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Movies / In Theaters / The Messenger
The Messenger

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The Messenger (2009)

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Reviews Counted:70

Fresh:63

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/directer Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content/nudity

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 13, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $464,878

Synopsis: Co-written by Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon, THE MESSENGER is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life. In his first leading role,... Co-written by Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon, THE MESSENGER is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life.

In his first leading role, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

Featuring tour-de-force performances from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity. --© Oscilloscope
[More]

Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone

Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker, Steve Buscemi

Director: Oren Moverman

Director: Oren Moverman
Screenwriter: Oren Moverman, Alessandro Camon
Producer: Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller
Composer: Nathan Larson
Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures

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Reviews for The Messenger

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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So bungled up with fashionable ambivalence about the Iraq War that every single behavioral detail is not just prejudicial but wrong.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment 8 Comments
11/11/09
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

A penetrating assessment of post-war readjustment.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 1 Comment
10/26/09
Justin Lowe
Justin Lowe
Hollywood Reporter

Oren Moverman’s sober and satisfying drama shows how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a fissure in American society.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
11/13/09
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Harrelson's calm performance anchors the film, and whenever the story drifts back to him and his cautious friendship with Foster, the flick feels true.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
11/12/09
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

Foster leaves you hoping that Will finds his way home.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/20/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times

The Messenger delivers what it has to say without sensationalism or political posturing. That restraint, along with the quality of the performances, makes it all the more powerful.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/24/09
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

Messengers with the worst possible message, they nonetheless manage to be human and alive .... In a film that itself bears sad tidings about the costs of war, that is an affirming, even an inspiring, gift.

Full Review Source: NPR | comment Comment
11/13/09
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A stunning debut, an effective, expertly-made and performed drama about the common human ability to deal with tragedy and loss in unique, unpredictable ways.

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
11/20/09
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

As the lonely, complex and friendly Stone, Harrelson evokes the experience of The Messenger as sturdily as a freshly pinned medal of valor.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/12/09
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

Individually, none of the mini-dramas in The Messenger would be enough to blow you away. But grouped together, they're so beautifully and specifically written that they make for a convincing picture of the first stages of grief.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
11/24/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

This is a wholly different look at the fallout of the Iraq War and its effect on soldiers and civilians. It is also a gentle portrait of grief, friendship and solace.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
11/24/09
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

This is a poignant war movie, but it's also a buddy movie with a difference, one that's both funny and bleak.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/19/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Because of the nature of its subject matter, 'The Messenger' is emotionally charged, but director Oren Moverman and his able cast prevent it from feeling phony or manipulative.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
11/27/09
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

There is a complexity to the story and characters that I want more insight on and I really believe that the movie might grow on me with a repeat viewing.

Full Review Source: Fort Bend Sun | comment Comment
11/22/09
Danny Minton
Danny Minton
Fort Bend Sun

This is a fully felt, morally alert, marvellously acted piece of work. Despite the grim subject, it’s a sweet-tempered movie, with moments of explosive humor -- an entertainment.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
11/09/09
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I’m not sure how Morton made sense of her character’s ebbs and flows, but I never doubted her. She’s a mariner in uncharted seas of emotion.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
11/16/09
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A story that strays about without finding its center.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
11/11/09
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gripping but uneven home front war drama.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/04/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A fine bookend to Katheryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, showing another side of how the war at home can be just as rigorous as the one abroad.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
11/14/09
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

A somber drama about intimate wartime tragedies, Oren Moverman's debut feels more respectful than real.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
11/13/09
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
 
 
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