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Babel

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Babel (2006)

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Reviews Counted:190

Fresh:130

Rotten:60

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film.

Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins 1 sec

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 27, 2006 Limited

Box Office: $34,237,104

Synopsis: BABEL is the crowning achievement in the trilogy from the unstoppable creative pairing of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, which also includes AMORES PERROS... BABEL is the crowning achievement in the trilogy from the unstoppable creative pairing of screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, which also includes AMORES PERROS (2000) and 21 GRAMS (2003). Building upon its predecessors' method of weaving together disparate storylines, BABEL reaches new heights of ambition with a tale that, in the absence of traditional narrative and protagonist, relies on numerous incredible performances to evoke an affecting relevance by framing contemporary issues in very human struggles and mistakes. Richard and Susan (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) are a wealthy couple from San Diego who are vacationing in Morocco in order to heal after the death of their young child; their other two children are at home with their Mexican maid, Amelia (Adriana Barraza). In a complex shift of ownership to which the audience is privy, a rifle finds its way into the hands of a local herdsman's young sons (Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Caid), who recklessly take a shot at a tour bus and catch Susan in the shoulder, causing her to nearly lose her life. The distraught Richard calls home to tell Amelia of the situation, who promptly departs for Mexico to attend her child's wedding, with Richard and Susan's children in tow. Disaster thus multiplies, with the situation in Morocco ascribed to terrorists in the media, while Amelia meets with the harsh immigration policies of the Bush administration. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a widower (Koji Yakusho) tied to the rifle in question attempts to deal with his memories and his raucous, promiscuous, deaf daughter (Rinko Kikuchi). Nearly every performance of the film is devastating, offering an intimate, emotional experience that would approach melodrama if it weren't rendered so realistically. Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto's color palette masterfully captures the muted tones of the harsh natural landscapes of Morocco and the Mexican border, as well as the fluorescent lights of Tokyo that denote another, though equally barren, end of the spectrum. The misunderstandings born of cultural, language, and class barriers are on par with those that occur between family members, depicting a world that, while connected in the least expected of ways, is also faced with a deep-seated crisis that threatens to alienate humanity from itself. [More]

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mahima Chaudhry

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mahima Chaudhry, Shilpa Shetty, Koji Yakusho, Said Tarchani, Adriana Barraza, Boubker Ait El Caid, Rinko Kikuchi, Peter Wight, Peter Walter, Trevor Martin, Matyelock Gibbs, George Oumansky, Michael Maloney, Abdelkar Bara, Mustapha Rachidi, Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, Michael Pena, Jamie Mcbride

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga Jordan
Producer: Steve Golin, Jon Kilik, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Corrine Golden Weber
Composer: Gustavo Santaolalla
Studio: Paramount Classics

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Release:

Feb 20, 2007

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Reviews for Babel

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The gimmick-machinery whirrs, but the human beings in it can't breath

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga have fashioned their ideas with conviction and obvious care.

Full Review Source: JWR | comment Comment
06/30/09
S. James Wegg
S. James Wegg
JWR
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Babel...belongs to an unfortunately proliferating genre that might be called the higher kitsch.

Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
06/01/08
Thomas Peyser
Thomas Peyser
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

...language acts more as a means to distance and isolate us than aid in our understanding of one another.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

A lumbering, stitched-together mess.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Babel directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is one of the most compelling films to date.

Full Review Source: Movie Magazine International | comment Comment
07/22/07
Moira Sullivan
Moira Sullivan
Movie Magazine International

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

an affecting examination of disconnected lives in an interconnected world.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
06/29/07
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Smart, interesting to look at, and courageous, this is one of the best films of 2006.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
05/02/07
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

There is some hope, in Iñárritu's world, each of the characters may have a family and love, but this is shown to be, at best, a diversion against the real world, which is a much more intolerable, incomprehensive place.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
03/27/07
Michael Wade Simpson
Michael Wade Simpson
culturevulture.net

The kind of film that will echo deep in your soul.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/03/07
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga cap off the trilogy of films that began with "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams" with a rich and engrossing drama.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
02/19/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
 
 
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Latest News for Babel

August 12, 2008: Rinko Kikuchi Hears Sounds of Tokyo Opens in new window
Babel star Rinko Kikuchi is in talks to star in Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, "a Japanese-set dramatic thriller that centers on a fish-market employee who doubles as a contract... More...

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Jigsaw's twisted games return for another late-October round of torture fun with Saw IV which should allow the lucrative franchise to claim the biggest horror opening of the... More...

September 25, 2007: RT on DVD: Knocked Up Arrives, Delivers Healthy Bonus Menu
Judd Apatow fans, get thee to a video store! Knocked Up, starring Seth Rogen, is out on DVD today and features an entire disc of bonus materials that make it well worth your... More...

July 13, 2007: Charlize Theron to Visit "The Burning Plain"
The Oscar-winning blonde will anchor the directorial debut of one of the hottest screenwriters around: Guillermo Arriaga. More...

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