Fervent without edging over into preachiness, the film examines the humor that can be found in the lives of the bushy-bearded, curly-sideburns set who live by a strict interpretation of the Torah.
Comment
12/15/05
Rate this Movie 
Ushpizin (2005)
93
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:60
Fresh:56
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Ushpizin offers a rare and warmly intimate look into ultra-Orthodox Jewish culture.
Theatrical Release:Oct 19, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $1,381,814
Synopsis: A heartwarming and humorous Israeli drama set in the customarily closed world of ultra-Orthodox Jews, Ushpizin is the story of Moshe and Malli, a married couple, who are suffering through a... [More]
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Ushpizin
An unexpected delight from an unlikely source, Ushpizin is the first feature film set inside the closed community of Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jews.
12/01/05
Top CriticThe film rests squarely on the backs of Rand and his wife, who snatches the spotlight from her professionally trained husband in her acting debut.
12/31/05
Click to read the article
10/29/05
An orthodox Jew will identify and thereby raise the level of the movie to something beyond the temporal film experience
10/02/07
Click to read the article
02/22/06
Click to read the article
12/06/05
Billed as the first film made by members of Israel's ultra-orthodox Hassidic community, this contemporary parable might be Job gone to Jerusalem.
11/23/05
While it is as sentimental as a Bible story, it's genuinely touching and well done.
10/21/05
Dryly funny and richly humane, Ushpizin marries biblical simplicity to secular banality to depict an everyday miracle of devotion rewarded.
06/15/07
A touching and amusing tale that expands our horizon and also should open our hearts.
10/27/05
Top CriticAt once alien and familiar: part Old World folk tale, part inspirational sitcom.
12/20/05
Adorable folk tale that could have come from I. Bashevis Singer's pen.
10/10/05
Carefully balanced on a fine line that encompasses both gentle humor and spiritual wisdom, 'Ushpizin' draws the audience into its exotic world and shares its universality.
11/19/05
From several perspectives, Ushpizin is a marvel.
11/23/05
Top CriticAmid intense teachings of Hasidic tenets that all life challenges are a test from God, the surprise is a warm and funny relationship movie that should win your heart.
11/18/05
The film provides a valuable glimpse into the religious practices of ultra-Orthodox Jews living in Jerusalem. But it's also a cleverly plotted film, which, refreshingly, also features a few welcome comic elements.
01/06/06
Ushpizin's prayer-ends-all-hardships plot is one-note. But the flick does offer hope.
10/21/05
Equal parts Isaac Bashevis Singer (Yentl) and Capra (It's a Wonderful Life), this charming Israeli folktale offers an inside humorous look at the lives of Hassidic Jews
09/22/05
Click to read the article
04/01/06
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
The New Cult Canon
AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.
New Moon Portraits
TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.
Unsexiest Men Alive
Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds