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In America

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In America (2003)

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Reviews Counted:170

Fresh:151

Rotten:19

Average Rating:7.7/10

Consensus: A rich and moving story about an immigrant family adjusting to life in New York.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sexuality, drug references, brief violence and language

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 26, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $15,323,959

Synopsis: From master storyteller Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot," "In The Name of the Father") comes a deeply personal and emotionally raw tale of a family finding its soul IN AMERICA. Through the wide-open... From master storyteller Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot," "In The Name of the Father") comes a deeply personal and emotionally raw tale of a family finding its soul IN AMERICA. Through the wide-open eyes of two young heroines, Sheridan transforms a devastating human tragedy into a riveting, humor-tinged story about memory, secrets, love, loss, coming together and starting over. To begin all over again is a classic American dream. But it's remarkably hard to do, as Irish émigrés Johnny and Sarah (PADDY CONSIDINE and SAMANTHA MORTON) discover when they hit the streets of modern-day Manhattan, their two spunky young daughters in tow, and emerge into a realm as comical and adventure-filled as it is strange and terrifying. The family faces a dizzying new future –- but first they must face down a past that haunts every single one of them. With no cash to spare, Johnny and Sarah settle into a chaotic New York tenement populated by a colorful assortment of characters – and attempt to turn a Gothic horror-movie setting into a true home. From dragging an iffy-looking air conditioner across Manhattan to finding make-do jobs, nothing comes without a fight for the couple. And yet, while they see America as rife with challenges, dangers and weirdness, their daughters see it as a magical place where anything can happen, a place that might release them all from the anguish of what has come before. Then, on Halloween, Christy and Ariel (sisters SARAH and EMMA BOLGER) dare to knock on the door of "the screaming man," a mysterious neighbor named Mateo (DJIMON HOUNSOU), and everything changes. As the family heads for a crisis, Mateo becomes their unlikely ally in the territory where hope, faith and even magic hold sway. Based in part on Jim Sheridan's own autobiographical experiences coming to the United States, IN AMERICA is directed by Sheridan from a script by Sheridan and his two daughters, Naomi Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan. The cast includes Academy Award® nominee for "Sweet and Lowdown" Samantha Morton ("Minority Report"), Paddy Considine ("24 Hour Party People"), Djimon Hounsou ("Amistad," "Gladiator") and sisters Sara Bolger ("A Love Divided") and Emma Bolger (in her feature film debut). The film is produced by Jim Sheridan and Arthur Lappin. -- © Fox Searchlight [More]

Starring: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou, Sarah Bolger

Starring: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger

Director: Jim Sheridan

Director: Jim Sheridan
Screenwriter: Naomi Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan
Producer: Arthur Lappin, Jim Sheridan
Composer: Gavin Friday, Maurice Seezer
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

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Release:

Aug 31, 2004

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Reviews for In America

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/19/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/02/03
Boston Phoenix
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

The movie lacks conviction from implausible beginning to sentimental end.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
10/17/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

It all makes for a curious and uneven mix of social realism and childlike whimsy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/12/03
Channel 4 Film

Despite Halle Berry and Denzel Washington’s celebrated 2002 Oscar wins, the career of Djimon Hounsou proves that the notion of Hollywood equality remains fleeting.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
11/26/03
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

After 30 minutes, the plot takes over. And it's embarrassingly easy to see where truth ends and Sheridan's invention begins.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/01/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

It's too pat.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
12/12/03
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Since the film's intentions were good, I guess I'm supposed to overlook all the contrivances and naïveté.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/22/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

There are many better films on the immigrant experience.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
12/13/03
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Comes across less as childlike and more as a parade of saccharine cliches.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
11/27/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

Ostensibly, it's meant to be part family drama and part love letter to New York. But it feels like a movie made by a tourist.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
11/25/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Two child actors provide the strongest sense of realty in a disjointed tearjerker, where there’s a disconnect between what is said and what is shown.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/09/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

A sentimental tear-jerker that failed to make me cry.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
12/01/03
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

Jim Sheridan's sentimental heartwarmer of a story about an immigrant Irish family in modern New York is frankly manipulative and contrived.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/15/04
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

It isn't a very good film but it does contain moments strong enough to make you forget that fact.

Full Review Source: Critic Doctor | comment Comment
11/25/03
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
Critic Doctor

Title implies the immigrant experience in modern America; but such a plot is only a backdrop for a bitter/sweet story about a close family dealing with the death of a child.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/06/04
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

For much of the movie, mundane, authentic details are ignored, which stretches credibility.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
10/29/02
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Boxoffice Magazine

The movie stumbles.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/26/03
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for In America

July 24, 2006: Kid Stars Sign Up for "Spiderwick"
Young actors Freddie Highmore ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") and Sarah Bolger ("In America") have signed to star in Paramount's big-screen rendition... More...

April 13, 2006: Rogue Shows Some Fuzz Love
Read on for a very formal press release from Rogue Pictures, the ultimate gist of which is this: Rogue, which is the "genre arm" of Universal Pictures, will distribute... More...

November 11, 2005: In Other News..."Get Rich" Suffers From PA Shooting
An abysmally low Tomatometer and offensive billboards aren't the only problems plaguing this week's Jim Sheridan-50 Cent release, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" -- one... More...

August 04, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Get Rich or Die Tryin'
From Jim Sheridan, the director of "In America" and "My Left Foot," comes the big-screen tale of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's bitter life on the... More...

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