Click to read the article
Casa de los Babys (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:103
Fresh:61
Rotten:42
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Well-acted and thought provoking, if not completely satisfying.
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
Get This Movie
Reviews for Casa de los Babys
The topic--international adoption--is certainly compelling and the performances convincing, but as a drama, Casa de Los Babys never quite comes to life.
A jumble of ideas and stunning performances that never coalesce into a satisfying movie.
Sayles lets the befuddlements and ordinary complications of life take its course like a winding, sunlit stream.
[Sayles] does more showing than his usual telling, without forsaking his interest in people and the histories and societies that have created their problems.
Its high points notwithstanding, Casa de Los Babys generally fails to make a lasting impression.
Though Casa de los Babys is a low-key effort, one that stops as suddenly as if Sayles turned off the camera and ambled away, it asks questions worth pondering.
Sayles sees like a documentarian, showing us the women, listening to their stories, inviting us to share their hopes and fears and speculate about their motives.
Eschewing all sentiment, avoiding all pathos, keeping his film and most of the women hard as nails, [Sayles] manages to tell a compelling story.
Os poucos momentos de maior inspiração não são suficientes para fazer jus à carreira de Sayles, às belas atuações de seu elenco e tampouco ao importante tema de seu filme.
Topical director John Sayles thoughtfully illustrates two sides of the burgeoning foreign baby trade in this documentary-style film.
"Casa de los Baby's" is a frustrating and tedious experience to endure.
Sayles keeps crankin' 'em out: socially conscious, diversity-embracing ensemble pieces... This one is minor and sketchy...
A comical & penetrating look at a diverse group of American women who want to adopt South American bebes.
Sayles does what he does best, opening a window onto a slice of life so believable, you'd swear the movie was a documentary if you didn't know better.
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.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Casa de los Babys at Rotten Tomatoes
- Casa de los Babys at IGN
- Casa de los Babys at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



