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04/23/09
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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2007)
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Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:27
Rotten:8
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Though it may not be as profound as its pacing would suggest, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers delicately examines familial issues in an earnest fashion.
Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: After working on mainstream Hollywood comedies such as MAID IN MANHATTAN and THE LAST HOLIDAY, director Wayne Wang returns to independent dramas with A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS. In this film,... [More]
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Reviews for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
Wang fails to integrate the philosophy of Li's fiction into the action of the story.
09/18/08
Sincere and dignified to a fault, it feels like a shrink-wrapped version of a more penetrating study.
09/19/08
Without much progress or revelation in the plot, this is a case where slow and steady doesn't always win the race.
09/25/08
A Thousand Years is imbued with these melancholy images, but it may leave you longing for a story to make you care.
10/03/08
Modest in the least engaging sense of the term.
09/14/08
Wang seems to be trying for the reflective silence and emotionally fraught familial relationships of a Yasujiro Ozu film, but his characters are too underdeveloped to support the weight of such expectations.
09/26/08
A quiet work with Ozu-like structure and concerns, but remains more an intellectual exercise than one from the heart.
10/18/08
Top CriticThe emptiness felt by Yiyun Li's characters doesn't seem as much the result of an emotional void than a too-thin plot.
10/03/08
There's nothing earth-shattering going on here, but it's a film you'll want to befriend.
09/17/08
This is a nice, quietly heartwarming film. The tone really got through to me. I never laughed out loud, but always had a steady grin. Charming.
11/14/08
A lovely film of small intentions, yet embellished with an enormous heart.
11/06/08
A Chinese father visiting his Americanized daughter in Washington finds communication difficult, but the film offers rewards for the patient.
10/14/08
A keenly observed portrait of a parent and child estranged by geography, language, ideology and generation. In other words, a universal story of family in the age of globalization.
11/20/08
Top CriticIt's a short story of a movie: delicate, modest, beautifully observed.
11/07/08
Wang's approach is measured and restrained, his shots simple and immaculate, the emotional stakes deepening scene by scene. It's a miniature gem.
11/06/08
Well-written, beautifully shot, and meticulously acted
05/30/09
Both a departure and a welcome return to form for Wang as an indie auteur, a beautiful and incredibly moving story of real life relationships that exudes subtlety and self-control in a refreshing way.
09/18/08
There's a gentle beauty in these long, anguished silences, and Wang and his actors make the most of it.
09/19/08
Sensitively explores the chilly reunion of a Chinese father and his American daughter who dance around a divisive family secret.
09/18/08
Latest News for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
September 16, 2008:
Wayne Wang Gets Personal With New Films 
After making a detour into middle-of-the-road studio fare, director Wayne Wang has moved back into what he calls "smaller, more personal" films, including the just-released "A... More...
August 20, 2008:
Trailer & Poster Review
More...
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