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Only Human (2004)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 53
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 15

A cheerfully energetic screwball comedy, Only Human milks laughs from its culture-clash premise.

Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 19
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 5

A cheerfully energetic screwball comedy, Only Human milks laughs from its culture-clash premise.

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 1,136

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Movie Info

A mismatched couple discovers that whatever can go wrong will go wrong during a family visit in this comedy. Leni (Marian Aguilera) is a television reporter from a Jewish family in Spain. One weekend, Leni drops by her family's home for a visit, with her new boyfriend, college professor Rafi (Guillermo Toledo), in tow. Rafi is more than a bit nervous about meeting Leni's family -- chronically nervous mother Gloria (Norma Aleandro), blustery father Ernesto (Mario Martin), dance-student sister

R, 1 hr. 29 min.

Television, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

Directed By: Dominic Harari , Teresa Pelegri

Written By: Dominic Harari, Teresa Pelegri

In Theaters: Jun 16, 2006 Limited

On DVD: Oct 17, 2006

Box Office:$69.3k

Magnolia Pictures

Only Human Trailer & Photos

Cast

Critic Reviews for Only Human

All Critics (53) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (15) | DVD (1)

Writer-directors Dominic Harari and Teresa Pelegri have penned an amusing script and, as directors, inject a delicate human texture into the story's intermixing of capricious zaniness, frank sensuality and Mideast politics.

February 15, 2007 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

A smart and dark comedy from Spain, Only Human manages to say cogent things about the nature of intolerance and love while being fitfully hilarious.

August 10, 2006 Comment

Colin Covert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Top Critic

A familiar situation of a beloved daughter bringing her intended home to meet the folks is pushed to sublimely silly extremes.

July 28, 2006 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

A Spanish comedy that isn't quite as frenzied or farcical as its husband-and-wife writer-director team clearly intended it to be.

July 21, 2006 Comment

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

It lets frantic get so far ahead of funny, the latter gets lost in the dust.

July 7, 2006 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Top Critic

Mines the comic possibilities of the classic setup of introducing the fianc� to the family, with results that are playful, charming and surprisingly thoughtful.

July 7, 2006 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

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Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

More than just a spotlight on wacky family members and screwball situations ... a simple statement about some absurd perspectives on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

September 17, 2007 Full Review Source: Cinematical

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Christopher Campbell

Cinematical

A rare, optimistic ray of hope about the prospects of Jewish-Muslim relations.

June 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine

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Kam Williams

Upstage Magazine

This culture-clash, dysfunctional family comedy has a smart script, energetic performances, and more tongue in cheek than a cow eating steroids.

November 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

The laughs more than make up for the familiarity.

October 17, 2006 Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com

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David Cornelius

DVDTalk.com

... well-intentioned and charming, a deliberately downsized film that despite its high concept finds humor in the domestic more often than the political.

October 6, 2006 Full Review | Comment

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A fresh and funny Spanish take on the classic family screwball comedy.

September 8, 2006 Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

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Jack Garner

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Only Human (Seres Queridos), generally speaking, doesn't work.

August 25, 2006 Comment

Laura Kelly

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

While the comedy is at times sharp but mainly chaotic in that frenzied European style, it seems the filmmakers actually intended to make a statement about Jews, Arabs, and the possibility that love can out maneuver politics and overcome unimaginable histo

August 16, 2006 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com

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Jordan Hiller

Bangitout.com

The only lesson it has to impart is that a gifted, charismatic cast can elevate the most tired material into something closer to mediocrity.

August 11, 2006 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

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Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

The secret to Only Human's appeal is that the silliness is performed matter of factly, so it becomes a new, cracked definition of normal.

August 10, 2006 Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

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Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)

St. Paul Pioneer Press

The irreverent comedy of family feuds, impulsive leaps of (il)logic, and temporary amnesia is more screwball eccentricity than social satire.

August 5, 2006 Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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Sean Axmaker

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

There's a political and social clash at its core, but the laughter comes from a deeper, human place (see title).

August 4, 2006 Full Review Source: Seattle Times

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Ted Fry

Seattle Times

Offers passing amusements, for sure, but the gap between its brilliant potential and its final execution is frustrating.

July 28, 2006 Full Review Source: Oregonian

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Shawn Levy

Oregonian

Amiable, and occasionally even insightful, but also sometimes just silly and at others a trifle tasteless...a mixed bag that, unhappily, doesn't deliver quite enough.

July 11, 2006 Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Only Human

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A good portion of this movie was just wacky fun! It is chock full of unusual situations, and funny characters. But then it tends to go overboard on the "crazy and funny" family situations...too the point of stupid, not funny. HOWEVER, the movie as a whole is definitely worth checking out. There are some hysterical

May 31, 2011

Cynthia S.

Super Reviewer

In "Only Human", Leni(Marian Aguilera), a television personality, and Rafi(Guillermo Toledo), a university professor, are madly in love with each other. One problem though: she is Jewish, he is Palestinian. Rafi is already nervous from having received a complimentary proctology exam earlier in the day from airline

June 25, 2006