RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Captain Abu Raed
Captain Abu Raed

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Captain Abu Raed (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
84 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:25

Fresh:21

Rotten:4

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: A poetic and deeply felt debut by director Amin Matalqa, Captain Abu Raed is simultaneously mythic and melodramatic.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 7, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Captain Abu Raed is a universal story of friendship, inspiration and heroism set in contemporary Jordan. Abu Raed is a lonely janitor at Amman’s International Airport. Never having realized his... Captain Abu Raed is a universal story of friendship, inspiration and heroism set in contemporary Jordan.

Abu Raed is a lonely janitor at Amman’s International Airport. Never having realized his dreams of seeing the world, he experiences it vicariously through books and brief encounters with travelers.

Finding a discarded Captain’s hat in the trash at work one day, he is followed by a neighborhood boy who spots him wearing it as he walks home. The next morning he wakes up to find a group of neighborhood children at his door, believing him to be an airline pilot. And thus the friendship begins. Happy for the company and attention, he takes the children to colorful places around the world through his fictional stories and inspires them to believe in their own ambitions.

Murad, an angry outsider to the group, vindictively attacks Abu Raed and the sense of hope he instills in the children. In his quest to prove that Abu Raed is a liar and a fake, Murad begins to discover new possibilities in his life. Meanwhile, Abu Raed’s friendship with Nour, a real female pilot, begins to grow as she deals with her own set of pressures from life in modern Amman.

Captain Abu Raed is the story of everyday people intersecting across social boundaries. It is a story of dreams, friendship, forgiveness, and sacrifice. --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Nadim Sawalha

Starring: Nadim Sawalha

Director: Amin Matalqa

Director: Amin Matalqa
Screenwriter: Amin Matalqa

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 38

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "SAVE" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Captain Abu Raed

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A stealthily powerful drama ... highlighted by a beautiful score and strong performances.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
10/23/09
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

Gentle, humanistic and suffocatingly sentimental.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/16/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Matalqa's film shows how the most liberating flights might be those of the imagination.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/16/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

[A] heartwarming drama.

Full Review Source: Memphis Tri-State Defender | comment Comment
09/04/09
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Memphis Tri-State Defender

A moving dramatic fable about an elderly airport janitor's relationship with a bunch of Amman street kids.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
09/04/09
Lee Marshall
Lee Marshall
Screen International

Despite the film's flaws, there's something winsome about Abu Raed in his captain's hat, entertaining kids with visits to cities that exist only in his imagination.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/04/09
Annie Young Frisbie
Annie Young Frisbie
Christianity Today

It's easy to get attached to Captain Abu Raed

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/27/09
Norm Schrager
Norm Schrager
Filmcritic.com

Writer-director Amin Matalqa’s debut affirms life, plucks heartstrings, and knows no shame.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/27/09
Mark Feeney
Mark Feeney
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a loving, sad and tragic film, but a hopeful movie, too.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
08/22/09
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

His journey makes for a complex film that goes beyond the obvious. It, too, travels. And it travels well.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
08/21/09
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An endearing blend of myth and melodrama that forthrightly explores family abuse in its own society.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/21/09
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...both the somewhat sentimental tale of a senior citizen making a change in the life of a child and a movie that forges its own path with unexpected developments.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
08/17/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

There's an aura of tension as Abu Raed helps a boy escape from his abusive father. And the location shots of Amman are impressive.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
08/14/09
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mr. Matalqa seems more interested in a wistful atmosphere than in complexity. Mr. Sawalha, a veteran television and film actor, has no trouble creating that.

comment Comment
08/14/09
Neil Genzlinger
Neil Genzlinger
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Eager, earnest and ultimately a little too easy on the conscience, Amin Matalqa’s Jordanian melodrama is social commentary with the gloss of classical Italian drama.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/12/09
S. James Snyder
S. James Snyder
Time Out New York

It's a simple story told with dignity and aiming for universal relevance.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
07/24/09
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Making a polished feature debut after directing shorts at the American Film Institute, Jordanian-born, American-educated Matalqa demonstrates a subtle touch with a well-chosen cast.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
07/03/09
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

'Captain Abu Raed' could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between new filmmaker Amin Matalqa and discerning moviegoers everywhere.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/28/09
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Nadim Sawalha gives a terrific performance, subtle and complex, and most effective when the camera simply lingers on his face.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
11/12/08
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Amin Matalqa's teary drama, Captain Abu Raed, takes its obvious cues from the neorealism of Satyajit Ray and Jean Renoir, but Matalqa doesn't know how to balance melodrama with quiet moments the way the masters did.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/07/08
Sam Adams
Sam Adams
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Captain Abu Raed

July 12, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

January 28, 2008: Frozen River, The Wackness Lead 2008 Sundance Winners
The dust has settled in Park City, and now that the votes have been counted and the hardware's been handed out, we can give you 2008's Sundance rundown! More...

See All

More Movies

Close
Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

More…

— Lourdes 2/17
— Celine: Through the Ey… 2/17
— Shutter Island 2/19
— Blood Done Sign My Name 2/19
— Takers 2/19
See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Runaways Pictures

Runaways Pictures

Run away with Kristen and Dakota!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tom Cruise Accepts Another Mission: Impossible Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
38
  • Chris Nolan on Board for Dark Knight Sequel -- and Superman Reboot? Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
270
  • Tim Robbins Joins Green Lantern Source: Hollywood Reporter
58
  • Fox Moves Forward with 24 Movie Source: HitFix
9
  • Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters III Source: Sunday Mail [UK]
56
  • Captain America News, News, and More News Source: Collider.com
21
  • Taylor Lautner Is Stretch Armstrong Source: MTV
78
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
288
  • Percy Jackson Star (Briefly) Rumored for Spider-Man Reboot Source: Hollywood Reporter
35
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
140
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Jeff Bridges' Best Movies
114
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
104
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
96
  • Five Favorite Films With Precious' Gabby Sidibe
35
  • Friday Harvest: The Last Airbender, The A-Team, and more!
27
  • Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
22
  • Total Recall: Anthony Hopkins' Best Movies
21
  • Five Favourite Films with Anika Noni Rose
17
  • Awards Tour: Pixar and Disney Rule The Annies
15
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: A Serious Man, Couples Retreat, and More
10
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Oscar Nominee Gabby Sidibe Talks Precious
20
  • One Man's Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
77
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
22
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
3
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
13
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Captain Abu Raed at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Celebrity Yearbook Photos
Celebrity Yearbook Photos External Link

Check out PopEater's collection of childhood photos of celebs, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian.

Who Will Win the Oscars?
Who Will Win the Oscars? External Link

TIME's Richard Corliss pores over the Oscar noms for the major awards and offers his take on who will win.

Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness?
Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness? External Link

For a different take, the AV Club delves into why awards season is terrible.

Who's the Razziest?
Who's the Razziest? External Link

Moviefone has put together a list of the actors with the most Razzie noms ever.

Mass Effect Movie?
Mass Effect Movie? External Link

Hollywood.com makes a case for a big screen adaptation of popular game Mass Effect.

Promos
Get the Flixster App Now!
Get the Flixster App Now! External Link

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.