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Movies / On DVD / Casa de los Babys
Casa de los Babys

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Casa de los Babys (2003)

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Reviews Counted:103

Fresh:61

Rotten:42

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Well-acted and thought provoking, if not completely satisfying.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some language and brief drug use

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $312,136

Synopsis: A group of six women from the United States, each of whom wants to adopt a baby, are checked into a hotel in South America waiting for the paperwork to go through. As their wait stretches on for... A group of six women from the United States, each of whom wants to adopt a baby, are checked into a hotel in South America waiting for the paperwork to go through. As their wait stretches on for weeks, they each get to know each other, sharing their hopes and fears. Meanwhile, the film explores every layer of people who are effected by the industry--from the teenage girls who give their babies up for adoption to the nurses that care for them as they're being assigned to new mothers. The local homeless boys sniffing paint in the street clearly don't receive the parenting they deserve, and yet the hotel staff dealing with the wealthy U.S. mothers-to-be sees a different side of the story--these women may not make for competent moms. Actresses Marcia Gay Harden (as the wonderfully difficult Nan), Maggie Gyllenhaal (as the painfully naive Jennifer), Daryl Hannah (as the quietly new agey Skipper), Susan Lynch (as the humble and loving Eileen), Lili Taylor (as the tough and jaded Leslie), and Mary Steenburgen (as the graceful optimist Gayle) are outstanding together, displaying loads of talent and illustrating Sayles' knack for character development. A touching look at what it means to enter motherhood, complicated by issues of class, politics, and pure emotion, CASA DE LOS BABYS is a thorough and pensive film that only a skilled director like John Sayles could create in such a seamlessly effective way. [More]

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marcia Gay Harden, Daryl Hannah, Lili Taylor

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marcia Gay Harden, Daryl Hannah, Lili Taylor, Susan Lynch, Vanessa Martinez, Rita Moreno, Mary Steenburgen

Director: John Sayles

Director: John Sayles
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Producer: Lemore Syvan, Alejandro Springall
Composer: Mason Daring
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 13, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Casa de los Babys

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Strong performances.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
10/03/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

Gets bogged down in bad dialogue, wasted acting and the most un-Saylesian thing of all, outright ignorance.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/20/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

a political pamphlet not very different from others that come from left-leaning Hollywood these days

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/26/05
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

It's a huge ensemble and a vast sociopolitical canvas with which Sayles is playing here, and, like all his movies, it's quite absorbing as it's happening.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
10/02/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A collaborative triumph in which the right actresses in the right roles respond to Sayles' ever-gentle touch.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
10/03/03
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

A jumble of ideas and stunning performances that never coalesce into a satisfying movie.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/12/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Sayles keeps crankin' 'em out: socially conscious, diversity-embracing ensemble pieces... This one is minor and sketchy...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
10/13/03
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Sayles demonstrates a remarkable ability to fully flesh out characters who are on-screen for only a short time.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
10/24/03
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Admittedly, mediocre Sayles is still watchable, but, relative to expectations, Casa de los Babys is a disappointment of significant proportions.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
09/20/03
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Each woman is a cardboard cutout, and the talented actresses here seem boxed in by their roles.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
10/17/03
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

a picture with a situation instead of a plot

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/09/03
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Filmcritic.com

Writer-director John Sayles has successfully tackled so many unexpected subjects that one has to wonder if he's got a dartboard in his office to help him pick his next topic.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
11/04/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Casa de los Babys is another fine example of writer and director John Sayles' sensitive and heart-felt exploration of cross-cultural tensions and misunderstandings.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
09/18/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

One pines for the return of Sayles’ great writing, especially given a flavorful taste of it in a heartfelt third-act monologue delivered by Lynch.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
09/25/03
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

Sayles . . . can keep the politics front and center while still maintaining a fierce humanity at the core

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/10/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Sayles' love of and respect for the culture, and his willingness—or eagerness—to leave the viewer with more questions than answers makes Casa de los Babys superlative.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
04/14/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

dramatically inert

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
10/15/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

a simpler disappointment than Sunshine State, with its obvious political statements and shallowly drawn characters

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
10/03/03
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Casa de los Babys is probably the biggest misstep of [Sayles's] long career

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
10/14/03
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Astute character studies are the point here, rather than a neat and tidy story.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/27/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
 
 
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