Although the acting isn't so hot from the non-professional bit part players, Ahmad Ravzi - also a non-professional actor and former push cart seller himself - puts in a stoic and solid performance.
Man Push Cart (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:46
Fresh:40
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: This compassionate portrait of a New York City street vendor is as beautiful as it is melancholy.
Theatrical Release:Sep 8, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: It's 3:00 a.m. in Manhattan, the hour of rumbling garbage trucks, glaring headlights, and the bluish florescent glow of the all-night delis. Trudging alongside the honking traffic, Ahmad drags a... It's 3:00 a.m. in Manhattan, the hour of rumbling garbage trucks, glaring headlights, and the bluish florescent glow of the all-night delis. Trudging alongside the honking traffic, Ahmad drags a coffee and bagel cart to a busy midtown corner. Hours later, he is swiftly and efficiently selling steaming cups of "coffee regular" to rushing New Yorkers. In the afternoons, he battles traffic to return the cart to a warehouse, occasionally peddling bootleg DVDs for extra cash along the way. A solitary, quiet loner, Ahmad strikes up slightly awkward friendships with Noemi, a young Spanish woman who works at a newsstand, and wealthy, jovial Mohammad, who is shocked when he realizes Ahmad was a famous singer in Pakistan. Through Ahmad's relationships with both his new friends, and his estranged family, we come to understand that he is haunted by a tragedy in his past. A beautifully crafted character study that captures the textures of a very specific New York experience, Ramin Bahrani's Man Push Cart is a subtle, insightful portrait of a man struggling with issues of identity, self-worth, and the harsh realities of finding a place to belong in a vast, often-unfriendly American metropolis. -- © Sundance Film Festival [More]
Starring: Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval, Ahmad Razvi, Ali Reza
Starring: Leticia Dolera, Charles Daniel Sandoval, Ahmad Razvi, Ali Reza
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Studio: Films Philos
Get This Movie
Reviews for Man Push Cart
The darkly realistic cinematography of Michael Simmonds gives the film a near-documentary style in its depiction of the endless, physically draining work.
Recalling Italian neorealist movies such as The Bicycle Thief, Man Push Cart is a slice of a very sad life.
If one of the things movies are supposed to do is make you look anew at the world around you, you may never see your doughnut vendor in the same way again.
The performances and storyline are pretty perfunctory. But the nocturnal images of Razvi hauling his metallic cart through traffic that barely notices his existence eloquently encapsulate the émigré experience.
Bahrani and his DP Michael Simmonds illuminate the murky beauty -- and hardscrabble economics -- of New York's all-night shadowland.
Man Push Cart is often striking, but Bahrani never quite figures out how to drag this small character study out to feature length.
The slower and minimalist pacing, like many of Man Push Cart’s formal conventions, adds another dimension to the sorrow at the true heart of the film.
An unforgettable portrait of a Pakistani pushcart vendor trying to keep his soul alive on the congested streets of New York City.
An example of spare, slice-of-life indie cinema at its most unpretentious.
Synthesizes aspiration, resignation, anonymity, celebrity, opportunity and denial into a portrait of something far beyond the immigrant experience.
While I don't agree with the commercial wisdom of tying into a Greek myth, I would offer Bahrani a nudge of praise for the skill and energy pushing his creative cart.
The melancholy story is told with empathy and restraint; Ahmad's unmoving face is a mask of loss, but he never lets go of his dignity.
... the events of Bahrani's film unfold with the same, inexorable predictability -- nothing happens that you didn't anticipate from the outset -- but it's beautifully played by Bahrani's largely inexperienced cast.
It's by no means an exaggeration to describe this quietly powerful film as Bressonian.
Latest News for Man Push Cart
October 27, 2007:
Uphill battle for immigrant worker dignity. ![]()
More...
November 28, 2006:
RTIndie: "Little Miss Sunshine," "Half Nelson" Lead Indie Spirit Award Noms
It's time again to celebrate the best that indie-land has to offer. The Spirit Award nominees are out, with "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Half Nelson" leading... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Man Push Cart at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


