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Movies / On DVD / Blame it on Fidel
Blame it on Fidel

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Blame it on Fidel (2006)

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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:40

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Blame it on Fidel is a charming comedy of manners, class, and politics, elevated by a remarkable performance from lead child actor Nina Kervel.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Aug 3, 2007 Limited

Synopsis: How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart... How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart Anna, a feisty Parisian girl forced to assimilate cataclysmic changes when her parents decide to devote themselves full time to radical activism. It is 1970-71, and Anna's father is fighting to redistribute wealth in Chile, while her mother doggedly researches a book on women's abortion ordeals. Meanwhile, Anna, kicking and screaming, must adjust to refugee nannies with strange cooking habits, a cramped apartment filled with noisy, scruffy revolutionaries, and the humiliation of no longer being allowed to attend her beloved catechism class. The fun of Blame It on Fidel is watching Anna (eloquently portrayed by Nina Kervel) valiantly sort through the dizzying array of contradictory ideologies flying at her--from communism to Greek mythology, from Vietnamese folktales and women's rights to Catholic morality. The film's emotional power arises from Anna's transformation from close-minded bourgeois princess to open-hearted truth seeker and her gradual internalization of what her parents, albeit clumsily, are trying to accomplish. Seamless and energetic, Blame It on Fidel features substantive, yet buoyant, performances by Julie Depardieu and Stefano Accorsi, as well as a hilarious turn by Benjamin Feuillet as the little brother who unwittingly teaches Anna a thing or two. -- Sundance Film Festival [More]

Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet

Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet

Director: Julie Gavras

Director: Julie Gavras
Screenwriter: Julie Gavras, Arnaud Cathrine
Producer: Sylvie Pialat
Composer: Armand Amar
Studio: Koch Lorber Films

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Release:

Nov 6, 2007

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Reviews for Blame it on Fidel

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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It offers a coming-of-age tale told unflaggingly from the point of view of a pouting, humorless and unsympathetic nine-year-old.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/17/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder.

Full Review Source: Critical Women | comment Comment
12/27/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Critical Women

The young heroine is rather humorless, but Gavras's intelligence and skillful touch are evident throughout.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/04/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gavras maintains a light touch throughout that allows us a rare chance to emphasize with both the radical and conservative elements at the family dinner table.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
11/16/07
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Blame it on Fidel! is a knowing lesson in film and history that often makes its serious point with a dose of wise humor.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
10/19/07
Ted Fry
Ted Fry
Seattle Times

A wry and observant film with plenty of understated humour.

Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
10/19/07
Stuart McGurk
Stuart McGurk
thelondonpaper

A smashing, funny and politically sophisticated feature debut from Julie (daughter of Costa) Gavras.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/19/07
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph

The comedy always feels enriching rather than demeaning.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
10/19/07
Robert Hanks
Robert Hanks
Independent

French director Julie Gavras neatly side-steps the cliches of 70s radicalism with her terrific debut.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/19/07
Cath Clarke
Cath Clarke
Guardian [UK]

Gavras is an experienced maker of documentaries, but this assured, intelligent film marks an auspicious beginning to her career in fictional features.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
10/19/07
Karl French
Karl French
Financial Times

A smart, amusing take on some serious issues that's fortunate in its excellent young leading lady and its ability to laugh at its own political excesses.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Sam Jordison
Sam Jordison
Channel 4 Film

What makes this film a real gem is Kervel's brilliant performance, personifying this stage of growing up with a perfect balance of bratishness, bright intellect, humour and innocence. She's a revelation.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/19/07
Laura Bushell
Laura Bushell
BBC

Cleaving to a child’s-eye-view of a time of significant social change, documentarist-turned-feature director Julie Gavras elicits excellence from Kervel as the stubborn schoolgirl struggling to deal with the lack of certainties in her new lifestyle.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Tom Dawson
Tom Dawson
Total Film

A deft, original, entertaining and thoughtful look at that moment when we realise the world’s just that bit more complicated than we thought.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/19/07
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

Illuminating, witty and touching, Blame it on Fidel is a gem just awaiting discovery.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
10/19/07
Rob Daniel
Rob Daniel
Sky Movies

A little gem with a wonderful performance from little Nina Kervel.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
10/19/07
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine

Gavras does not impose a political viewpoint upon her material, but respects the convictions of her various characters.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
10/18/07
Bill White
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The film contains a surprising amount of understated humor.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
09/28/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's all too easy to read Blame It On Fidel as a simple morality tale, an allegory comparing conservatism to childishness, and political awakening to emotional maturity.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/27/07
Tasha Robinson
Tasha Robinson
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Politics -- hardly a movie audience's immediate choice when it comes to entertainment -- becomes a deeply engaging subject in Blame It on Fidel thanks to a 9-year-old charmer who steals our hearts.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/27/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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Latest News for Blame it on Fidel

November 19, 2007: Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder. Opens in new window
More...

August 02, 2007: Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...

July 24, 2007: Radiates a touching clarity that movies about children have much to learn from. Namely, the formative intelligence of a child making sense out of an often confounding adult world, and the courage and necessity of their elders to just listen. Opens in new window
More...

January 28, 2007: Sundance Reviews: "Padre Nuestro," "Blame It On Fidel," and "Waitress" All Superb
Short reviews for three of the better films we saw at Sundance (the strongly acted Spanish language thriller "Padre Nuestro," French 1970s-set kid drama "Blame it... More...

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