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
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
Apr 25, 2008 Wide
Jan 27, 2009
$9.2M
Overture Films
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.
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.
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.
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.
The script here is very strong.
[Richard Jenkins] gets the role of a lifetime in this powerful second film by writer-director Thomas McCarthy.
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.
The Visitor gives Richard Jenkins a chance to develop a character for the whole running time.
Un retrato sutil y sensible sobre la inesperada conexión que se produce entre cuatro personas de diferentes culturas y orígenes, y también una postal algo desencantada y agridulce de la Nueva York posterior al 11/9. Destacable actuación protagónica de Ric
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Our patience with the characters' apathy and uninteresting demeanor is not rewarded enough.
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.
Tasting the bitter fruits of globalization
Extras on this excellent disc include a full-length audio commentary by writer/ director Thomas McCarthy and actor Richard Jenkins and more.
The astonishing sensitivity with which Richard Jenkins approaches his role is nicely complimented by the performances of other cast members.
Its mushy humanism is...insidious.
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.
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.
Jenkins, as always has a quiet, almost apologetic hesitation to his performance that serves him well as Walter....a very sweet and gentle film.
A showcase role for otherwise supporting actor Richard Jenkins, and he makes the most of it without ever being showy.
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.
A character study drowning in liberal guilt.
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, 2008Super 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, 2011Super Reviewer
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