film becomes less about the suffering of immigrants who have never enjoyed the embrace of Ellis Island than the righteous indignation of a liberal intelligentsia raging against its own powerlessness.

April 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Jason McBride

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

The story of Vale's revitalization and his grief is compelling but simple, free of any sentimentality, and marked by powerful performances from Jenkins and Hiam Abbass, who plays Mouna Khalil, Tarek's mother.

April 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Philip Marchand

Toronto Star

Top Critic

The script here is very strong.

April 21, 2008 Comment

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

[Richard Jenkins] gets the role of a lifetime in this powerful second film by writer-director Thomas McCarthy.

April 21, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

First with The Station Agent and now with The Visitor, actor-turned-director Tom McCarthy has quickly proven himself a master of the delicately-observed social drama.

January 4, 2012 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews

| Comment

David N. Butterworth

rec.arts.movies.reviews

The Visitor gives Richard Jenkins a chance to develop a character for the whole running time.

April 28, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express

| Comment

Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Un retrato sutil y sensible sobre la inesperada conexi�n que se produce entre cuatro personas de diferentes culturas y or�genes, y tambi�n una postal algo desencantada y agridulce de la Nueva York posterior al 11/9. Destacable actuaci�n protag�nica de Ric

November 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Uruguay Total

| Comment

Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

click for full review

May 14, 2009 Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses

| Comment

Joseph Proimakis

Movies for the Masses

Our patience with the characters' apathy and uninteresting demeanor is not rewarded enough.

March 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card

| Comments (3)

Ross Anthony

Hollywood Report Card

An interesting examination of the unusual relationship between a bored college professor and an illegal immigrant. There are some thought-provoking discussions in the film patched periodically with rough spots.

March 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Oscar Guy

| Comment

Wesley Lovell

Oscar Guy

Tasting the bitter fruits of globalization

February 24, 2009 Full Review Source: JWR

| Comment

S. James Wegg

JWR

Extras on this excellent disc include a full-length audio commentary by writer/ director Thomas McCarthy and actor Richard Jenkins and more.

February 10, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

The astonishing sensitivity with which Richard Jenkins approaches his role is nicely complimented by the performances of other cast members.

February 10, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Its mushy humanism is...insidious.

February 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney

| Comment

Time Out Sydney

The best movies are those that understand the human condition and have a personal vision. The Visitor is one of those rare creations. The Visitor is a parable of decency.

February 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly

| Comment

Tony Macklin

Fayetteville Free Weekly

The not-so subliminal message about life being fair versus breaking the law isn't enough to carry a film purporting to be a character-driven drama.

January 17, 2009 Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com

| Comment

Kevin A. Ranson

MovieCrypt.com

Jenkins, as always has a quiet, almost apologetic hesitation to his performance that serves him well as Walter....a very sweet and gentle film.

January 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinerina

| Comment

Karina Montgomery

Cinerina

A showcase role for otherwise supporting actor Richard Jenkins, and he makes the most of it without ever being showy.

December 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies

| Comment

Jeffrey Chen

Window to the Movies

Exactly the type of movie the GOP would rather Americans not see, as it individualizes (rather than demonizes) its foreign characters and provides them with a collective voice that demands to be heard.

November 26, 2008 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing

| Comments (4)

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

A character study drowning in liberal guilt.

November 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comments (5)

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Visitor

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Now this is more like it! A slow, simple story that flows out organically and doesn't force anything. It starts out lightly but somehow manages to pull out a spectrum of emotions: laughter, heartbreak, peace, frustration. Richard Jenkins is truly a work of art. Instead of stealing the show for himself he reacts to the

April 10, 2008

Jennifer Xu

Super Reviewer

The Visitor is a simple and gentle film that explores many issues, from immigration to loneliness. The film tells the story of Walter, an economics professor who, since his wife died, has lost any interest in life. His days are filled with joyless routine. Returning to New York to attend a conference, he finds a

March 20, 2011

First Last

Super Reviewer

The Visitor Quotes

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1. Tarek: She's a good muslim. I'm a bad one.
– Submitted by David H (12 days ago)
1. Mouna: This feels like Syria.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)
1. Walter Vale: We are not helpless children!
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)